Fojtik Retires from Kent County Friend of the Court

Director Daniel J. Fojtik, of the Kent County Friend of the Court, announced his retirement effective August 30, 2022. He has given many years of service to the State of Michigan.

What was your path to Friend of the Court Director?

Originally, I worked as a referee in Ottawa County during the ‘90s. Back then, we were independent contractors with no benefits. When my first daughter was a year old, a friend told me there was a position open as staff attorney for the Kent County Friend of the Court. I jumped on that and had the privilege of serving in that position for 16 years.  After a short stint as a referee, I was given the opportunity to come back as director in November 2015.

Fojtik's early years at FOC

What changes have you seen during your tenure?

During my years as staff attorney, we were all about support enforcement and were probably a bit too rigid. During my tenure as director, I’ve noticed that things seem to be going too far the other way through the erosion of some of our discretionary enforcement remedies. We could probably have a spirited debate about this, but I think the concept of personal responsibility isn’t a thing that it once was. Ideally, we should come to the middle, and that is my hope for the future.

Michigan Family Support Council Honors Child Support Staff

 By Lindsay Poetz, Management Analyst, Friend of the Court Bureau

This year, several individuals in the Michigan child support community were honored at the Michigan Family Support Council Fall Conference held at Boyne Mountain Resort. It was the first time the conference was held in person since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Awards were distributed for years 2021 and 2022 in recognition of exemplary contributions and service to the Michigan Child Support Program. 

ACT Program Provides Parental Support

 By Jessica Castañeda, Allegan County FOC and Reyna Masko, Ottawa County FOC 

In child support enforcement, we have all had our share of tough cases.  Often these cases involve parents struggling to make consistent payments. Parents who fail to timely pay support find themselves in their local Friend of the Court (FOC) office facing contempt proceedings for failure to pay and may serve jail time for their noncompliance. At times its seems that the only effective recourse or remedy available to the FOC caseworker is to have the payer of support “pay or stay.” 

The Alternative Contempt Track docket, better known as ACT or the ACT Program, is a problem-solving court that allows the court an intermediate solution alternative to civil contempt or criminal nonsupport for non-payment.  The program is designed as a child support enforcement model that provides holistic, family-centered ways of removing barriers preventing parents from financially supporting and being actively involved in their children’s lives, thereby ending the “pay or stay” cycle.

SCAO Management Assistant Shares Tips from Past Personal, Professional Experiences

By Lisa Harris, Management Assistant, Friend of the Court Bureau

I became a child of a domestic relations case in 1979. I never really grew up feeling disadvantaged for being a child of divorce (granted, I never knew anything else). I was lucky enough to have two parents willing to work together to make my situation positive. Whenever I was asked about being from a divorced home, I would share how awesome it was to have two homes, extra parents, extra grandparents, extra siblings, double holidays, twice as many gifts, and there was ALWAYS someone at one of my sporting events! 

Unfortunately, this isn’t the experience for all children and families. Friend of the Court (FOC) staff often see families arguing, sometimes at each other’s throats, vengeful, angry, hurt, and often loud. We rarely get to see the families who were able to reach an agreement on their own or who are getting along well.  Even if parents are cooperating, it may take years (if ever) to get to a good place in co-parenting.

MJI and FOCB Provide Statewide ADR Training

 By Lindsay Poetz and Timothy Cole, Management Analysts, Friend of the Court Bureau

Michigan Court Rule 3.224, become effective January 1, 2020, and required all courts to have a Friend of the Court (FOC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) plan approved by the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) and the Chief Judge. The plans must include FOC domestic relations mediation. Courts had the option to include other FOC ADR services in their plans such as facilitative and Information Gathering Conferences (FIGCs) and joint meetings. MCR 3.224 also required SCAO to establish ADR training qualifications for FOC employees.

Legal Corner – Summer/ Fall 2022

 "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.

Announcing New and Transplanted Friends of the Court

 As “The Great Resignation” continues, the Friend of the Court Bureau would like to introduce new or transplanted directors. Transition is never easy, but the circuit courts’ friend of the court (FOC) offices are in good hands under these new leaders.

Natalie Dean

Family Division Administrator, Friend of the Court, 36th Circuit Court, Van Buren County

Education and experience:

Bachelor of Arts in Computer Mediated Communication, Spring Arbor University

Master of Public Administration, Central Michigan University

Previously as a municipal government employee, I worked to strengthen teams using diversity, equity, and inclusion and emotional intelligence principles, wrote and administered grants, led a human resources department, and worked with the public on strategic and comprehensive plans.

Did You Know? Communication Options and Restrictions for State Prisoners

 By Amy Lindholm, Management Analyst, Friend of the Court Bureau

Editor’s note: The information communicated here is current as of March 2022 and applies to prisoners in Michigan Department of Corrections facilities. Communication options and restrictions may be different for county jail inmates, out-of-state prisoners, or prisoners in federal facilities.

Bookends for a 35-Year Career

 By Ken Randall, former Midland County Friend of the Court Director

Retiring and saying goodbye to staff who feel more like family than coworkers is hard. In our small 14-employee friend of the court (FOC) office, I have worked with half of my coworkers for over 20 years. In that time we have been to each other’s weddings, celebrated births of children, and mourned the loss of parents and loved ones. We have always supported each other in bad times, and celebrated together in good times. As my retirement approached, everyone in our office chipped in to give me beautiful engraved agate bookends.

Insights from Customers Who Also Staff the Program

By Amy Lindholm, Management Analyst, SCAO Friend of the Court Bureau

As promised in the last Pundit edition, we are bringing you insights from parents who are both customers and friend of the court (FOC) professionals. We launched a form last edition to collect lived experiences from your colleagues who were willing to share. This is part of our ongoing attempt to learn from the customers we serve and improve services accordingly. 

Meet FOCB’s New Management Assistant

Lisa Harris joined the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) Friend of the Court Bureau (FOCB) as a management assistant in December 2021.  Lisa comes to the FOCB from SCAO Field Services, where she was an administrative assistant for three years.  Before working at the SCAO, Lisa worked for the 55th District Court Criminal Division, Ingham County Circuit Court in both Intensive Neglect Services and Family Division, and the American Divorce Association for Men (A.D.A.M.).  Lisa earned her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University with a major in criminal justice (Go Green!).

Lisa is a proud mom of two children, Ethan (16) and Emma (13), and is excited to share her friend of the court and co-parenting personal experiences with the FOCB and various committees.  In her personal time, Lisa enjoys being active in her local parent teacher organization, riding around in her Jeep, and playing with her dog, Nacho.

Lisa will now be an available first line of contact for any friend of the court employees needing FOCB assistance, and she looks forward to hearing from you.  Feel free to reach out to Lisa with any questions or concerns at harrisl@courts.mi.gov.

2022 Michigan Family Support Council Fall Conference

By Michigan Family Support Council Board

The Michigan Family Support Council (MFSC) is thrilled to announce that the 2022 Fall Conference will be held in person at Boyne Mountain in Boyne Falls, MI!

Legal Corner- Spring 2022

"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.