Many children have a parent who lives outside their home and supports them with monthly cash payments through the child support system. 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. This approach acknowledges how some parents already contribute to their children and empowers them to flexibly address their families’ changing needs. It is modeled after the Yurok Tribe’s child support system, which allows parents to support their children in ways beyond monetary support, including providing diapers, fish, firewood, and child care.

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.

This fact sheet summarizes the implementation process of this pilot as an introduction for other counties that may be considering offering in-kind child support alternatives.