Many different entities and groups will make use of the calendar to bring about awareness with regards to certain societal issues that benefit from added exposure.  August is no different in this regard, as it has been named as National Child Support Awareness Month in the United States.  The hope is that bringing about extra focus on this issue will help provide everyone who deals with child support issues more support and more of an ability to deal with problems that arise with regards to these payments.

When parents either obtain a divorce or they otherwise part ways, the situation often requires untangling the legal issue regarding child support for the parent who will not have primary custody of that child.  As most people can understand given the current economy, financial situations can change quickly and drastically affect a non-custodial parent’s ability to remain current on those payments.  Based on a recent ruling by an appeals court in the state, these changes in circumstances could become more difficult to prove.

When people fall behind on child support payments, they often wind up under scrutiny from the state agency that is supposed to manage those payments and make sure that these payments are made on time.  These situations can become extremely problematic for parents who do not remain current on these obligations, and eventually people can be jailed in many states for failing to make arrangements that are designed to bring those payments current.

One of the most difficult battles for any father to have to fight is that which involves child custody.  Contested child custody cases have long pitted a mother against a father with the children often caught in the middle of the entire situation.  However, if a bill that is currently making its way through the California legislature ultimately becomes a law, the state would then be able to legally recognize more than two adults as parents of a child.

When someone is ordered by a court to pay child support because he or she does not have custody of a child or children, that order needs to be taken with the utmost in seriousness.  When people are unable to continue to make these payments in a timely manner, they can face serious legal consequences that can sometimes include time in jail.  However, some parts of the country are beginning to look at alternative solutions to the problem presented by parents not paying child support.

We posted recently with regards to a change in the law in Indiana that dealt with the duration of child support payments that were to be made by non-custodial parents.  The state legislature decided to lower the age of these payments from 21 to 19 unless there are educational support payments that need to be made.  In so doing, Indiana left only Mississippi and New York as states where non-custodial parents must provide child support until that child reaches the age of 21.

When a couple obtains a divorce and there are children of that marriage, the court will usually order payment of child support by the non-custodial parent.  These orders are given the same weight as any other orders issued by a court, which means that the failure to adhere to their terms could constitute a crime.  Unfortunately for one Orange County city councilman, that’s exactly what authorities are alleging as he faces six felony counts.

For generations, non-custodial parents of children in Indiana who have been ordered to pay child support by a court have had that payment obligation continue until the child at issue reached the age of 21.  This was at least two years older than many other states where the age is 19, but recent events have led to a change in this system.  Indiana has now passed a law that ends the obligation to pay child support when a child reaches the age of 19.

As more and more fathers are awarded primary child custody of their children across the United States, more and more mothers are being ordered to pay child support as a result.  This slow change has been occurring in recent years as society has changed with the higher number of women entering the workforce and more equality emanating from custody decisions in family courts all over the country.  Unfortunately, this reality is also leading to the rise of another problem – mothers failing to pay child support.

Over the years, non-custodial parents who have been paying child support to the parent with custody of the children have been leery of what that parent may have been doing with those funds.  For the most part, there are no requirements in place that require a custodial parent to provide an accounting of what is done with those payments, but a recent and short-lived bill in Iowa attempted to take a step in that direction, albeit indirectly.

People use social media Web sites for many different reasons, and some will use them to post their thoughts as they come to them.  Many people are also under the impression that what they post on these Web sites is relatively private, as only connections should be able to see what they write.  However, one man in Ohio recently found out that what you post on a private Facebook profile can come back to haunt you when it comes to issues including child custody and divorce.

Wisconsin has long been basically in line with most other jurisdictions when it comes to child support orders and the duration of those payments by the non-custodial parent.  Generally speaking, non-custodial parents in Wisconsin must continue to make child support payments until that child reaches the age of 18, and in some cases those payments must continue until the child reaches 19 years of age.  However, if a new bill becomes law, that could be changing.

We have seen many different efforts made across the United States with regards to finding parents who are not remaining current on their child support payments, and many of these techniques involve aggressive collection efforts, the potential for jail time and even some new programs designed to help those who are behind.  However, it seems that Australia is also dealing proactively with parents who are not current with their child support obligations, and at least one effort is creating controversy.

When parents get a divorce and the court decides on child custody, the usual arrangement is that the non-custodial parent is ordered to pay child support until the children reach the age of majority.  The amount of child support that must be paid is determined by using several variables, but one constant is that anyone who is under a child support payment order must remain current or risk harsh punishment.