Many children have a parent who lives outside their home and supports them with monthly cash payments through the child support system.
Empowering Parents to Support Their Children beyond Monetary Support
In recognition of families’ desires for more flexible contributions, the San Francisco Department of Child Support Services (SF DCSS) has piloted a voluntary program that explores an alternative—allowing parents to meet their child support obligations through agreed-upon, in-kind contributions.
Exploring the Pilot Program
Our team of Urban researchers worked with SF DCSS and their partners to understand their motivations for offering an in-kind child support alternative and how they developed and designed the pilot. Urban researchers documented the implementation process of this pilot to inform other counties that may be considering offering in-kind child support alternatives.