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Washington County, Indiana (August 21, 2024) – One of society’s greatest responsibilities is to care for its children. During this Child Support Awareness Month, we acknowledge the critical role financial support plays in the prosperity of children.
Without support from a noncustodial parent, children may lack essential resources like food, clothing, education and childcare. Establishing financial support requirements for separated parents allows the basic needs of a child to be met. Once this legal obligation is established by a court of law, the Indiana Department of Child Services and local prosecutors must work together to hold parents accountable for financially supporting their children.
“We take this job seriously because child support is about the child, not the parents or the past,” said Washington County Prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt. “Parents must meet their legal obligations, and our state and local agencies should ensure children have a chance to succeed by chasing down this support. In Washington County, we will continue working to provide all children with resources to meet their basic needs.”
The Washington County Child Support Division currently manages 761 open cases and has collected $1.5 million. Of all paternity cases filed, over 100% have resulted in established paternity. Additionally, 99% of child support petitions filed have led to a child support order, and 74% of all pending cases are actively collecting support. In cases involving only child support arrearages or collections on past-due support, 75% are successfully collecting. Washington County exceeds the national average in each of these categories.
Child support is critical to ensuring our children can thrive, and failing to collect child support payments is a disservice to our children. No matter how personally involved a parent is in a child’s life, providing financial support is a tangible and crucial way to care for a child.
Learn more at www.in.gov/dcs/child-support/.