Provide opportunity for unmarried parents to voluntarily establish paternity by completing and signing a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity form when they walk into a Catholic Charities of Chicago WIC Food Center for nutritional information or to pick up baby formula and food.

In 1995, the Illinois Department of Public Aid's Division of Child Support Enforcement began working with the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program on the state level - offering training workshops on paternity establishment and doing statewide mailings of paternity informational materials to all WIC sites. In 1996, the Illinois Division of Child Support Enforcement and Catholic Charities of Chicago WIC Food Centers entered into an agreement to establish a pilot voluntary acknowledgment of paternity program at four WIC Food Centers. Paternity Establishment Program Representatives - "PEP Reps" - who are specially trained WIC staff, make themselves identifiable by wearing red shirts. They strike up conversations about paternity establishment with WIC customers in addition to performing their other duties.

The Illinois Division of Child Support Enforcement staff trained the "PEP Reps" on the same procedures and forms used by hospitals, Local Registrars, and County Clerks to offer unmarried parents the opportunity to voluntarily establish paternity. "PEP Reps" discuss the importance and benefits of paternity establishment to everyone. WIC centers distribute written materials on paternity establishment including a notice of the alternatives to, legal consequences of, and rights and Responsibilities of acknowledging paternity, and provide an opportunity to talk to someone about paternity establishment. A number of the fathers whose families use the centers have enough income to pay support since higher income families can receive WIC services than is permitted by the TANF program. The NCP's reached in this program may consist of a population that is not easily reached by other means.

Some of the elements that have made the program successful:

From October 1996 through September 30, 1998, WIC "PEP Reps" spoke to 10,161 parents about paternity and witnessed 495-signed Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity forms at the four centers. Based on the results of this pilot in 1998, the Division of Child Support Enforcement applied for and received a one-year grant from OCSE for $150,000, which permitted expansion of the paternity pilot program to 15 Catholic Charities of Chicago WIC Food Centers. During the grant (October 1, 1998-September 30, 1999), "PEP Reps" spoke to 22,887 parents about the importance and benefits paternity establishment and witnessed 398-signed Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity forms. Also, many of the parents who took forms home later voluntarily established paternity at Local Registrars offices, County Clerks offices, Child Support regional offices, Illinois Department of Human Services offices, or through the mail to the Illinois Department of Public Health's Division of Vital Records.

Since the end of the OCSE grant (September 30, 1999) through June 30, 2000, "PEP Reps" spoke to 12,109 parents about paternity establishment and witnessed 134 signed Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity forms at the WIC Food Centers.

Since July 1, 2000, Catholic Charities of Chicago along with the Illinois Department of Public Aid's Division of Child Support Enforcement expanded the project to 17 pilot paternity sites - and further expanded services to Head Start and Child Care programs that are close to the WIC Food Centers. Child Support

staff also trains WIC "Episodic Day Care" staff in WIC "Kiddie Korals" on paternity establishment and tracks Head Start and Child Care participants signing the Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity form. Since July 1, 2000 through March 31, 2001, "PEP Reps" spoke to 16,533 parents about paternity establishment and witnessed 121-signed Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity forms at the WIC Food Centers.

Since implementing four paternity pilot sites in October 1996 through March 31, 2001, "PEP Reps" at Catholic Charities of Chicago WIC Food Centers have spoken to 61,690 parents about the importance and benefits of paternity establishment and witnessed 1,148 signed Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity forms. Also, a mother and father may not establish paternity immediately, but having this information available and understanding what it is all about, may encourage them to take action on behalf of their children in the future. Also future parents who have received the information are better prepared to sign the acknowledgments at the hospital at the birth of their child.

WIC Food Centers at 17 sites throughout Chicago, Illinois.

An OCSE Special Improvement Project (SIP) Grant (October 1, 1998-September 30, 1999) permitted Illinois DCSE to expand an earlier pilot program conducted at four WIC paternity pilot sites to 15 sites throughout Chicago. The grant was for $150,000. The program continues with the volunteer effort of Catholic Charities of Chicago and IV-D funding for DCSE's participation in the project.

According to Lois Rakov of Illinois DCSE, it was important to select sites many people - both moms and dads - visit often. Motivated staff for the project had the greatest success. Although they were paid staff members of the WIC Food Centers, they eagerly volunteered to be "PEP Reps" as an additional duty. It is important to get on-going evaluations and feedback from those staffing the program about what is working and what is not working. The staff has many creative ideas, which need to be facilitated by their Child Support partners. One aspect of the project was development of a procedures manual for the WIC Food Centers to use in setting up a PEP program. The manual has also served as a guide for other states interested in replicating the program. The manual addresses development of a management team and steering committee, time lines for setting up programs, site selection, staff qualification and training, communication, outreach and best practices. A video was also developed.

Lois Rakov, Manager of Community Relations, Illinois Department of Public Aid, Division of Child Support Enforcement, 32 W. Randolph, 3rd Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60601, phone 312-793-4568, fax 312-793-8734, e-mail: aidd52n4@mail.idpa.state.il.us.