1. Colorado Parent Employment Program
Giving Parents a Helping Hand
CFSC 2019

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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 or (303) if interested
CFSC 2019