Child Support Amnesty Offers Delinquent Parents Chance to Reinstate Licenses

Parents who have had their driver’s license or professional license suspended for not paying child support have the chance of reinstatement this month as Hamilton County Job and Family Services celebrates national Child Support Awareness Month with an offer of amnesty.

Delinquent parents who want to take advantage of an amnesty offer can have their driver’s license or professional license reinstated by paying a portion of their total child support obligation or reporting their employment information, so wages can be garnished. To determine if you qualify for license reinstatement, please call 946-7387.

Moira Weir, director of Hamilton County’s Job and Family Services, said re-establishing regular child support is in the best interests of children and parents.

“Not having a license is a barrier to working and paying child support,” she said. “We want to help anyone get back in the driver’s seat if they are willing to work and begin making regular child support payments. We want to make sure the needs of their children are met; that is the #1 priority. But it goes beyond the financial — re-engaging a parent and getting them back involved in the child’s life is a positive for everyone and really most important.”

All parents who participate in amnesty will sign a license-reinstatement agreement committing them to staying on track with child support payments. Again, to take advantage of amnesty, parents must call 946-7387.

Parents and employers involved in the child support system can find a great deal of helpful information about amnesty and other topics by visiting the agency website’s Child Support section, www.hcjfs.org/services/child-support/.

The Department’s Child Support Enforcement Agency handles about 71,000 cases each month involving more than 225,000 county residents.  Last year, it collected $126 million for families that might not otherwise have had the financial support necessary to pay for such items as food, medical care, child care, school clothes and school supplies. Many of the children without child support turn to public assistance, with taxpayers providing financial support.

In addition to offering amnesty, the agency is celebrating Child Support Month by asking the public to wear green Aug. 7 in support of a child’s right to financial support. This is a statewide effort to raise awareness around child support. Please share your photos at www.facebook.com/hcjfs, www.twitter.com/hamiltoncojfs, www.instagram.com/hamiltoncojfs and www.pinterest.com/hcjfs.

by Jane Prendergast

Filed Under: Child Support, Featured

Tagged: amnesty, Child Support, hamilton county department of job and family services, hamilton county job an family services, moira weir, national child support month, wear green