Evaluation of the District of Columbia’s Child Support Co-Location Demonstration : Final Report
February 2007
District of Columbia Child Support Services Division
In 2004, the District of Columbia’s Child Support Services Division (CSSD) launched a demonstration to improve collaboration between the child support agency and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agency and reduce the number of TANF clients who failed to attend scheduled child support intake appointments, the first step to establishing a child support order. To accomplish this goal, child support intake workers were co-located at the TANF office in the Anacostia neighborhood. CSSD contracted with The Lewin Group to develop the demonstration and conduct the evaluation. To measure the effect of the intervention, individuals applying for TANF or visiting the office for recertification were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. Treatment group members received child support services at the TANF office, while control group members followed the standard procedure for child support intake, which involved an in-person interview at the CSSD headquarters. The impact study found that the demonstration produced a significant increase in paternities and orders established; impacts on child support payments began to emerge after 12 months.