Family living arrangements have shifted over time, and fewer children now reside with their fathers. This has led to an increasing focus on non-resident fathers’ support of and involvement with their children. This study uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to explore the connection between fathers’ financial support payments and their involvement in coparenting. Findings suggest that there is a reciprocal relationship between coparenting and the amount of fathers’ payments, with coparenting having a greater effect on payments than the effect that making payments has on coparenting.

This report from the Urban Institute provides early implementation findings from a study of six grantees that provide soon-to-be and recently-released fathers and their families with an array of activities and services in responsible fatherhood/parenting, healthy marriage/relationships, and economic stability. The goals of the programs are to help stabilize the fathers and their families, move the fathers toward self-sufficiency, and reduce recidivism. These OFA grantees began program operations in October 2011; this report covers program activity through May 2013. (author abstract)

In recent decades, policymakers have invested in responsible fatherhood programs in light of emerging research that strengthening parenting among fathers promotes positive child outcomes. This session will focus on how fatherhood programs and policies can better serve fathers, children, and their families. The panelists will discuss recent research on the changing dynamics of fatherhood in relationships and families, and opportunities for promoting father-child bonds among low-income men and boys of color. Ben O’Dell (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) will moderate this panel. Panelists are:

• Kathryn Edin (Johns Hopkins University)

• Timothy Nelson (Johns Hopkins University)

• David Pate (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) (conference program description)

This presentation was given at the 2014 Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference (WREC).

The Administration for Children and Families' Office of Family Assistance (OFA) hosted the "Strategies to Assist Noncustodial Parents in Improving Economic Well-Being" webinar. This webinar showcased several programs making headway in this area. TANF programs and their safety-net partners increasingly understand the importance of engaging noncustodial parents while also holding them accountable for the economic and social growth of their children. Barriers such as unemployment, underemployment, or incarceration can hinder noncustodial parents from providing for their children even when many want to do so. The Webinar featured three programs.

1. North Dakota PRIDE is a partnership between North Dakota's Department of Human Services, Job Service North Dakota, the Child Support Enforcement Division, and eight judicial district courts throughout the state. The program refers parents with unpaid child support obligations to Job Service North Dakota for employment support.

2. Kansas Child Support Savings Initiative is a partnership between Kansas Child Support Services and the state Treasurer's Office to empower noncustodial parents to save money for their children's education. Noncustodial parents open 529 savings accounts for their children and for every dollar they put into the account, the State reduces their child support arrears by two dollars.

3. Couples Advancing Together is a program of the Center for Urban Families in Baltimore, Maryland that provides employment development, case management services, and healthy relationship skills training to couples with children who currently receive public benefits through the Maryland Department of Social Services. Completion of the Couples Advancing Together program qualifies participants for a 10% reduction in any child support arrears they owe to the State of Maryland, which is helpful to those who are noncustodial parents to children outside their primary family unit.