ACF-FUNDED HMI DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS AND GRANT ACTIVITIES:
Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE)
2003 SIP Grants
2005 SIP Grants
2006 SIP Grants
The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) facilitates State
and Tribal development of programs that locate non-custodial parents,
establish paternity when necessary, and obtain and enforce child support
orders..
Special Improvement Projects (SIPs)
SIP grants fund faith- and community-based organizations, as well
as state, local, and tribal agencies, to improve child support outcomes
such as paternity establishment and child support collections and
improve the well-being of children. These grants are authorized through
Title IV-D of the Social Security Act. During 2003-2006, the following
projects received funding to provide child support and marriage education
services to improve outcomes for children.
2003 SIP Grants
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Lehigh Valley Healthy Marriage Coalition
(LHMC), Community Services for Children (CSC) (Allentown, PA).
“Family Formation and Development.” This project provided
healthy relationship and marriage education services to Hispanic
Head Start parents. Curricula were adapted to respond to Hispanic
language and cultural needs. Project Period: January 1, 2003 to
May 31, 2007.
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South Baton Rouge Christian Children’s
Foundation (Baton Rouge, LA).
“Marriages That Matter.” The South Baton Rouge Christian
Children’s Foundation, Refined By Fire Ministries, Inc., Dixon
Correctional Institute and the Louisiana Department of Support Enforcement
Services are collaborating on a three-year project that will provide
healthy marriage education and child support services to underserved
ethnically diverse non-married custodial and non-custodial parents.
The overall goal of the project is to ensure that the children of
prisoners receive the support necessary for healthy development
by strengthening the relationship between their parents and increasing
the emotional and financial involvement of custodial and non-custodial
parents in the lives of their children. Project Period: September
30, 2005 to September 29, 2008.
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Fathers’ Support Center.
(St. Louis, MO).
“Healthy Relationships Skills for Fragile Families.”
The goal of this project is to ensure that the best interests of
children remain central to their parents’ lives by teaching
parents essential parenting and relationship skills and expectations
concerning child support responsibility and providing legal and
emotional support to children. The project will offer marriage education
training to a population of underserved ethnic and culturally diverse
never-married, divorced, or separated parents in the St. Louis area.
Project Period: September 30, 2005 to September 29, 2008.
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Michigan State University (Lansing,
MI).
“Together We Can – Creating a Healthy Future for Our
Family.” This project will investigate the efficacy of integrating
healthy marriage content into Family Support Education (FSE) programs
targeting African-American and Latino families; develop and test
an educational intervention on healthy marriage formation for unmarried
African-American and Latino parents participating in two Michigan
counties, Pontiac and Saginaw; and disseminate program curriculum,
lessons-learned and other information to early-parenting programs
statewide and nationally. Child support enforcement education will
be integrated as a key theme throughout the project. Project Period:
September 30, 2005 to September 29, 2008.
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Families Under Urban and Social Attack,
Inc. (Austin, TX).
“Healthy Parents, Healthy Families, Healthy Children.”
This project focuses on a population of African-American custodial
and non-custodial parents, age 18, and offers services enabling
them to strengthen the family unit and create a healthy, stable
family. The intervention strategies are designed to affect couples
and their children and consist of three components: assessment,
marriage education and relationship skills and support services
to enhance marriagability. Project Period: September 30, 2005 to
September 29, 2008.
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Alabama Children’s Trust Fund
(Montgomery, AL).
“Family Connections in Alabama.” This project will specifically
target African-American and Latino non-married parents who are IV-D
clients and who have a youngest child age 2 or younger. An innovative,
multi-pronged recruitment and retention strategy will be utilized.
Male/female teams and couple mentors from within the target communities
will manage the program participation and delivery of the child
support services information and marriage education (ME) services.
Child support workers will provide educational sessions on child
support services and will partner with project personnel to track
objective measures of child support outcomes. Project Period: September
30, 2005 to September 29, 2008.
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- Family Service and the Division for Families and Children of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas (San Antonio, TX).
"The Por Los Niños Project." This project proposes
to test the efficacy of collaborative intervention strategies to
improve child support performance and outcomes for children and
families by improving parenting, co-parenting skills, and encouraging
healthy marriage. The target population is low-income and unwed
couples. Project Period: September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2010.
Section 1115 Demonstration Projects
These grants provide matching Federal funds for demonstration projects
that expand and improve the operation of child support programs. The
projects are funded as follows: 29% Federal grant award; 5% matching
State funds; and 66% Federal Financial Participation (FFP) through
the IV-D child support enforcement program. The projects are authorized
by Section 1115 of the Social Security Act. Although varied, each
of the projects approved in FY 2005 emphasizes the importance of healthy
marriage to the child’s well-being; the projects also attempt
to achieve increased paternity establishment and child support collection
rates.
2005 1115 Grants
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Maryland Department of Human Resources
(Baltimore, MD).
“Baltimore Healthy Marriage Project.” Maryland’s
Community Services Administration and Child Support Enforcement
Administration have partnered with the Center for Fathers, Families,
and Workforce Development (CFFWD) in Baltimore to implement a project
that is intended to strengthen the relationships of low-income,
unwed parents. This will be accomplished through the provision of
eight-week training seminars for unwed parents with young children
and based upon a culturally-appropriate curriculum developed by
CFFWD entitled “Examining Relationships and Marriage with
Fragile Families.” Project Period: August 8, 2005 to July
31, 2008.
Section 1115 Waiver Projects
These grants provide matching federal monies for demonstration projects
that expand on current child support programs. The projects are funded
using the child support formula grant matching rate of 66% Federal
and 34% State or private non-IV-D funds; the projects are authorized
by waiver provisions of section 1115 of the Social Security Act. Though
varied, all projects emphasize the importance of healthy marriage
to a child’s well-being, as well as financial stability, increased
paternity establishment, and child support collection.
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Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
(Nampa, ID).
“Healthy Marriages and Responsible Fatherhood.” This
project provides marriage education with “Family Wellness”
and PREPARE ENRICH and other curricula to individuals and couples
who have children or who are expecting children, in order to improve
child support outcomes such as paternity establishment, child support
order establishment, and child support payment. The project recruits
individuals and couples through the child support, TANF and Food
Stamp offices, community, faith- based groups, special events and
hospitals. Project Period: June 7, 2003 to September 30, 2008.
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Michigan Family Independence Agency
(Grand Rapids, MI).
“Healthy Marriages and Healthy Relationships.” This
project utilizes faith- and community-based neighborhood organizations
and public pre-natal programs to provide marriage education through
the “Family Wellness” and “How Not to Marry a
Jerk or Jerkette” and other curricula. The goals of the project
include improving child support outcomes, creating more supportive
community attitudes toward healthy marriage, and providing marriage
skills training to interested individuals and couples expecting
children. Project Period: October 1, 2003 – September 30,
2008.
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Minnesota Office of Child Support Enforcement
(Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN).
“Minnesota Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Initiative.”
This project encourages stable family formation by providing couple
mentoring by minority couples to parent couples near the birth of
their children. Couples are recruited from in-hospital paternity
programs and pre-and post natal programs at local hospitals. Participants
and mentors are heavily involved in project planning and design.
Project Period: July 1, 2004 to September 30, 2009.
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Louisiana Department of Social Services
(New Orleans, LA).
“The Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Community
Demonstration Initiative.” This project integrates child support
services and marriage education using the Louisiana curricula. Couples
are recruited from the in-hospital paternity establishment process,
and other hospital based and community and faith bases organizations
and programs. The initiative informs the couple about the benefits
of healthy relationships to children’s well-being. The project
had been on hold due to Hurricane Katrina and was scheduled to restart
in October, 2006. Project Period: July 1, 2004 to September 30,
2007.
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Illinois Department of Public Aid (Chicago,
IL).
“A Child Support Demonstration Project to Help Families Build
and Maintain Healthy Family Relationships and Marriage.” The
purpose of this project is to improve the operation of the child
support program through provision of information to unmarried or
divorced parents about the benefits of paternity establishment and
child support. The project also provides marriage education using
the Louisiana curricula to assist interested couples to form healthy
relationships and marry, if they choose. Assistance is also provided
for help with employment, child care, and housing. The program operates
out of local WIC programs for African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Project Period: October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2007.
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Massachusetts Department of Revenue
(Boston, MA).
“Building Healthy Marriages and Family Relationships.”
This project is part of the Boston Healthy Marriage Initiative,
which brings together several projects including the Father Friendly
Initiative and several hospital-based programs which provide pre-
and post-natal services to couples. The project provides women and
men with marriage education using the Louisiana curriculum. Project
Period: October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2007.
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Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children
(Lexington, KY).
“Kentucky Healthy Marriage Initiative” provides marriage
education integrated with child support information to encourage
paternity establishment, child support orders and compliance. Participating
organizations choose the appropriate marriage curricula. The University
of Kentucky coordinates recruitment and education efforts by groups
such as Catholic Charities, the Catholic Archdiocese, Agricultural
Extension Services, family preservation, the courts, and birthing
hospitals. Project period: July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2008.
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Georgia Department of Human Resources
(Various Cities, GA).
“Georgia Healthy Marriage Initiative: The Georgia Family Council
is directing a project to provide marriage education integrated
with child support information and motivation. The marriage curricula
will vary by cities and organizations. Local coalitions will provide
outreach through existing community, faith-based and public organizations.
Project Period: April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2010.
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Washington Division of Child Support
Enforcement (Lakewod, WA).
“Lakewood (Washington) Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood
Coalition”.
This project provides healthy marriage education integrated with
child support information to couples or individuals with children.
The curricula may include PAIRS, PREPARE ENRICH, and PREP. A coalition
of private and public organizations (e.g., community- and faith-based
organizations, in-hospital and other pre-and post-natal programs
and a local military base are being organized to recruit participants.
Project Period: June 3, 2005 to May 30, 2010.
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Washington Division of Child Support
Enforcement (Yakima, WA).
“The Greater Yakima Valley Healthy Marriage and Responsible
Fatherhood Community Demonstration.” This program will provide
marriage education integrated with child support information in
order to encourage healthy marriage. The project will use PREPARE
ENRICH and PREP marriage education curricula. The target population
is low-income and Hispanic population. Project Period: June 3, 2005
to May 30, 2010.
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Colorado Department of Human Resources,
Division of Child Support Enforcement (Denver and other
counties, CO).
other CO counties). “Partner Up, Colorado’s Child Support
Enforcement Program for Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood”
will use local health resource organizations to recruit couples
and individuals into a marriage Education effort. Pre- and post-natal
programs, in hospital paternity, and social service agencies will
be used for recruitment and service provision. Project Period: September
27, 2005 to October 31, 2008.
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Florida Department of Revenue
(Jacksonville, FL).
“Jacksonville Network for Strengthening Families – Healthy
Marriage Initiative”
This community will provide marriage and parenting education integrated
with child support information and motivation to assist couples
and individuals to consider marriage. The curriculum was developed
by Franklin Covey from their “8 Habits of a Successful Marriage”
and additional marriage information and motivation materials. Project
period: July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2008.
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Texas Office of the Attorney General
(San Angelo and Houston, TX).
“Building Strong Families in Texas.” These communities
will recruit couples for the in-hospital paternity program and pre-natal
programs. They will provide marriage education to parents using
the “Love’s Cradle” curriculum with appropriate
child support information using a small group approach preceded
by in-home visits of some duration. Project Period: October 1, 2005
to September 30, 2007.
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Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
(Clark Co., Ohio)
“Parents as Partners: The Clark County Ohio Demonstration
Initiative” will attempt to increase marriage education integrated
with child support information and motivation for unwed parents
near the birth of the child. It will assist couples with problems
or who have separated to sustain and improve their marriages and
assist ex-offender parents in sustaining a marriage or relationship.
Parents will be recruited from in-hospital paternity, IV-D programs,
and hospital birth-related programs near the birth of the child,
court referrals, divorce/separation proceedings, Head Start, parents
of school children involved in family life education and faith-based
organizations. Marriage education curricula to be selected to improve
communications, anger management, and commitment and to teach couples
about the advantages of marriage. Marriage inventory techniques
of FOCCUS are to be utilized and the ‘marriage savers’
concept. Media campaign to increase public awareness of the value
of marriage. Project period: March 23, 2006 to March 23, 2011.
Note: For further information regarding section 1115 and SIP demonstration grants, please contact John Langrock at 202.401.4842. For further information regarding section 1115 waivers, please contact David Arnaudo at 202.401.5364.
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