Announcing New Friends of the Court

The Friend of the Court Bureau would like to welcome and introduce new local FOC directors.

Trinja Henrickson

Friend of the Court

51st Circuit Court, Mason County 

Education and experience:

Bachelor of Arts, Grand Valley State University

Prior to my promotion, I was a Friend of the Court case manager.

Interests and activities:

In my free time, I love spending time with my three wonderful children.

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.

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.

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. 

Michigan’s Child Support Program Takes a ‘LEAP’

By Kim Kerns, Administrative Assistant to Office of Child Support (OCS) Director; and Julie Vandenboom, OCS Program Re-engineering Specialist

In December 2020, Michigan requested a waiver from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) to allow the use of IV-D funds to pilot and evaluate an employment program for child support payers. The program, called Learn, Earn, and Provide (LEAP), is a collaboration between the Michigan Office of Child Support (OCS) and the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). The waiver was granted for a two-year period which began during the first fiscal quarter that funds were spent for the pilot.

Using Technology to Conduct “FIG” Conferences: Adjusting Course in a COVID-19 World

By Tracey M. Bankhead, Muskegon County Family Court Counselor

The child support world has always been a world of changes – changes in policies and changes in processes, but never so much and in such a short span of time as it has been with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Perspectives from a Retiring FOC Director

By Jack Battles, former Genesee County Friend of the Court Director

Prior to joining the Genesee County Friend of the Court (FOC) in August of 2006, I had enjoyed a successful 20 year legal practice focused mainly on family law and criminal defense.  At the time I felt my background in the legal community provided me with the necessary tools to take over the office and be successful.  I soon found I had underestimated the requirements of the office and the drastically changing economic environment in Genesee County.

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. 

Scheduling Friend of the Court Appointments Online

By Suzanne Hollyer, Director, Oakland County Friend of the Court, and President, Friend of the Court Association; and Brittany Dougherty, Director, Saginaw County Friend of the Court

Several counties have implemented a free appointment scheduling system called Setmore to allow a controlled flow of clients into their buildings as friend of the court (FOC) offices navigate serving clients during a global pandemic. The Oakland County Friend of the Court (Oakland FOC) first sought out the Setmore appointment system when investigating how to continue serving its walk-in clients. The Saginaw County Friend of the Court (Saginaw FOC) has further expanded its customer service options by allowing video appointments using this free service.

Flint Nonprofit InvolvedDad Works with Friend of the Court to Strengthen Families

By Shon Hart, Founder and Executive Director, InvolvedDad

Although it is sometimes a wearying fight, the moment a father can see, hold, and embrace his child for the very first time is worth every second. And, when the only thing standing in the way of a father and child’s relationship is helping him with his child support payment while he gets on his feet, it’s worth every penny. This is just one way that my organization serves fathers in the Flint area.

Michigan’s Work in Behavioral Interventions – Recent and Future

By Julie Vandenboom, Program ReEngineering Specialist, Office of Child Support; and Carol Bealor, Director, Cass County Friend of the Court

In 2018, Michigan was invited to become a Behavioral Interventions in Child Support (BICS) Peer Learning Site. BICS was a five-year demonstration grant awarded to eight child support agencies across the country in 2014. Several states – including Michigan – and tribal IV-D programs that did not participate in the grant formed a cohort of Peer Learning Sites to develop, adapt, implement, and evaluate behavioral interventions to improve their own program operations. A behavioral intervention attempts to influence a desired activity or outcome by presenting choices based on how people make decisions. Readers can learn more about the basics of behavioral interventions from this previous Pundit article.

How to Provide Electronic Notary Services

By Nikki Withrow, Management Analyst, SCAO Friend of the Court Bureau

Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order (EO) 2020-74 encourages government agencies to use electronic notarization through June 30, 2020.  To do so, notaries and the parties must use two-way, real-time audiovisual technology.

Encouraging Better Compliance with Motivational Interviewing

By Tom Blohm, Director, Macomb County Friend of the Court, and Amy Lindholm, Management Analyst, SCAO Friend of the Court Bureau

In the emotionally charged world of custody, parenting time, and child support, every friend of the court (FOC) needs as many tools in its toolset as possible to engage noncompliant or even stubborn individuals. We often deal with inherently good people whose judgment is clouded during our interactions with them because of the emotions they are struggling with.

The Macomb County Friend of the Court (Macomb FOC) first learned of motivational interviewing from the administrator of the Macomb Juvenile Court. The juvenile court trained all of its probation officers in motivational interviewing and found it very effective.

Randy Estes (far right) from the Center for Strength-Based Strategies based in Mason, MI, conducted the 2-day motivational interviewing training for our child support audience and some of the Macomb Juvenile Services staff.

Friend of the Court Amnesty Week in Muskegon

By Amy Rebideaux, Staff Attorney, Muskegon County Friend of the Court

The Muskegon County Friend of the Court (Muskegon FOC) is working to make better connections with the community it serves. This includes efforts to provide better information and explanations to all parties and to build trust and communication with payers.

After working with the three family court judges, the Muskegon FOC decided to try to get some of the most difficult payers to come in and talk with a caseworker. Many of these payers have suspended drivers’ licenses and/or an outstanding bench warrant. To provide some incentive for payers to come in, we held an amnesty event.

During the week of March 25, parties could meet with a Muskegon FOC family court officer to try to resolve outstanding bench warrants or reinstate licenses.

Washtenaw Friend of the Court Director Judah Garber Retires

By Amy Lindholm, Friend of the Court Bureau Management Analyst

Judah Garber

Judah Garber retired from the Washtenaw County Friend of the Court (FOC) in May 2019, having served that office for 32 years. I had the pleasure of speaking with him about his career shortly before he retired.

Friend of the Court Launches No-Cost, Walk-In Mediation

By Dan Fojtik, Director, Kent County Friend of the Court

Most domestic relations cases involving children remain open for years until the youngest child reaches adulthood. During that time, disagreements between the parents about what is best for their children are all too common. The Kent County Friend of the Court (FOC) has offered mediation services for many years. Unfortunately, collecting the necessary forms from both parents and scheduling them to meet with a mediator can take three to six weeks. While waiting, parents can become even more entrenched in conflict, leaving their children in the middle.

Kent County Friend of the Court's Alternative Dispute Resolution staff.

To expedite resolution, the Kent FOC’s alternative dispute resolution (ADR) unit, led by Traci Schenkel, recently launched “walk-in mediation” on a first-come, first-served basis. Parents can meet with a mediator without an appointment each Tuesday morning from 8:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. and Thursday afternoon from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Beyond the Numbers: We are Rich!

By Suzy Crittenden, Deputy Director, Jackson County Friend of the Court

I recently took a new position at the Jackson County Friend of the Court (FOC), growing my perspective of Michigan’s child support program beyond that of my previous roles with the Office of Child Support (OCS) and with the State Court Administrative Office’s Friend of the Court Bureau (SCAO-FOCB). My former colleague, who is editor of “The Pundit,” asked if I would be willing to write an article about what I have learned from this transition.

Truth be told, after working in the child support program for over 15 years, with employment experiences in three different partner agencies, my great insight is this one simple fact: we are rich!

Wayne County Friend of the Court’s Outreach Within Reach

By Erin Lincoln, Interim Wayne County Friend of the Court Director and 3rd Circuit Deputy Court Administrator

Imagine navigating a 30-mile route from your home to your county’s friend of the court (FOC) office simply to get your child support questions answered. Could you do so using public transportation? Even with your own vehicle, would you have the money to pay $20 for parking? Do you know which items you can bring into the courthouse? Do you know whether or not you will be arrested when you appear at the FOC to have a question answered? These are uncertainties and fears that many clients of the Wayne County FOC face when seeking answers to their child support questions.

Positive Office Culture – One Baby Step at a Time

By Carol Montavon Bealor, J.D., Director, Cass County Friend of the Court

In 2013, I left behind my law practice to serve as the attorney referee for the Cass County Friend of the Court (FOC). As you can imagine, I was a little nervous to be joining a new team, taking on a quasi-judicial position making important decisions for families and children. I didn’t know that the director of the Cass County FOC would be going on administrative leave on the first day I was on the job as the attorney referee and that I would be appointed as the new director two short months later.