With the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, policymakers and social researchers are focusing on child support payments as a source of financial support for poor women and children who will soon be forced off welfare. Because many fathers fail to pay child support, current child support enforcement measures tend to be punitive (i.e. wage garnishment and driver's license suspension). These enforcement methods, however, are only effective if the father is employed and can afford to pay the support. Unfortunately, a substantial minority of poor noncustodial fathers are either unemployed or underemployed. This report explores what employment, training and support programs are available to disadvantaged noncustodial fathers to help them become better contributors to the children's lives.
--Author's foreword.
