Child Support Enforcement conjures up images of frustrated moms, angry dads, and irritated case managers trying to get money from dads who have been ordered to pay whether or not they see their children; tension and hostility burn through both ends of the phone lines as accusations and excuses pile up on the floor. Wages are attached; tax returns intercepted, bank accounts drained --a protracted game of hide and seek evolves.

Debbie Moss, Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Manager, and her staff of 57, and one fatherhood program guy are working to change not only the image of the Jefferson County Child Support Enforcement office but more importantly, change the experience of over 26,000 customers they are charged with serving- the mandate and order to collect millions from these parents for the benefit of many thousands of children living in Jefferson County. No small task, especially in these tough economic times. Last year, just under $30 million was sent to families or retained to reimburse welfare programs. Health insurance coverage was established and enforced in the majority of cases, resulting in fewer families being dependent on Medicaid for their children's health needs.

What people might not envision or expect to be a part of the services of a Child Support Enforcement office is a weekly "Father's Night" where dads come together to talk and learn how to be better parents or CSE caseworkers working to help obligors find a good job. The new CSE lobby greets these obligors with photos of fathers and their children and a simple question "Have you been a good dad today?" or another message "What your kid needs to succeed- YOU! " All these less common images of the face of child support enforcement are alive and well in Jefferson County thanks in part to the Fatherhood Initiative.

To understand the innovative nature of this program, it is first important to understand the nature of the child support system. The system deals with four types of obligors: able and willing to pay; willing but unable to pay; able but unwilling to pay; and unwilling and unable to pay.

Moss indicates that using coercive methods to get those able but unwilling to pay can be effective. Methods such as attaching bank accounts or taking away a recreation or driver's license may encourage some fathers to comply.

But, for dads who are willing but unable to pay, these more punitive methods do little to obtain the desired result - dads taking an active role in raising their kids not just financially but in emotional and physical ways as well. If a child support case ends with the father in jail due to failure to pay, no one wins, least of all the kids.

At the heart of the Fatherhood Initiative in Jefferson County is Al Wengerd. When he came to Jeffco a little over a year ago, he had already spent time working with dads who had been incarcerated, as well as having designed and taught mandatory classes for young dads. He believes in troubleshooting the barriers to paying child support. " If I can get a dad to get excited about being a father, understand that he is impacting his child's one and only childhood, and work with the head and the heart, then he'll likely do the right thing- even when we are not looking. That's the change I am looking for," says Wengerd. In the long run, the dad can thrive which means he can help his kids do the same.

Collaboration is a key to the Fatherhood Initiative. Wengerd works with Head Start, an early childhood program for low income families, in an effort to engage dads.

Head Start can always count on moms to attend events and support groups. Dads are a different story.

As Wengerd points out, men do not tend to see themselves as people who attend support groups. Together, Head Start and CSE sponsor a weekly "Father's Night" where dads come together to talk about their lives and their joys and struggles to be better dads. In addition to working with Head Start, the Fatherhood Initiative collaborates with Workforce Development, Probation, Mediation Services, Justice Services, the Child Welfare Foster Care Program, the Sheriff's office, Family Tree Domestic Violence Services, and the Temporary Aid to Needy Families program.

A National Priority

Jefferson County is on the leading edge of an issue that has the attention of the entire country. Both of the presumptive presidential candidates have written books about their early years and fathers, and have indicated that responsible fatherhood will be an issue that their administrations will support and promote.

In a speech given on Father's Day, presidential hopeful Barack Obama brought the importance of fathers in the lives of children into sharp focus. He shared some grim facts about kids who do not have fathers: more than half of all black children live in single-parent households; children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime, nine times more likely to drop out of schools, and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. ( http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gG5nFK).

Success Illustrated in the Results

In ways both big and small, the Fatherhood Initiative in Jefferson County is doing its part to reduce those grim statistics. The CSE office in Jefferson County already understands the importance of helping dads help themselves do what dads do - take good care of their kids. Their innovative approach to CSE not only focuses on solutions; it is getting results. Collections have increased from 59.9 to 65% in the past two years. Paternity is established in over 93% of the caseload in which paternity is an issue. More than 90% of the cases in the office have an established child support order. And most telling, the division went from 56 jail sentences to four. Less jail time means more dads working to take care of their kids.

The Fatherhood Program submitted a request to continue the Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Grant and was recently awarded $35,000 for 2008-2009. Only 25% of the grant requests in this category were funded. This award will ensure that much of the good work being done continues.

Jefferson County is leading the way for other agencies interested in working more effectively with non-custodial fathers. After attending one of the "Father's Night" sessions, Russ Porter, a Workforce Specialist with Arapahoe/Douglas County Works "was immediately struck with the openness and willingness of each individual to share their particular situation, barriers they are facing and how they were trying to cope with the many issues being discussed. I was also impressed with members of the group being willing to share ideas or experiences they had which helped them solve similar problems. Above all else, the dynamics of your group is one of complete commitment and support to their respective children."

Perhaps the most compelling testament to the program's success comes from a dad who said, "I never imagined that child support would help me." Doing the right thing usually does.