Child Support Collection - An Enlightened Approach
Thursday / August 23, 2007
A child support system that helps fathers to pay
benefits everyone.
DC Appleseed is a nonprofit
organization that says it is dedicated to
solving important public policy problems
facing the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Today, DC Appleseed released a report called "Taking Care of the
District's Children," subtitled "The Need to
Reform DC's Child Support System."
According to a summary of the report, the DC Attorney General, DC Appleseed and two private law firms "conducted a two-year investigation of the system to examine the roots of the District government's child support crisis."
Their overall conclusion?
The investigation concludes that the District's child support model is primarily a punitive one designed to identify and sanction "deadbeat dads" when, based on the demographics of the District, it needs a constructive model designed to assist "dead broke dads" to meet their financial and other parental obligations.
An especially pertinent section of the report is called "Unemployed and Underemployed Non-Custodial Parents." It addresses the problem of those who want to pay but can't keep up with their child support obligations. Among the best practices recommended in this section are:
This report deserves our attention. Condemning non-custodial parents who want to pay but can't helps no one. If we can construct a system where non-custodial parents can contribute to and be part of their children's lives, then child support collection will improve.
According to a summary of the report, the DC Attorney General, DC Appleseed and two private law firms "conducted a two-year investigation of the system to examine the roots of the District government's child support crisis."
Their overall conclusion?
The investigation concludes that the District's child support model is primarily a punitive one designed to identify and sanction "deadbeat dads" when, based on the demographics of the District, it needs a constructive model designed to assist "dead broke dads" to meet their financial and other parental obligations.
An especially pertinent section of the report is called "Unemployed and Underemployed Non-Custodial Parents." It addresses the problem of those who want to pay but can't keep up with their child support obligations. Among the best practices recommended in this section are:
- Electronic Monitoring/House Arrest – sanctions that serve as an alternative to incarceration for non-payment cases that allow the non-custodial parent to continue working or searching for work while subject to curfews and other restrictions on activity and movement.
- Working For Kids – an employment program for non-custodial parents that provides case management services and helps non-custodial parents overcome barriers to employment. The program is also ordered as a second phase for non-custodial parents who need to complete substance abuse treatment.
- Mediation – referrals to mediation to help parents work out custody and visitation challenges that might be interfering with motivation to work and/or make support payments.
This report deserves our attention. Condemning non-custodial parents who want to pay but can't helps no one. If we can construct a system where non-custodial parents can contribute to and be part of their children's lives, then child support collection will improve.
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