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Making parents pay: The unintended consequences of charging parents for foster care

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  • Cancian, Maria
  • Cook, Steven T.
  • Seki, Mai
  • Wimer, Lynn
Abstract
Most families in the child protective services system also interact with the child support enforcement system. This study exploits a natural experiment in Wisconsin, created by the state's large regional variation in child support referral policy, to estimate a potentially important effect of child support enforcement on the duration of out-of-home foster care placement. The effect we examine is whether requiring parents to pay support to offset the costs of foster care delays children's reunification with a parent or other permanent placement. We find evidence of this unintended effect, which is important not only because longer foster care spells are expensive for taxpayers, but also because extended placements in foster care may have consequences for child well-being. Our results highlight the potential importance of cross-systems analysis and the potential consequences when the policies and fundamental objectives of public systems are inconsistently coordinated. We discuss the implications of our findings for child support and child protective services policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Cancian, Maria & Cook, Steven T. & Seki, Mai & Wimer, Lynn, 2017. "Making parents pay: The unintended consequences of charging parents for foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 100-110.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:72:y:2017:i:c:p:100-110
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.10.018
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Bennett, Davara L. & Webb, Calum J.R. & Mason, Kate E. & Schlüter, Daniela K. & Fahy, Katie & Alexiou, Alexandros & Wickham, Sophie & Barr, Ben & Taylor-Robinson, David, 2021. "Funding for preventative Children’s Services and rates of children becoming looked after: A natural experiment using longitudinal area-level data in England," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    3. Lee, JoAnn S. & Romich, Jennifer L. & Kang, Ji Young & Hook, Jennifer L. & Marcenko, Maureen O., 2017. "The impact of income on reunification among families with children in out-of-home care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 91-99.
    4. Wood, S. & Scourfield, J. & Stabler, L. & Addis, S. & Wilkins, D. & Forrester, D. & Brand, S.L., 2022. "How might changes to family income affect the likelihood of children being in out-of-home care? Evidence from a realist and qualitative rapid evidence assessment of interventions," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).

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