Colorado Parent Employment Program Giving Parents a Helping Hand CFSC 2019

A social service approach to gain responsible parenting Designed to assist parents who are willing but unable to pay child support Research shows if a noncustodial parent has stable employment, a right sized child support order and access to their children child support is paid at a higher frequency Co-Pep set out to verify this research – 2012 to present – Arapahoe, Boulder, El Paso, Jefferson and Prowers participated CFSC 2019

Designed Approach Case management, creating a plan and holding parent to that plan – navigating the parent to the services available and conducting follow-up Job search assistance and job readiness training – in collaboration with Workforce, Goodwill Inc., Re-Hire Financial assistance for work supports, job barriers Fatherhood/Parenting Training and Navigation – including mediation services via the Office of Dispute Resolution and Nurturing Parenting instruction. Enhanced Child Support Services – expedited modifications, arrears forgiveness, deferred enforcement remedies, outreach to custodial parent, DV screening CFSC 2019

Who Attended Parents who were: Referred by establishment and enforcement technicians Under or unemployed Lived within reach of child support office Able to work, with a current child support case, and Voluntarily choosing to participate CFSC 2019

What Parents Wanted? A job Driver’s license reinstated Parenting time established Help with transportation or housing Right sized child support order Also, half wanted to attend classes on parenting and co-parenting CFSC 2019

Who Were These Parents Average age of enrolled parents was 34 years Participants were, on average, disadvantaged 55 percent had worked in the month prior to random assignment, with an average earnings below the poverty threshold for a single person Less than a third had more than a high school education Most (65 percent) had been incarcerated, and Most (62 percent) had children with more than one partner CFSC 2019

Overall Co-Pep parents received about 22 hours of additional child support, employment, and parenting services compared to those receiving regular services -- I.e. parenting and co-parenting classes, employment help such as resume writing and interviewing skills, modifications and mediation services Co-Pep parents received less child support enforcement actions (e.g. contempt hearings, warrants issued, or license suspensions) during the first year, as long as were cooperating with Co-Pep CFSC 2019

Key Findings Co-Pep cost estimated at $2,505 per participant yielding $3,346 in benefits over 10 years – largely due to staff time Co-Pep increased parent’s likelihood of working by 3% with increased earnings of 4% over the control group (note: the employment rate of less than 4% negated a difference between control and experimental groupings in finding work) Co-Pep improved customer satisfaction in child support, increased sense of responsibility for their children and increased co-parenting contacts in significant ways Co-Pep assured right sized orders in each case Leading to orders below 50% of earnings while also reducing arrears, a known key component to creating consistent payments of child support CFSC 2019

Valuable Takeaways Parents learned not to judge each day by the harvest they reaped, but by the seeds they planted. In other words, Co-Pep was a step forward, but not necessarily the final cure for the parents – what may be a small push to success for one, may take a 1,000 pushes to another. For each success, there was disappointment, but also, for each disappointment there was planted a seed of hope. The successes gave each Co-Pep worker encouragement that the their work made a difference and children would benefit. CFSC 2019

Why Not Your County? Opportunities for other counties to conduct similar programs are here: BICS Mini Grants Co-Pep Waiver Funds State Budget Initiative TANF Reserve Funds Contact Dan Welch at dan.welch@state.co.us or (303) 866-5401 if interested CFSC 2019