Promoting the importance of paternity for Ohio families

Jennifer Butler remembers the day a concerned mother called the paternity hotline. Her 18-year-old son had been accepted to his dream college. Because his father was an alumnus, her son qualified for a scholarship. But she was worried that something she had failed to do years ago would now jeopardize her son’s future.

The school required a copy of the young man’s birth certificate, but his parents were not married and had never put his father’s name on it.

“My son worked so hard to get into his dream school and he’s not going to be able to go to college because of something his father and I didn’t do — because it didn’t seem important at the time,” Jennifer remembers the mother saying.

The mother had just days to get the father, with whom she had a good co-parenting relationship, to complete a paternity affidavit and obtain a new birth certificate listing both parents.

As the operations manager for the Ohio Central Paternity Registry, administered by Maximus, the concern Jennifer heard on the phone that day is not uncommon. She and her teammates often hear from parents who are in urgent situations, including those seeking child support, trying to get a child into school, and obtaining coverage from the noncustodial parent’s health insurance.

The importance of establishing paternity

In her experience, Jennifer has found that many unmarried young adults don’t understand the significance of formally establishing paternity “They think it doesn’t matter or that it’s too hard or time-consuming,” she explains. “However, you might not realize it’s important until you need it.”

In Ohio, more than 40% of children are born to unmarried parents — and an increasing number of these parents are choosing not to identify the father on the birth certificate. But skipping this simple step can have a significant impact on both parents’ and children’s rights.

Paternity establishment is one aspect of fatherhood, which plays a key role in sustaining strong families and healthy relationships. Even when they do not live in the same household, parents are partners in raising their children and fathers are important contributors to the wellbeing of their children. Studies suggest that children with involved, engaged fathers — even if they don’t reside in the same home — are more likely to achieve in school, have healthy self-esteem, exhibit empathy and other positive social behaviors, and avoid high-risk behaviors including drug use, missing school, and criminal activity.[1]

Paternity establishment also impacts the state’s ability to fund programs that support families in times of need. The federal government can withhold millions of dollars in TANF funds if the state’s paternity establishment rate falls below the federal minimum requirement of 90%.

Ohio wants to make certain parents understand the importance of establishing paternity — providing the rights and opportunities both parents and children need to grow and thrive.

Challenge

Historically, the largest barriers to establishing paternity were unmarried fathers who were not present or who worried they might be forced to pay child support. But increasingly, new mothers are often choosing not to legally establish paternity on the birth certificate. This presents problems down the road when they want to register their children for school, obtain a Social Security card, or secure a passport.

“We’re in a unique position to see the shifting of social norms. We’re seeing more unmarried mothers prefer not to add the father’s name to their child’s birth certificate,” explains Jennifer, adding “It’s our job to understand why and try to show them the importance of establishing legal paternity for their child.”

Understanding the laws governing paternity can also be a barrier. They vary by state and can be complex, making it difficult for parents to understand how a law applies to their situation. 

“We also see mothers who want to add their child’s biological father to the birth certificate, but they can’t because they’re still legally married to someone else,” she continues. The law in Ohio is that paternity is presumptive, meaning if a mother is legally married, her husband is presumed to be the father of her child.

Solution

To address these challenges, the time was right to improve the outreach and education process for both mothers and fathers. Jennifer and her colleagues started by asking parents: “What are your barriers to establishing paternity and how can we help you overcome them?”

They continued to ask that same question as they evolved the outreach program. They deployed digital, multichannel messaging campaigns and added the option of virtual engagement between parents and outreach workers. They enlisted new community partners and statewide parent organizations. And they developed inclusive materials to use as they conducted diverse community outreach. The result? The paternity establishment process became easier for all involved — increasing the program’s effectiveness and reach.

Results

The Maximus difference

For Jennifer and her colleagues, their work is never done. They’re always thinking about how they can get more parents to establish paternity. For each new challenge, they’re determined to find a solution — because the wellbeing of children and their families are on the line.

And that is exactly what they did to help the mother who wanted to ensure her son could attend college on the scholarship he’d worked so hard to earn. She had tried to expedite getting a new birth certificate, but without success.

Jennifer and her teammates helped her get her child’s father to complete the paternity affidavit. The delighted mother then drove the affidavit to the Ohio Vital Statistics office and delivered the new birth certificate to the college — just in time. And with the establishment of paternity securely in place, the future looked even brighter for this young scholar.

[1] Horn, W. F., & Sylvester, T. (2002). Father facts (4th ed.). Gaithersburg, MD: National Fatherhood Initiative