Fall Child Support Conference Highlights

The Michigan Family Support Council (MFSC) put on another great conference October 4 – 6, 2017. This year there were 470 registered conference attendees from all across the state. The keynote speaker Linda Larsen kicked off the conference with motivational tips about fostering positivity like dedicating time each morning to reflect on gratitude. Office of Child Support Director Erin Frisch and Friend of the Court Bureau Director Steve Capps jointly presented the program’s new strategic plan at the closing of the conference, followed by a brief message from Scott Lekan, Commissioner of the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement.

Steve Capps (left) and Erin Frisch (right) present the new strategic plan.

Legal Corner - December 2017

"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 policies.

Enforcing with Purpose: Developing a Tool to Help Guide Child Support Enforcement

By: Paul Gehm, FOCB Management Analyst

You are working your alerts like a dutiful IV-D worker when you suddenly stop and scroll back up. Something caught your attention: the case – the one that always gives you and your office headaches. The payer’s time is up, again, and it is time to trigger another show cause hearing because the payments have not been made. Even show cause is hit or miss with this payer. Why does it work sometimes and other times not at all? When does enforcement work? Why does it work? What does it mean to be successful with enforcement? These and many other questions will be answered by the SCAO Friend of the Court Bureau (FOCB) workgroup tasked with developing an enforcement manual. 

Collaboration within Michigan's Intergovernmental Community

Linda Bess

By: Linda Bess, Enforcement Officer at Calhoun County Friend of the Court

It has been my good fortune and privilege to have spent the majority of my 30+ year career at the Calhoun County Friend of the Court (FOC) working in the intergovernmental world (or interstate, as we used to call it, and “intergov,” as it is now known in its short form).

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS: A Special Focus on Graphic Design & Content Creation Tools

Michelle Le Feve

By: Michelle Le Feve, Courtland Consulting

[Editor’s Note:  This article is the second in a three-part series of articles that focus on the availability of technological resources to help courts collect information and perform efficiently.  While certain products are highlighted, this is not an endorsement of one product over another.]

Through my work with Courtland Consulting, I share knowledge of new tools and technology trends with many courts, agencies, organizations, and businesses.  These technological advances can help people do their jobs more efficiently and market programs and services more effectively.  This Technology Trends article is the second in a series that I am writing to share how people and companies are taking advantage of new online tools to collaborate and work on projects, saving time and money.

Fall Conference at Boyne Highlands - Register Now!

Boyne Highlands Resort, fall conference site.

Did you know that this is the 35th year of the fall Michigan Family Support Council (MFSC) conference? Two of its key organizers, Sheila Waldrop and Pam Sala, provided some insight into why the conference is held each year, the history of the conference, what to expect at this year’s conference, and why they are personally dedicated to making the conference happen.

Meet FOCB's New Analyst

Amy Lindholm

Amy Lindholm is the newest management analyst at the Michigan Supreme Court’s Friend of the Court Bureau (FOCB). Amy earned her undergraduate degree at Kalamazoo College and her master’s degree from Grand Valley State University. Her master’s degree is in public administration with a focus in policy and planning. 

Beyond the Numbers: Patience Pays Off

Juan Rosario

Submitted by Juan Rosario. Juan is a case manager at Kent County Friend of the Court. Juan is thankful for his diverse life experiences from growing up in the Dominican Republic, New York City, and later Grand Rapids.

One dad whose story sticks with me is Deante.* When he first came in for an appointment to tell me about why he hadn’t been paying his support, he was really irritated with the friend of the court, and he didn’t trust me to help him.

He was well-spoken and told me about his dream job and the training he had done to get that job. But he had a felony on his record now, didn’t have housing, and didn’t get along with the mom on his case.

Legal Corner - August 2017

"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 policies.