Noncustodial Parents: What’s Next in Wisconsin?: Strengthening Families Through Work Opportunities

Publication Date: July 2001

Publisher:

Author(s): Jay F Hein

Research Area: Labor; Social conditions

Type: Report

Coverage: Wisconsin

Abstract:

The abundant success of the early implementation of welfare reform has done much to foster great optimism about government’s ability to help the poor help themselves economically. To be sure, the final verdict concerning work-based reform has not yet been delivered, and it will remain unsettled until reform withstands the throes of an economic downturn. However, all but the most severe critics acknowledge that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) has exceeded expectations, and its main welfare reform program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), will likely be reauthorized by Congress with broad bipartisan support.

That said, a growing percentage of Americans are recognizing that our true welfare is not measured in purely economic terms, but along social and family dimensions as well. In response to growing numbers of single-parent households, in which most low-income children reside, increased attention is being directed toward noncustodial parents (NCPs). A growing body of research indicates that those children deserve (indeed, urgently require) the emotional and financial support of two parents to improve their present condition and future life prospects.

The national conversation about NCPs often refers to men, who comprise an overwhelming percentage of the NCP population. In response, countless fatherhood programs have emerged over the past decade. However, this practice of focusing only on the men who are NCPs fails to acknowledge the 17 percent of NCPs who are women. Although at times this paper focuses on father-specific issues, it also deals with NCPs generally. The author recommends that any new research related to NCPs in Wisconsin include both male and female NCPs.