Cincinnati (Aug. 1, 2014) Hamilton County Job and Family Services will provide amnesty throughout the month of August to parents whose driver’s or professional licenses have been suspended for not paying child support.
Delinquent parents who want to take advantage of this offer can have their driver’s license or professional license reinstated by paying one month of child support and reporting their employment so their wages can be garnished. Those without employment must sign an agreement to enroll in a job-readiness program. All parents will sign a license-reinstatement agreement committing them to staying on track with child support payments.
“This is national Child Support Month and we wanted to do something to catch the attention of parents with a history of delinquency, but a desire to turn things around,” said Moira Weir, director of Hamilton County JFS. “We see this as a win-win. Parents are able to get their licenses back, we collect some immediate support for the children and, most importantly, we set up a pipeline for future support.”
The Department’s Child Support Enforcement Agency handles about 85,000 cases a year. Last year, it collected $130 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.
Hamilton County Child Support uses a variety of tools to collect child support, including intercepting tax returns, denying passports, freezing and seizing funds from bank accounts, and suspending drivers’ and professional licenses.
In addition to offering amnesty, the agency is celebrating Child Support Month in these ways:
- Aug 6: Asking the public to wear green in support of a child’s right to financial support. This is a statewide effort to raise awareness around child support.
- Aug. 16: A community meeting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Corinthian Baptist Church, 772 Whittier St., to answer the public’s questions about child support.
- Aug. 27: A community meeting from 9 a.m. to noon at Cincinnati- Hamilton County Community Action Agency, 1740 Langdon Farm Road, to answer the public’s questions about child support.
- Aug. 21: Continuing Legal Education for local attorneys on the issue of child support. More details available through the Cincinnati Bar Association.
About Hamilton County Job and Family Services
Hamilton County Job and Family Services administers federal, state and local programs for those in need. The Department helps with local child protection, elderly protection, child care, child support enforcement, workforce development, cash assistance, food assistance and Medicaid disbursement. Servicing Hamilton County since 1947, the Department helps hundreds of thousands each year and is accredited by the Council on Accreditation, an international, independent, not-for-profit child and family service accrediting organization.
