Funding to Establish Parenting Time

By Steve Capps, Director, Friend of the Court Bureau

While child support professionals are probably familiar with Part D of the Social Security Act, many may not be aware of other parts of the Act, such as Part A which funds services for people receiving public assistance, or Part E which funds child welfare services for children who are abused or neglected. Many families receive more than one of the Social Security Act services – some for generations.

The Friend of the Court Bureau (FOCB) recently studied Michigan’s child support caseload in several counties and matched it with other types of cases involving the same parties. We found that 45 percent of abuse and neglect court cases studied also have a domestic relations case (divorce with children, paternity, or support) associated with someone in the family.

A Non-Traditional Path: Retiring FOC Director Looks Back on Two Decades

Friend of the Court Bureau interview with Tom Watson, Director, Berrien County Friend of the Court (FOC)

Berrien County Friend of the Court, Tom Watson, announced his retirement effective July 30, 2021 after serving as the office’s Director for over 21 years.  Watson joined the Berrien County Trial Court in May 2000 after a 25-year career in the financial institution industry.

Change Is Among Us: Retiring FOC Director Reflects on Four Decades in the Child Support System

By Elizabeth Roszatycki, Director, Bay County Friend of the Court (FOC)

I first entered the Bay County FOC office the first week of January 1978.  The FOC Director Leonard Portnoy had hired me to fill the new role of Custody “Investigator” in response to recent custody legislation.  He and I had absolutely no idea what to do or how to proceed.  After 43 years of service exclusively in an FOC office, the evolution of the work of FOC offices has profoundly affected my life.  

Child Support Enforcement: One Size Does Not Fit All

By Hon. Margaret Zuzich Bakker, 48th Circuit Court, and Steve Capps; Director, Friend of the Court Bureau

For decades, parents who did not pay their child support were labeled “deadbeats,” which assumed they were deliberately choosing to avoid supporting their children, lacking a sense of responsibility to help raise them.  Child support laws made sure these parents were punished accordingly.  Today we know that people are more complex and there are many reasons a parent may be unable to pay despite having a desire to pay.  This led the 48th Circuit Court (Allegan County) to ask whether there might be a better way to enforce support obligations for the parents who want to pay, but lack the ability. 

Michigan Child Support Growing Its National Reputation

By Nikki Withrow, Management Analyst, Friend of the Court Bureau (FOCB)

Michigan is often considered the birthplace of child support in the United States.  While the federal government first became involved in child support in the 1950s, leading to budding child support programs in other states, Michigan’s program began in 1919 without federal support.  From 1950 to 2000, Michigan served as a model for federal legislation and was recognized as a leader among the states.  As other states began to adopt federal requirements that often had first been implemented in Michigan, and hard economic times forced Michigan to focus internally, leaders in other states began to emerge.  While innovation in Michigan continued, it was often unknown outside the state.  

Happily, in 2020 and 2021, Michigan has once again been able to share its child support expertise on a national level by serving on 13 national committees and delivering 21 national trainings.

Announcing the Child Support Specialty Docket Establishment Guide

By Nikki Withrow, Management Analyst, Friend of the Court Bureau (FOCB)

The FOCB recently published the Child Support Specialty Docket Establishment Guide to help courts develop and implement child support specialty dockets (CSSDs).  The guide discusses both planning and operational considerations and contains targeted questions to shepherd the planning process.  The guide also provides tips and examples from other specialty courts.

Introducing the New “Dashboards & Visual Reports” Tool -- aka Data Visualizations, aka Data Viz

By Amy Gilmore, Performance Management Specialist with the Planning, Evaluation, and Analysis Unit, Michigan Office of Child Support

Have you noticed a change to the “Application Quick Links” on mi-support lately? Need a hint?

Legal Corner - Spring 2021

"The Legal Corner" provides a summary of recent Michigan Supreme Court and Michigan Court of Appeals decisions relevant to the child support program, as well as recently released state memoranda. 

Editor’s note: SCAO form updates and published opinion summaries have been published here with permission from the Michigan Judicial Institute’s “IMPACT” publication.