January 2024 NCSEA CSQ

Breaking the Mold: Exploring Non-Cash Child
Support Options for Parental Empowerment
by Karen Roye, Director, San Francisco Department of
Child Support Services
The welfare and well-being of children should always be a top priority in
any separation or divorce. When parents part ways, it becomes crucial to
establish a child support arrangement that ensures the child's needs are
met. Traditionally, child support payments have been made in cash, but
what if there were another way? What if parents had the freedom to choose
how they contribute to their child's well-being?
In recent years, a groundbreaking approach has emerged: non-cash child
support court orders. This innovative concept allows parents to move away
from traditional cash payments and instead consider alternative ways to
provide for their children.
With this knowledge in mind, the San Francisco Department of Child
Support Services (SF DCSS) initiated an in-kind pilot program. This article
details the motivations that prompted SF DCSS to pursue non-cash child
support court orders. In 2023, The Urban Institute (UI) worked with SF
DCSS to examine the department's pilot program, culminating in an indepth
analysis published in July 2023.
Access more detailed information concerning the pilot, including the entire
text from the UI brief and a two-page fact sheet, by clicking the proceeding
[linked] assets.