--- title: [Video] Why Punishing Dads Who Owe Child Support Doesn’t Work, and What Does Work description: Learn how the Colorado Parent Employment Program (CO-PEP) is using a two-generation approach to help dads gain full-time employment so they can pay child support. image: https://www.fatherhood.org/hubfs/Images/Blog/NFI_Blog_punishing-dads-doesnt-work.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/video-why-punishing-dads-who-owe-child-support-doesnt-work-and-what-does-work#main) - [![NFI mark](https://www.fatherhood.org/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI%20mark.svg)FATHERHOOD.ORG](https://www.fatherhood.org/) - [STORE.FATHERHOOD.ORG](https://store.fatherhood.org/) [![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=149&height=82&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=119&height=65&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=119&height=66&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ![NFI_logo_blue_left (1) 1](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/NFI-Assets/images/NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png?width=89&height=49&name=NFI_logo_blue_left%20(1)%201.png) ](https://www.fatherhood.org) - [How To Build Strong Families](https://www.fatherhood.org/build-strong-families) - [Why Father Inclusion Matters](https://www.fatherhood.org/why-father-inclusion-matters) - Show submenu for Get Involved Get Involved - [Fatherhood Programs](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/programs-and-resources) - [Train Your Staff](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/staff-training) - [State, County, and City Agency Services](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/collaborative-services) Open main navigation Close main navigation - Show submenu for Get Informed Get Informed - [How To Build Strong Families](https://www.fatherhood.org/build-strong-families) - [Why Father Inclusion Matters](https://www.fatherhood.org/why-father-inclusion-matters) - [Father Stats & Infographics](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-absence-statistic) - Show submenu for Get Involved Get Involved - [Fatherhood Programs](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/programs-and-resources) - [Train Your Staff](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/staff-training) - [State, County, and City Agency Services](https://www.fatherhood.org/solutions/collaborative-services) - Show submenu for Get Started Get Started - [Find Your Stage of Father Inclusion](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-inclusion) - [How Father Friendly Is Your Organization?](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-friendly) - [Get In Touch](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) [Store](https://store.fatherhood.org/?hsLang=en) [Get In Touch](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) [Store](https://store.fatherhood.org/?hsLang=en) Show submenu for Get Started Get Started - [Fatherhood Data & Statistics](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-absence-statistic) - [How Father Friendly is Your Organization?](https://www.fatherhood.org/father-friendly) - [Other Free Resources](https://www.fatherhood.org/nfi-free-resources) - [Talk With us to Get Started](https://www.fatherhood.org/get-started) National Fatherhood Initiative Blog / [Latest Articles](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood) [General Fatherhood Program Resources](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/topic/general-fatherhood-program-resources) # [Video] Why Punishing Dads Who Owe Child Support Doesn’t Work, and What Does Work 2 min read ![Christopher A. Brown](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/chris_circle_icon.png?width=100&height=100&name=chris_circle_icon.png) [** Christopher A. Brown ** ](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/author/christopher-a-brown) Chris serves as the President of National Fatherhood Initiative® (NFI), where he is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of NFI's strategic plan and business model, as well as its operations and fundraising efforts. ![NFI_Blog_punishing-dads-doesnt-work](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/Blog/NFI_Blog_punishing-dads-doesnt-work.jpg?width=453&name=NFI_Blog_punishing-dads-doesnt-work.jpg) Help. Such a simple, powerful concept. Unfortunately, it’s a concept that’s often overlooked when it comes to getting dads who owe child support to pay up. For parents in Colorado who owed child support—the vast majority of whom were dads—help is exactly what they got from the Colorado Parent Employment Program (CO-PEP), an innovation of the Colorado Department of Human Services. And what a difference it made in child support payments. The key to the success of CO-PEP was taking a two-generation approach—2Gen, for short—to better understand the needs of the entire family, parents and children. CO-PEP focused on parents who were “willing, but unable to pay” and who were “willing to engage in work, treatment, and other supports” that would help them to pay and pay regularly. The results were remarkable as described in the following excerpt from a [brief on CO-PEP ](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/resources/engaging-fathers-in-child-support-from-a-punitive-to-a-supportive-approach/)by Ascend at the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit that specializes in helping states and organizations implement 2Gen programs and initiatives including CO-PEP. “Of the 1,500 parents who were behind on their support payments, 85 percent were men. In order to rigorously assess the efficacy of the approach, half of this cohort were handled with the traditional, outdated child support enforcement practices. The other half were assigned a case manager whose mission was to figure out why the parents were not making payments and to help them overcome those barriers. In return for parents agreeing to engage in services, the division agreed not to suspend driver’s licenses or seek other sanctions. Within six months, two-thirds of these parents (who were either unemployed or under-employed when they entered CO-PEP) had full-time employment. Within a year, three-quarters were working and increased their payments.” While reading the brief will help you learn more about CO-PEP, there’s nothing like hearing from parents and case managers who participated in it. Watch the powerful report below from Rocky Mountain PBS to learn more about why CO-PEP had such a remarkable impact. It features the work of Jefferson County Human Services, an agency in one of five counties that participated in CO-PEP and a long-time partner of [National Fatherhood Initiative®](https://www.fatherhood.org/). To learn more about CO-PEP, I encourage you to read the [brief](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/resources/engaging-fathers-in-child-support-from-a-punitive-to-a-supportive-approach/). To learn more about some other states that have taken a supportive rather than punitive approach to increase child support payments, read my previous posts on efforts in [Iowa ](https://www.fatherhood.org/fatherhood/what-it-takes-for-a-states-child-support-agency-to-partner-with-fatherhood-programs-2)and [Kansas](https://www.fatherhood.org/fatherhood/what-it-takes-to-partner-with-your-states-child-support-agency-1?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=69818671&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--hxnwlRhtLiTTwDZKMtnxbSet7U4Ke0BkcbQQOGj32a3rnw_d9pe3MdGd29Biyd2870jQQDirw9sNUncBpDlWrEb0oxg&_hsmi=69818671). **What approach does your state take to increase child support payments? Is it punitive or supportive?** **Did you know about the increased interest in 2Gen programs and initiatives? Click [here ](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/two-generation/what-is-2gen/)to learn more about 2Gen.** [![How to Mobilize Your City. County, or State Around Responsible Fatherhood](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/135704/1342d23b-1188-4e23-a44a-747ff838507d.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/135704/1342d23b-1188-4e23-a44a-747ff838507d) Date Published: 07/10/2019 Last Updated: 07/10/2019 ## Learn How to Build a Fatherhood Program That Works Download this free guide for a proven 7-step roadmap—from making the case and securing funding for your program, to launching and measuring real results! [Get The Guide Now!](https://www.fatherhood.org/starting-a-fatherhood-program) ![7-steps-starting-a-fatherhood_program](https://www.fatherhood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/7-steps-starting-a-fatherhood_program.png?width=700&height=700&name=7-steps-starting-a-fatherhood_program.png) [ Previous ](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/25-years-of-nfi-featuring-william-johnson-of-the-coshocton-county-fatherhood-initiative) [ Next ](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/freakin-awesome-free-app-for-expectant-dads) ## Related Articles ### [Limited Blog Series: Supporting My Co-Parent Image created with GPT Image 2. Quick Confidence Builds are brief activities that practitioners can use when working with dads in face-to-face or virtual group-based or one-on-one ... Read More](https://www.fatherhood.org/championing-fatherhood/supporting-my-co-parent) ### [Five Leadership Practices That Build Father-Inclusive Organizations Image created with GPT Image 2. 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