Making Child Support Safe

This document was prepared by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) under a subcontract agreement with the Urban Institute and funded by the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The authors wish to thank the many people who contributed to its completion. First and foremost, we thank Tom Killmurray, the original project officer from OCSE, whose patience and understanding throughout the study’s evolution helped to bring it finally to fruition. Gaile Maller, upon Tom’s departure, continued to provide helpful guidance and suggestions. Other staff from OCSE reviewed drafts of the report and provided us with constructive suggestions regarding its content.

At the state and local level, many agency staff gave generously of their time in conversation with us about planning and operational efforts, and in reviewing the descriptions of their respective state’s policies and initiatives. At the Urban Institute, Pamela Holcomb provided us with critical insight and feedback.

Staff at MPR also played an important role in the completion of this report. Patricia Ciaccio and Walt Brower carefully edited the document and Jill Miller provided exemplary production support. Alan Hershey gave invaluable guidance throughout all phases of our work. Marsha Silverberg, the original project director but no longer at MPR, laid the groundwork for this effort with customary thoroughness and expertise.

We gratefully acknowledge these many contributions and accept sole responsibility for any errors that may remain.