Rethinking the role of fathers.

Helping the poor to be better fathers builds a win-win situation.

THE PROBLEM

Poor fathers have a difficult time keeping up with child support payments. These dads are often labeled deadbeats. But more than likely they are just dead broke and simply don't have the money to stay current on their obligations. Often they have arrest records, have never finished high school and have a sporadic work history.

Nationally only 13 percent of welfare recipients receive any type of continuous child support. Some poor fathers avoid paying through the child support system because the money they pay is usually retained by the state. Instead they provide "underground support" by giving money, diapers or clothes directly to the mothers of their children. Then they face enormous arrearages that a minimum wage job cannot support.

Low income dads often were raised without fathers of their own and really don't know what it means to be a parent. Because many of them were never married to their children's mothers, they usually don't have a formal visitation arrangement, and often the mother refuses to allow visits. Fathers usually do not know that their inability to pay child support is separate from their right to see their children.

THE NEW APPROACHES

States can extend services to poor dads using Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or Maintenance of Effort (MOE) money by including noncustodial parents among those eligible for job training and support services. Some innovations include:

* Helping fathers find jobs.

* Giving fathers job training and education that enable them to get better jobs.

* Giving collected child support directly to families.

* Teaching dads about child development and the nurturing role that fathers can play in the lives of their children.

* Changing the message to focus on the emotional and financial contribution that dads can make.

* Helping fathers establish paternity and arrange reasonable child support payments.

* Combining welfare money with Welfare-to-Work and Workforce Investment dollars on services provided at the community level.

THE INNOVATORS 

Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland

THE COSTS

The Iowa legislature set aside $50,000 for the development of services for poor fathers. California redirected some welfare savings to seven counties to operate fatherhood programs with cost estimates ranging from around $900 per participant to $5,000 per participant. Each of the programs will serve 150 and 450 dads per year.

THE OPINIONS

"These dads aren't deadbeat dads, they are dead broke dads. If we help them get real jobs, they will pay child support and support their kids. All they need is a little help." - Dianna Durham McCloud, former child support enforcement administrator in Illinois

"I know I don't pay [through the government] - why should I? But I do do for him You see I want my boy to know that I paid for his shoes, his clothes, not the state." - Father, age 28, Los Angeles, California

RELATED ARTICLE: PUT IT IN A DIFFERENT POT

States can transfer up to 30 percent of their TANF funds to the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Social Services Block Grant and as a state match for the new Job Access and Reverse Commute Grant pro. gram within certain limits.

* States can transfer up to 30 percent of TANF directly into the Child Care and Development Block Grant.

* States can transfer up to a third of the 30 percent TANF funds to the Social Services Block Grant. Funds must be used only for services to children and families below 200 percent of poverty. For example, a state could transfer 10 percent of TANF to the Social Services Block Grant and transfer 20 percent into the Child Care Development Block Grant.

* Similarly, states can use TANF transfer funds (within the 30 percent limit) to fund transportation for current, former or at-risk welfare recipients under the Job Access and Reverse Commute program.

Programs and services funded by money transferred from TANF are not subject to federal restrictions such as time limits and work requirements and are not included in work participation rates. Currently, 16 states have transferred TANF money into the Child Care Development Block Grant, and 24 states have transferred money into the Social Services Block Grant.

States can choose to fund programs outside of TANF, strictly with state money. Expenditures for these programs can count as maintenance of effort, and they don't require participants to be included in work participation rates or federal time limits. Fifteen states have invested state money in separate programs.