HD57 - Study of the Status of Virginia's Families


Executive Summary:
House Joint Resolution 180 requested the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to study the status of Virginia's families and the impact of current public policies on family stability and structure, and to recommend policies to strengthen families.

In the last three decades Virginia has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number of single-parent families, divorces, and out-of-wedlock births. Currently, there are no signs that the increases in any of these trends will taper off.

Associated with single-parent families are a wide range of serious personal and social problems, including crime, poor educational performance, and an array of behavioral, medical, and developmental difficulties suffered by children of single-parent families. Over two-thirds of violent criminals are males who grew up without a father.

If the current trend of weakening family structure is not reversed, Virginia communities could see more severe social difficulties, including large escalations in poverty and violent crime.

Contemporary social science research confirms the nearly unanimous historical opinion that children are best raised in two-parent families. Strengthening intact two-parent families is the most effective way to stem the tide of child poverty, criminal behavior, and other associated social ills which the Commonwealth and the nation are experiencing at alarming levels.

The strong connection between public policy and family structure offers an opportunity for renewal. This study offers options to eliminate disincentives to two-parent family formation and preservation, as well as some positive proposals to strengthen existing two-parent families.

• Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Replacement of the AFDC program with temporary employment-based assistance would emphasize the value of work and personal responsibility. The current welfare policy is a powerful deterrent to the formation of two-parent families and fosters dependency rather than independence.

With the intent of preventing family break-up and long-term AFDC dependency, the new program should include a diversion program with short-term assistance for families in a crisis. To discourage additional out-of-wedlock births, additional AFDC funding for children conceived and born while their family is on welfare should be eliminated.

Further elements to strengthen families include requiring teen mothers to live with their parents, placing financial support responsibility on minor fathers, and requiring AFDC children to attend school.

To discourage family break-up and encourage stable family formation, the time limit restriction of six months in the AFDC-Unemployed Parent program should be changed to mirror the regular AFDC program. The current disincentive to the formation and maintenance of two-parent families created by the six-month time limit is very powerful.

• Adoption. Encouraging more adoptions would foster two-parent families as it would give the children the benefits. of a two-parent family and the young unmarried mother an increased likelihood of completing high school and becoming economically self-sufficient.

Positive policy changes include easing regulatory obstacles and providing financial and tax assistance to low-income families who cannot afford to adopt. Further, public and private social workers should receive training to inform unwed expectant mothers about the personal, social, and economic benefits of adoption.

• Parental Notification. In addition to discouraging both teenage pregnancy and abortions, parental notification for minors seeking abortions would foster communication between parents and children, strengthen family ties, and increase the likelihood that the parents will instill positive behavior in their children. Parental notification legislation would also introduce social service intervention on behalf of families where the threat of abuse or neglect exists. As a result, pregnant girls and their younger siblings would benefit from help before such a threat is manifested.

• Family Education. Strategies for reducing out-of-wedlock births should focus on instilling family values, building self-reliance and self-worth, and encouraging abstinence before marriage. Emphasis should be placed on "family education" over "sex education" to encourage abstinence and to reinforce positive and mature behavior on the part of teenagers, with parental approval for student participation in sex and contraceptive education classes.

• Education. Rigorous, measurable, and specific academic performance standards in basic subjects as well as increased flexibility, autonomy, and accountability are all needed for Virginia's local schools. It is anticipated that these changes would achieve measurable results in academic quality and parental involvement. The capability and legal protections for teachers and principals to discipline and restore order in the classroom would aid in promoting school safety and maximize learning. School divisions should have options for offering family life education and parents should maintain elective control over when and how their children will participate in offered courses.

• Family Tax Policy. A reduction in the tax burden would reduce economic stress and allow parents to save for a home or child's education as well as allow some parents to work fewer hours and spend more time with their children. Increasing the amount of the personal and dependent exemptions allowed in Virginia would particularly assist low-income families, many of whom must pay state tax even if they pay no federal tax.

• Divorce Law. The institution of marriage should be strengthened as divorce can have serious, long-term negative effects on children. Virginia should eliminate the practice of no-fault divorce, increase length of residency requirements, and require parents to participate in separation and divorce prevention programs prior to divorce. Consideration should also be given to the establishment of an "informed consent" provision which would require those entering into a marriage contract to be reasonably informed about its nature and the benefits of a stable monogamous relationship for spouses and children.

• Custody. Child custody policy should support the well-being of the child and reflect the principle that parents have a responsibility toward their children. Where parents are unable to settle custody issues, policy should encourage or require participation in a mediation program before resorting to a court settlement.

• Child Support. Less than one-quarter of never-married mothers have a child support order and, in all situations where child support orders exist, only 50 percent of custodial parents receive the full amount. Establishment of paternity in the hospital before mother and baby are discharged and establishment of paternity as an eligibility requirement for AFDC benefits would strengthen child support collection efforts.

Policies governing AFDC eligibility and child support require reexamination. Currently, mothers on AFDC must sign over rights to child support to the state, with only $50 passed through to the family. This often provides little incentive for fathers to meet full child support obligations. Consideration should be given to using child support as a primary source of income and AFDC payments as supplemental, with all child support paid directly to the family. This may signal to fathers that they, and not the government, have primary responsibility for the child.

A fatherhood education program to educate fathers on the critical importance of their roles, beyond merely providing monthly payments, would encourage marriage and involvement of fathers in their children's lives as well as add positive incentives for making support payments.

• Family Impact Analysis. Finally, to ensure attention remains focused on positive and negative impacts of public policies on the family, Virginia should consider formalizing analysis of legislative proposals.

In conclusion, public policies and the erosion of personal responsibility appear to be negatively impacting the formation and preservation of two parent families. Since children, our nation's greatest resource for the future, are the ones hardest hit by these changes, the trends over the last three decades can and must be reversed.