CABS
Brief
Case Study: Child Support

Engaging individuals in the child support process

We partnered with three child support offices to improve a critical letter sent to individuals who were supposed to come to the office and be served with a legal notice to review their child support obligations. Like many programs, these offices struggled with attendance rates at meetings. There were benefits of attending the meeting, including reduced fees and a greater voice in the legal process, but only about 15 percent of alleged parents came to the office.

The team reviewed the current version and redesigned the letter to have more motivating language, clear action steps, a map, and a deadline. Enclosed with the letter was a small, weighted calendar magnet highlighting the appointment date.

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The modest changes resulted in an 8.2 percentage point increase over the group of people who received the business-as-usual process (a 54 percent increase). The state is now exploring rolling out the new materials statewide.

Intervention vs control group graphic