# Child Support and Work-Oriented Programs

- Link: https://thechildsupporthustle.com/child-support-and-work-oriented-programs/
- Published: 2024-05-06T14:23:33+00:00
- Author: MsRockMon

## Child Support and Work-Oriented Programs

Kenya N. Rahmaan

For those unemployed parents, these job programs are critical in helping to remove
barriers that hinder them from finding and maintaining long-term employment. Not
to mention, having worked for these individuals can mean the difference between 
freedom and imprisonment. If the child support system is in operation to truly benefit
the children, there needs to be more work-oriented programs for the parents so that
they may provide steady and reliable payments. Child support programs have been 
proven an effective vehicle for programs that assist noncustodial parents in overcoming
barriers to economic stability (NCSL, 2014). It is then a wonder why states with
hundreds of thousands (two with over a million) child support cases do not offer
more work-oriented programs for those struggling noncustodial parents.

New York is the state that has the most assistance for parents reporting 12 programs.
Since the state has an open caseload of 920,000, such programs are necessary and
critical to parents who have been named in lawsuits for child support by the state
or the custodial parents.  Two programs are funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) and Federal State Employment Tax (FSET) funds, while the individual
counties fund other programs.  The Department of Labor or DOL offered a program 
that provided unemployed noncustodial parents with transitional job placements, 
case management, and other support services (Office of Child Support Enforcement(
OCSE), 2014).

With the country still recovering from the recession, parents faced other factors
that prohibited them from finding and keeping employment. The government must offer
employment programs to non-residential parents continuously. Unfortunately for parents
in Onondaga County, New York, the DOL grant ended on December 31, 2014. There was
no mention of the grant being funded in 2015. Still, considering that a New York
parent could face up to four years in prison for a nonsupport conviction, the government
should always pay for work-oriented programs and make them available for unemployed,
low-income parents.

Michigan is a state that proudly posts its arrests of parents who fall behind on
child support payments, failing to mention that it offers five work-oriented child
support programs for struggling parents. The programs rely on various subsidized
sources, including a grant from the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (
OCSE). However, the award expired in September of last year. According to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics (2014), Michigan reported one of the highest unemployment rates
in the country at 6.7% as of November 2014. This unemployment number should mean
that the number of programs offered will increase from five to an amount needed 
to satisfy the demand of unemployed parents actively seeking work.

It is unfortunate that Michigan, along with all other states, criminalizes parents
for being low-income and unable to afford outrageous amounts of child support debt.
Because of this factor, the four remaining programs Michigan only offers these programs
after the court system has become involved with the case. For example, Charlevoix
County provides a case manager to assist the parent with managing their case. According
to OSCE (2014), a Friend of the Court (FOC) staff member provides:

 * Intensive case management.
 * Individualized child support services.
 * Assessments.
 * Job search assistance.
 * Referrals to unemployed noncustodial parents who are court-ordered to seek work.

If the parent requests employment services, these essential services should be made
available to all parents included in the nearly one million open cases in Michigan.
It is absurd to offer parents such a valuable helping hand only after they have 
been jailed and the court has ordered participation in a jobs program. Early access
to these programs could prevent parents from being sentenced to four years in prison
after being convicted of refusing to support their children, thus saving the taxpayers
money to house a prisoner.  Preventative maintenance is key to reducing arrears 
and improving collection rates.   Studies have shown that parents can achieve gainful
and long-term employment through these programs.

Florida has an open child support caseload of 854,923 as of May 2014 but only offers
one work-oriented child support program for its unemployed noncustodial parents.
In Duval and Nassau Counties in Jacksonville, only 282 noncustodial parents were
served by the child support programs in 2013. The OSCE (2014) reported that the 
child support program in the Jacksonville area works with several employment agencies
to find jobs for unemployed noncustodial parents. No reports announce the success,
but a parent does not have to be court-ordered to receive employment assistance.

Even when considering the declining unemployment rate at a reported 5.8% in November
2014, noncustodial parents still need help when seeking employment. This is especially
true since the punishment for failing to provide for dependents is a felony in Florida
and can result in up to five years in prison.  Even though jailing a person for 
owing a debt is illegal in the United States, people should be able to rely on help
to secure a job to avoid prison.  California and Texas, the states with the most
significant number of open child support cases, also fall short in providing substantial
assistance for parents when faced with roadblocks to gainful employment.  [https://bit.ly/3xo0iI7](https://thechildsupporthustle.com/child-support-and-work-oriented-programs/\"https://bit.ly/3xo0iI7\")

California reports 1,209,703 open child support cases yet only offers six work-oriented
child support programs.  With one of the highest unemployment rates in the country
at 7.2%, one would think that the number of programs provided would increase since,
statistically, most working parents pay child support. Different sources back the
programs offered, and the courts maintain few.  There is no specific data provided
that specifies success and failure rates. However, these programs are a necessity
in child support enforcement.

Although child support enforcement is arguable and unconstitutional, the government
should offer some relief for low-income parents as a form of fairness in the unjust
pursuit of collecting money.  Additionally, demanding money from people who struggle
to provide basic living needs and jailing those who fail to meet those obligations
is akin to cruel and unusual punishment.  Offering work-oriented programs does not
justify the sentences executed against delinquent parents.  Still, it can offer 
a shelter, of sorts, from critics of the child support program.  As long as the 
government can say that something is offered to the poor, the public can never claim
that nothing is offered, even when it’s insufficient.

Texas fares no better when allegedly offering employment assistance for their unemployed
parents. Texas has one program funded by TANF and Incentive funds to help parents
in 31 counties throughout the state. According to OSCE (2014), NCP Choices provides
enhanced child support and compliance monitoring and employment services for noncustodial
parents who are unemployed or underemployed and are not compliant with their child
support obligations. There are over approximately 1,500,000 open child support cases
in Texas, but the program only served a little over 3500 parents in 2013 (OSCE, 
2014).

The number of parents with access to the program is just as ridiculous as almost
every other aspect of the child support system related to low-income people.  To
claim that a lack of funds prohibits the government from providing more employment
assistance to vulnerable parents would not be a viable excuse when examining the
money collected and retained by child support enforcement. According to The Administration
of Children & Families (ACF) (2014), Texas reported $18,533 939 in 2013 in undistributed
child support collections and $88,239,793 for the past five years. The state adds
money to future budgets that would be better utilized funding programs that assist
parents in finding employment.

Texas also reported its state and federal shares of child support collections at
$17,767,696 and $16,025,140, respectively, in 2013 (ACF, 2014). Diverting this money
from costs associated with posting pictures of delinquent parents, ‘deadbeat’ roundups,
and housing prisoners to job programs for the less fortunate parents constantly 
funneled through the family court system due to nonpayment of child support. We 
must acknowledge, often and loudly, that incarcerating people for owing a debt is
an actual crime, and the targets are low-income and poor people. Child support debt
continues to balloon because of double-digit interest rates, fines, and penalties
associated with late child support payments. Yet, very few programs are available
to meet the demands of unemployed parents.

The cold hard truth is that the government, county, state, and federal care nothing
about the welfare of low-income children or families. If the government cared, children
would be the actual beneficiaries of all money collected on their behalf, instead
of what the government deems acceptable. The work-oriented child support programs
seem more of an afterthought designed to appease the opposition when citizens ask
questions about the treatment of parents and children and start feeling unsettled
about how parents are treated while trapped in The Child Support Hustle. The noncustodial
parents must be provided the means to pay support once the judgment has been rendered
or face a lifetime of debt and a revolving prison door.

Again, I say that the child support system in America is unfair, at least, and unconstitutional,
at best, and needs desperately to be reformed. Offering punishments with no means
of defense is worse than sentencing a person to prison with legal representation.
Unfortunately, both situations apply to low-income parents as they are consumed 
by the child support agencies and court systems, not to mention the debt they are
supposed to repay with little to no money. Before all parents are victims of modern-
day slavery, something must change through the child support system.

References:

_National Conference of State Legislatures. (2014, June 20). Work-Oriented child
support programs. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/work-
oriented-child-support-programs.aspx_

_The Administration of Children & Families. (2014, April 1). FY2013 Preliminary 
report – Table P-16 | Office of child support enforcement | Administration for children
and families. Retrieved from _

_Office of the Child Support Enforcement. (2014, February). Work-oriented programs
for noncustodial parents | Office of child support enforcement | Administration 
for children and families. Retrieved from _

_The Administration for Children & Families. (2014, April 1). FY2013 Preliminary
report – Table P-14 | Office of child support enforcement | Administration for children
and families. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from _

_The Administration of Children & Families. (2014, April 1). FY2013 Preliminary 
report – Table P-15 | Office of child support enforcement | Administration for children
and families. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from _

_United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014, November). Unemployment rates 
for States. Retrieved from _

## Child Support and Work-Oriented Programs

Kenya N. Rahmaan

For those unemployed parents, these job programs are critical in helping to remove
barriers that hinder them from finding and maintaining long-term employment. Not
to mention, having worked for these individuals can mean the difference between 
freedom and imprisonment. If the child support system is in operation to truly benefit
the children, there needs to be more work-oriented programs for the parents so that
they may provide steady and reliable payments. Child support programs have been 
proven an effective vehicle for programs that assist noncustodial parents in overcoming
barriers to economic stability (NCSL, 2014). It is then a wonder why states with
hundreds of thousands (two with over a million) child support cases do not offer
more work-oriented programs for those struggling noncustodial parents.

New York is the state that has the most assistance for parents reporting 12 programs.
Since the state has an open caseload of 920,000, such programs are necessary and
critical to parents who have been named in lawsuits for child support by the state
or the custodial parents.  Two programs are funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) and Federal State Employment Tax (FSET) funds, while the individual
counties fund other programs.  The Department of Labor or DOL offered a program 
that provided unemployed noncustodial parents with transitional job placements, 
case management, and other support services (Office of Child Support Enforcement(
OCSE), 2014).

With the country still recovering from the recession, parents faced other factors
that prohibited them from finding and keeping employment. The government must offer
employment programs to non-residential parents continuously. Unfortunately for parents
in Onondaga County, New York, the DOL grant ended on December 31, 2014. There was
no mention of the grant being funded in 2015. Still, considering that a New York
parent could face up to four years in prison for a nonsupport conviction, the government
should always pay for work-oriented programs and make them available for unemployed,
low-income parents.

Michigan is a state that proudly posts its arrests of parents who fall behind on
child support payments, failing to mention that it offers five work-oriented child
support programs for struggling parents. The programs rely on various subsidized
sources, including a grant from the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (
OCSE). However, the award expired in September of last year. According to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics (2014), Michigan reported one of the highest unemployment rates
in the country at 6.7% as of November 2014. This unemployment number should mean
that the number of programs offered will increase from five to an amount needed 
to satisfy the demand of unemployed parents actively seeking work.

It is unfortunate that Michigan, along with all other states, criminalizes parents
for being low-income and unable to afford outrageous amounts of child support debt.
Because of this factor, the four remaining programs Michigan only offers these programs
after the court system has become involved with the case. For example, Charlevoix
County provides a case manager to assist the parent with managing their case. According
to OSCE (2014), a Friend of the Court (FOC) staff member provides:

 * Intensive case management.
 * Individualized child support services.
 * Assessments.
 * Job search assistance.
 * Referrals to unemployed noncustodial parents who are court-ordered to seek work.

If the parent requests employment services, these essential services should be made
available to all parents included in the nearly one million open cases in Michigan.
It is absurd to offer parents such a valuable helping hand only after they have 
been jailed and the court has ordered participation in a jobs program. Early access
to these programs could prevent parents from being sentenced to four years in prison
after being convicted of refusing to support their children, thus saving the taxpayers
money to house a prisoner.  Preventative maintenance is key to reducing arrears 
and improving collection rates.   Studies have shown that parents can achieve gainful
and long-term employment through these programs.

Florida has an open child support caseload of 854,923 as of May 2014 but only offers
one work-oriented child support program for its unemployed noncustodial parents.
In Duval and Nassau Counties in Jacksonville, only 282 noncustodial parents were
served by the child support programs in 2013. The OSCE (2014) reported that the 
child support program in the Jacksonville area works with several employment agencies
to find jobs for unemployed noncustodial parents. No reports announce the success,
but a parent does not have to be court-ordered to receive employment assistance.

Even when considering the declining unemployment rate at a reported 5.8% in November
2014, noncustodial parents still need help when seeking employment. This is especially
true since the punishment for failing to provide for dependents is a felony in Florida
and can result in up to five years in prison.  Even though jailing a person for 
owing a debt is illegal in the United States, people should be able to rely on help
when it relates to securing a job to avoid prison.  California and Texas, the states
with the most significant number of open child support cases, also fall short in
providing substantial assistance for parents when faced with roadblocks to gainful
employment.  [https://bit.ly/3xo0iI7](https://thechildsupporthustle.com/child-support-and-work-oriented-programs/\"https://bit.ly/3xo0iI7\")

California reports 1,209,703 open child support cases yet only offers six work-oriented
child support programs.  With one of the highest unemployment rates in the country
at 7.2%, one would think that the number of programs provided would increase since,
statistically, most working parents pay child support. Different sources back the
programs offered, and the courts maintain few.  There is no specific data provided
that specify success and failure rates. However, these programs are a necessity 
in child support enforcement.

Although child support enforcement is arguable and unconstitutional, the government
should offer some relief for low-income parents as a form of fairness in the unjust
pursuit of collecting money.  Additionally, demanding money from people who struggle
to provide basic living needs and jailing those who fail to meet those obligations
is akin to cruel and unusual punishment.  Offering work-oriented programs does not
justify the sentences executed against delinquent parents.  Still, it can offer 
a shelter, of sorts, from critics of the child support program.  As long as the 
government can say that something is offered to the poor, the public can never claim
that nothing is offered, even when it’s insufficient.

Texas fares no better when allegedly offering employment assistance for their unemployed
parents. Currently, Texas has one program funded by TANF and Incentive funds to 
help parents in 31 counties throughout the state. According to OSCE (2014), NCP 
Choices provides enhanced child support and compliance monitoring and employment
services for noncustodial parents who are unemployed or underemployed and are not
compliant with their child support obligations. There are over approximately 1,500,000
open child support cases in Texas, but the program only served a little over 3500
parents in 2013 (OSCE, 2014).

The number of parents with access to the program is just as ridiculous as almost
every other aspect of the child support system related to low-income people.  To
claim that a lack of funds prohibits the government from providing more employment
assistance to vulnerable parents would not be a viable excuse when examining the
money collected and retained by child support enforcement. According to The Administration
of Children & Families (ACF) (2014), Texas reported $18,533 939 in 2013 in undistributed
child support collections and $88,239,793 for the past five years. The state adds
money to future budgets that would be better-utilized funding programs that assist
parents in finding employment.

Texas also reported its state and federal shares of child support collections at
$17,767,696 and $16,025,140, respectively, in 2013 (ACF, 2014). Diverting this money
from costs associated with posting pictures of delinquent parents, ‘deadbeat’ roundups,
and housing prisoners to job programs for the less fortunate parents constantly 
funneled through the family court system due to nonpayment of child support. We 
must acknowledge, often and loudly, that incarcerating people for owing a debt is
an actual crime, and the targets are low-income and poor people. Child support debt
continues to balloon because of double-digit interest rates, fines, and penalties
associated with late child support payments. Yet, there are very few programs available
to meet the demands of unemployed parents.

The cold hard truth is that the government, county, state, and federal care nothing
about the welfare of low-income children or families. If the government cared, children
would be the actual beneficiaries of all money collected on their behalf, instead
of what the government deems acceptable. The work-oriented child support programs
seem more of an afterthought designed to appease the opposition when citizens ask
questions about the treatment of parents and children and start feeling unsettled
about how parents are treated while trapped in The Child Support Hustle. The noncustodial
parents must be provided the means to pay support once the judgment has been rendered
or face a lifetime of debt and a revolving prison door.

Again, I say that the child support system in America is unfair, at least, and unconstitutional,
at best, and needs desperately to be reformed. Offering punishments with no means
of defense is worse than sentencing a person to prison with legal representation.
Unfortunately, both situations apply to low-income parents as they are consumed 
by the child support agencies and court systems, not to mention the debt they are
supposed to repay with little to no money. Before all parents are victims of modern-
day slavery, something must change through the child support system.

References:

_National Conference of State Legislatures. (2014, June 20). Work-Oriented child
support programs. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/work-
oriented-child-support-programs.aspx_

_The Administration of Children & Families. (2014, April 1). FY2013 Preliminary 
report – Table P-16 | Office of child support enforcement | Administration for children
and families. Retrieved from _

_Office of the Child Support Enforcement. (2014, February). Work-oriented programs
for noncustodial parents | Office of child support enforcement | Administration 
for children and families. Retrieved from _

_The Administration for Children & Families. (2014, April 1). FY2013 Preliminary
report – Table P-14 | Office of child support enforcement | Administration for children
and families. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from _

_The Administration of Children & Families. (2014, April 1). FY2013 Preliminary 
report – Table P-15 | Office of child support enforcement | Administration for children
and families. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from _

_United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014, November). Unemployment rates 
for States. Retrieved from _

## Child Support and Work Oriented Programs

Kenya N. Rahmaan

Source: Elaine Sorensen and Helen Oliver

There are endless news reports concerning ‘deadbeat’ roundups and proposals for 
stricter child support legislation to increase child support collections. However,
a lack of information promotes the limited number of work-oriented programs offered
to noncustodial parents across the country. While most states only offer one or 
two programs for noncustodial parents, others offer multiple programs in several
counties. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures or NCSL (2014),
as of February 2014, 30 states and the District of Columbia are operating 77 work-
oriented child support programs. The number of programs is insufficient, considering
that there are 15,588,775 total open child support cases nationwide, and parents
hold most child support debt with low or no income.

For those unemployed parents, these job programs are critical in helping to remove
barriers that hinder them from finding and maintaining long-term employment. Not
to mention, having worked for these individuals can mean the difference between 
freedom and imprisonment. If the child support system is in operation to truly benefit
the children, there need to be more work-oriented programs for the parents so that
they may provide steady and reliable payments. Child support programs have been 
proven an effective vehicle for programs that assist noncustodial parents in overcoming
barriers to economic stability (NCSL, 2014). It is then a wonder why states with
hundreds of thousands (two with over a million) child support cases do not offer
more work-oriented programs for those struggling noncustodial parents.

New York is the state that has the most assistance for parents reporting 12 programs.
Since the state has an open caseload of 920,000, such programs are necessary and
critical to parents who have been named in lawsuits for child support by the state
or the custodial parents.  Two programs are funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) and Federal State Employment Tax (FSET) funds, while the individual
counties funds other programs.  The Department of Labor or DOL offered a program
that provided unemployed noncustodial parents with transitional job placements, 
case management, and other support services (Office of Child Support Enforcement(
OCSE), 2014).

With the country still recovering from the recession, parents faced other factors
that prohibited them from finding and keeping employment. The government must offer
employment programs to non-residential parents continuously. Unfortunately for parents
in Onondaga County, New York, the DOL grant ended on December 31, 2014. There was
no mention of the grant being funded in 2015. Still, considering that a New York
parent could face up to four years in prison for a nonsupport conviction, the government
should always pay for work-oriented programs and make them available for unemployed,
low-income parents.

Michigan is a state that proudly posts its arrests of parents that fall behind on
child support payments, failing to mention that it offers five work-oriented child
support programs for struggling parents. The programs rely on various subsidized
sources, including a grant from the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (
OCSE). However, the award expired in September of last year. According to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics (2014), Michigan reported one of the highest unemployment rates
in the country at 6.7% as of November 2014. This unemployment number should mean
that the number of programs offered will increase from five to an amount needed 
to satisfy the demand of unemployed parents actively seeking work.

It is unfortunate that Michigan, along with all other states, criminalizes parents
for being low-income and unable to afford outrageous amounts of child support debt.
Because of this factor, the four remaining programs Michigan only offers these programs
after the court system has become involved with the case. For example, Charlevoix
County provides a case manager to assist the parent with managing their case. According
to OSCE (2014), a Friend of the Court (FOC) staff member provides:

 * Intensive case management.
 * Individualized child support services.
 * Assessments.
 * Job search assistance.
 * Referrals to unemployed noncustodial parents who are court-ordered to seek work.

If the parent requests employment services, these essential services should be made
available to all parents included in the nearly one million open cases in Michigan.
It is absurd to offer parents such a valuable helping hand only after they have 
been jailed and the court has ordered participation in a jobs program. Early access
to these programs could prevent parents from being sentenced to four years in prison
after being convicted of refusing to support their children, thus, saving the taxpayers
money to house a prisoner.  Preventative maintenance is key to reducing arrears 
and improving collection rates.   Studies have shown that parents can achieve gainful
and long-term employment through these programs.

Florida has an open child support caseload of 854,923 as of May 2014 but only offers
one work-oriented child support program for its unemployed noncustodial parents.
In Duval and Nassau Counties in Jacksonville, only 282 noncustodial parents were
served by the child support programs in 2013. The OSCE (2014) reported that the 
child support program in the Jacksonville area works with several employment agencies
to find jobs for unemployed noncustodial parents. No reports announce the success,
but a parent does not have to be court-ordered to receive employment assistance.

Even when considering the declining unemployment rate at a reported 5.8% in November
2014, noncustodial parents still need help when seeking employment. This, especially
since the punishment for failing to provide for dependents is a felony in Florida
and can result in up to five years in prison.  Even though jailing a person for 
owing a debt is illegal in the United States, people should be able to rely on help
when it relates to securing a job to avoid prison.  California and Texas, the states
with the most significant number of open child support cases, also fall short in
providing substantial assistance for parents when faced with roadblocks to gainful
employment.  [https://bit.ly/3xo0iI7](https://thechildsupporthustle.com/child-support-and-work-oriented-programs/\"https://bit.ly/3xo0iI7\")

California reports 1,209,703 open child support cases yet only offers six work-oriented
child support programs.  With one of the highest unemployment rates in the country
at 7.2%, one would think that the number of programs provided would increase since,
statistically, most working parents pay child support. Different sources back the
programs offered, and the courts maintain few.  There is no specific data provided
that specify success and failure rates. However, these programs are a necessity 
in child support enforcement.

Although child support enforcement is arguable and unconstitutional, the government
should offer some relief for low-income parents as a form of fairness in the unjust
pursuit of collecting money.  Additionally, demanding money from people who struggle
to provide basic living needs and jailing those who fail to meet those obligations
is akin to cruel and unusual punishment.  Offering work-oriented programs does not
justify the sentences executed against delinquent parents.  Still, it can offer 
a shelter, of sorts, from critics of the child support program.  As long as the 
government can say that something is offered to the poor, the public can never claim
that nothing is offered, even when it’s insufficient.

Texas fares no better when allegedly offering employment assistance for their unemployed
parents. Currently, Texas has one program funded by TANF and Incentive funds to 
help parents in 31 counties throughout the state. According to OSCE (2014), NCP 
Choices provides enhanced child support and compliance monitoring and employment
services for noncustodial parents who are unemployed or underemployed and are not
compliant with their child support obligations. There are over approximately 1,500,000
open child support cases in Texas, but the program only served a little over 3500
parents in 2013 (OSCE, 2014).

The number of parents with access to the program is just as ridiculous as almost
every other aspect of the child support system related to low-income people.  To
claim that a lack of funds prohibits the government from providing more employment
assistance to vulnerable parents would not be a viable excuse when examining the
money collected and retained by child support enforcement. According to The Administration
of Children & Families (ACF) (2014), Texas reported $18,533 939 in 2013 in undistributed
child support collections and $88,239,793 for the past five years. The state adds
money to future budgets that would be better-utilized funding programs that assist
parents in finding employment.

Texas also reported its state and federal shares of child support collections at
$17,767,696 and $16,025,140, respectively, in 2013 (ACF, 2014). Diverting this money
from costs associated with posting pictures of delinquent parents, ‘deadbeat’ roundups,
and housing prisoners to job programs for the less fortunate parents constantly 
funneled through the family court system due to nonpayment of child support. We 
must acknowledge, often and loudly, that incarcerating people for owing a debt is
an actual crime, and the targets are low-income and poor people. Child support debt
continues to balloon because of double-digit interest rates, fines, and penalties
associated with late child support payments. Yet, there are very few programs available
to meet the demands of unemployed parents.

The cold hard truth is that the government, county, state, and federal care nothing
about the welfare of low-income children or families. If the government cared, children
would be the actual beneficiaries of all money collected on their behalf, instead
of what the government deems acceptable. The work-oriented child support programs
seem more of an afterthought designed to appease the opposition when citizens ask
questions about the treatment of parents and children and start feeling unsettled
about how parents are treated while trapped in The Child Support Hustle. The noncustodial
parents must be provided the means to pay support once the judgment has been rendered
or face a lifetime of debt and a revolving prison door.

Again, I say that the child support system in America is unfair, at least, and unconstitutional,
at best, and needs desperately to be reformed. Offering punishments with no means
of defense is worse than sentencing a person to prison with legal representation.
Unfortunately, both situations apply to low-income parents as they are consumed 
by the child support agencies and court systems, not to mention the debt they are
supposed to repay with little to no money. Before all parents are victims of modern-
day slavery, something must change through the child support system.

References:

_National Conference of State Legislatures. (2014, June 20). Work-Oriented child
support programs. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/work-
oriented-child-support-programs.aspx_

_The Administration of Children & Families. (2014, April 1). FY2013 Preliminary 
report – Table P-16 | Office of child support enforcement | Administration for children
and families. Retrieved from _

_Office of the Child Support Enforcement. (2014, February). Work-oriented programs
for noncustodial parents | Office of child support enforcement | Administration 
for children and families. Retrieved from _

_The Administration for Children & Families. (2014, April 1). FY2013 Preliminary
report – Table P-14 | Office of child support enforcement | Administration for children
and families. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from _

_The Administration of Children & Families. (2014, April 1). FY2013 Preliminary 
report – Table P-15 | Office of child support enforcement | Administration for children
and families. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from _

_United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014, November). Unemployment rates 
for States. Retrieved from _