Session: Policy for Separated Families Around the World (Society for Social Work and Research 26th Annual Conference - Social Work Science for Racial, Social, and Political Justice)

In most countries, the proportion of children living with only one parent is increasing and these children are economically vulnerable. We bring together four novel papers focused on policies affecting these children in several different countries, describing some key policies and examining their effects. While there is some literature in this area, we know relatively little about whether policies are similar across countries, and even less about the effects of policies. In this symposium, the countries considered include not only the typically-studied European and Anglo countries, but also Chile, Colombia, and South Korea. Particular attention is paid to child support policies and policies governing physical custody (with whom children live after parental separation). The first paper (“Child Support Policy…�) sets the context by providing a broad overview of what is known about child support policy in various countries. The paper is based on a systematic literature search covering at least 40 countries and analyses of qualitative data provided by expert informants in 14 countries. The paper describes policy similarities and differences across countries. It pays special attention to guaranteed child support programs, given that the US National Academies have recently proposed this type of program as a part of their policy package to cut US child poverty in half. The next two papers examine the effects of child support policy in different countries, using quantitative methods. The second paper (“The Antipoverty Effectiveness…�) examines the effects of child support policy on poverty in Chile and Colombia. This longitudinal analysis shows that child support can act as a protective factor against future poverty, and it will examine whether these effects differ between these two countries. The third paper (“The Effects of the Korean Child Support Reform…�) examines whether recent policy changes in South Korea had an effect on child support received. Initial preliminary research had suggested positive effects; this study also has positive findings, but from a superior empirical strategy that increases our confidence these results are actually due to the reform rather than other factors. Child support is not the only policy directed at separating families. The fourth paper (“The Consequences of Post-Divorce …�) examines policies governing physical custody after parental separation (the extent to which shared care is encouraged, compared to primarily living with one parent). The research team has comparable data from Finland and Wisconsin and uses it to compare parental satisfaction with living arrangements and their relationship to economic well-being. The symposium is capped by two senior discussants. An academic with expertise in policy research will discuss the research issues raised. A policy leader in DHHS will address the policy issues raised by the papers. Both will discuss the paper’s relevance for changes in US policy. The audience not only learns about the ways several countries structure policy and the effects of these different policies for economically vulnerable families, but also is challenged to consider changes to US policy.