diane potts center for the support of families vicki turetsky commissioner of the united states...
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55 years ago... In 1960, there were about 1.5 million marriages and 393,000 divorces In 1960, marriage was legally recognized only between a man and a woman Parentage and the obligation to provide support rested on the man’s marriage to the child’s motherTRANSCRIPT
Challenges in the Recovery of Support for
the Modern FamilyDiane Potts
Center for the Support of FamiliesVicki Turetsky
Commissioner of the United States Office of Child Support Enforcement
9 November 2015
55 years ago . . .
In 1960, there were about 4.25 million children born in the United StatesOver 4 million children were born into a
traditional marital familyOnly about 225,000 children were born to
unwed mothersChildren born to unwed mothers were
5.3% of the children born in 1960
*Data and statistics from the United States Census Bureau
55 years ago . . .
In 1960, there were about 1.5 million marriages and 393,000 divorces
In 1960, marriage was legally recognized only between a man and a woman
Parentage and the obligation to provide support rested on the man’s marriage to the child’s mother
Today . . . In 2013, there were about 4 million children born
in the United StatesLess than 2.4 million were born into a
traditional marital familyApproximately 1.6 million were born to unwed
mothersChildren born to unwed mothers were 40.6% of
the children born in 2013 In 2013, there were about 2.1 million marriages
and 851,000 divorces In 2015, marriage is legally recognized between
both same sex and opposite sex couples
Today . . . Parentage and the obligation to provide
support may arise from marriage, acknowledgment, or adjudication
Increasingly, states recognize psychological or de facto parentage rights and responsibilities, which can result in children having more than 2 legal parents
Rise in the use of gestational surrogacy and artificial insemination
Prevalence of accurate and readily available genetic testing
Today . . .
Cohabitation before, or instead of, marriage has become much more widespread
The unmarried partner population “grew 41 percent between 2000 and 2010, four times as fast as the overall household population.”
Parents may have multiple family support obligations
Today . . . In 2012, 10% of children lived with a
grandparent In 2012, 4.2 million households containing
both grandchildren under age 18 and their grandparentsOf those households, 67% were
maintained by the grandparent31% were maintained by a parent
In 1970, only 3% of children lived in grandparent-maintained households
Modern Family ChallengesComplex parentage laws,
litigation, and policiesGrandparent involvementDetermining ability to pay and
child support for impoverished parents or parents with multiple family support obligations
Incorporating parenting time, employment programs, and other services to help parents and children
Child Support Core Mission:Locate Parents
Establish PaternityEstablish OrdersCollect Support
Child Support
Prevention
Engagementof Fathers from Birth
Economic Stability
Family ViolenceCollaboration
Healthy FamilyRelationships
Health Care Coverage
The United States Child Support Program
