Child support is a means to financially support children, yet fewer than half of children eligible for child support receive full payment, with many receiving none. Child support nonpayment is a national concern that has led to negative repercussions for non-intact families, the community, and economic system. In some cases, noncustodial parents have an inability to pay. The purpose of this descriptive, phenomenological study was to understand custodial parental perceptions and experiences of noncustodial parent's inability to pay their child support. Social learning theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 10 custodial parents ranging in age from 18 to 45 who had an active child support case enforced by a Domestic Relations Office in the northeastern United States but were not receiving payments due to the noncustodial parent's inability to pay. Audiotaped interviews were manually transcribed and coded for themes using a typology organization structure. Coding was based on key terms, word repetitions, and metaphors. Member checking and audit trails were used to establish the trustworthiness of the data. The findings revealed that many custodial parents did not trust that the noncustodial parent was being truthful in their claims of having a true inability to pay. Other custodial parents believed that the noncustodial parent could make more attempts to try to assist the custodial parent in the absence of financial support. The findings of this study may contribute to social change by advancing knowledge and policies within the child support system. Likewise, findings may assist caseworkers and clinicians in better understanding their client's experiences and challenges resulting in a better client service experience.

Literature suggests strong, positive and mutual relationships between home and school lead to higher levels of success and achievement for students. Schools should begin to focus on being more aware and sensitive to the cultural and social wealth that marginalized families carry. When institutions of learning begin to tap into and embrace the strengths of their families, it is likely to be of mutual benefit for the students, staff and families. Utilizing qualitative research methodology, this study sought to understand African American grandmothers' perspectives on parental involvement, and identify strategies that supported, maintained, and facilitated their involvement in the educational process of the grandsons in their care. In this research study, I specifically sought to address the following questions: * How do African American grandmothers see their involvement in their grandchildren's education? * How have the grandmothers shaped their involvement in the education of the grandchildren under their care? What influenced their involvement? * What are their perspectives on the level of involvement in the education of the grandchildren under their care? * What do African American grandmothers see as barriers and opportunities as they try to guide their grandchildren through formal schooling? The cultural capital theoretical framework helped to understand and interpret the experiences of the African American grandmothers in this study raising their grandsons. The framework also helped to understand how each grandmother constructed and perceived their roles as grandmothers. In terms of support for the theory, the findings collected through interviews revealed that despite past oppressive conditions, barriers and cultural incongruence associated with schools, the grandmothers stayed abreast of and connected to school norms and practices for the benefit of their grandsons. Although each grandmother displayed a combination of capitals and wealth, aspirational wealth, resonated across each capital. Major themes of the study included: Grandmothers: Mothering and Leading by Example; Family and Communal Support: "It Takes a Village;" Grandmothers Engaging in Traditional Parental Involvement Activities; Grandmothers-Grandsons as Co-learners; and Grandmothers' Critique and Advice for Schools. Implications for future research includes creating supportive and caring school environments, ensuring that school leaders and staff display welcoming behaviors and demonstrate support in parental involvement programs, and school leaders and teachers having and maintaining high expectations. Understanding how African American grandmothers and other family members, construct, perceive and enact certain cultural wealth and social capital should become more prevalent in scholarly work and research. Parents of different races and culture favor different forms of involvement. Implications from this research study suggest that educators and school leaders must begin to acknowledge, address, and value the cultural differences and social wealth that African American grandmothers and family members possess.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-82).