It is probably news to no one that the economy has been, shall we say, “sluggish” the past few years. Family lawyers certainly can attest to the difficulties created by the economic downturn, both at the time of dissolution and post-decree.
A recent article highlights the effect of joblessness on child support delinquency in the Chicago suburbs. Although deliquency is still significantly higher in Cook County, rates in surrounding areas have increased much more quickly as the downturn continues to take a toll in the suburbs and greater numbers of parents seek collection assistance from the state.
On a related note, another recent article points to a program initiated in Louisiana to help parents make their child support payments. The juvenile court has a job placement program for unemployed non-custodial parents. Although the program costs around $62,000 to operate; officials believe they will collect more than that amount in back support from gainfully-employed obligors.