New FOC Director Trainings and Resources

By Danelle Hove, Customer Service Clerk, Friend of the Court Bureau 

The Covid-19 pandemic brought great shifts to Friend of the Court (FOC) offices across the state. These changes accompanied an influx of new FOC directors and deputy directors, along with new staff to train, budgets to prepare, and increased caseloads. In order to assist our new FOC directors, the FOC offers remote New Director training. The most recent cohort began on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, with weekly sessions being held from 9:00- 10:00 am. If you are interested in joining this training, please email PoetzL@courts.mi.gov.

OCS Listening Sessions

By Julie Vandenboom, Michigan Office of Child Support Program Re-Engineering Specialist

In July and August 2023 the Office of Child Support (OCS) conducted a series of four Listening Sessions. These initial sessions were offered to individuals who expressed interest in providing additional feedback to the child support program after attending one of the OCS Advisory Council Information Sessions. Several child support professionals had the opportunity to hear the lived experiences of families served by the child support program.

Michigan Family Support Council Annual Conference: Thoughts from a First-time Attendee

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

The ride up to the Michigan Family Support Conference (MFSC) at Boyne Mountain Resort was so beautiful and refreshing!  My lungs were filled with the fresh up-north air while I squinted as the bright sun peeked through the clouds, watching as the contrast of fall-colored leaves appeared the farther north we drove.  I was so full of excitement, but also nervousness. I was presenting that afternoon at 3:15 pm and had signed up to help with registration before that. I was chatting on the ride up with my co-worker, Liz, and enjoying the scenery so much that I had almost forgot I was soon going to stand in front of 40 of my child support colleagues, and hoped not to bumble every word of my presentation.

MCSF and Support Determination Google Group is Live

The Friend of the Court Bureau (FOCB), in partnership with representatives from friend of the court and prosecuting attorney offices, has created a new Google group focused on questions and answers about the Michigan Child Support Formula and support determinations. The group is designed to be user-led and will create a library of questions and answers users can search as needed.  Membership is open to employees of prosecuting attorney and friend of the court offices who perform support determinations (either establishing order, or review and modifications). 

To be added to the group, please e-mail Paul Gehm, Lisa Harris, Amy Rebideaux, Christen Schwab, or Jennifer Granzow.

Additionally, if you are interested, but not already a part of the Friend of the Court Bureau’s other Google groups, including Intergov, Motivational Interviewing, and Alternative Dispute Resolution, please feel free to reach out to Lisa Harris, the FOCB Management Assistant at harrisl@courts.mi.gov.