Some parents want to pay but don’t have the skills to find a job. Sometimes they are dealing with a mental health problem or a drug addiction.
A court order can’t address these problems, Monroe County prosecuting attorney Chris Gaal said at an open house in the Curry Building, the new facility for the prosecutor’s office.
“It’s important to recognize that the traditional approach has limits,” he said.
The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office, which has a new executive director and prosecutor, will change its policy and offer mediation for parents in child support cases.
“The adversarial system leads to emotional conflict,” Gaal said.
Mediation should create a more positive relationship between the parents, and stronger relationships lead to more consistent child support payments, Gaal said.
In addition to mediation, the new plan will offer incentives for non-custodial parents in addition to the usual court orders.
“Engaging local community resources can allow us to offer more carrots alongside the traditional sticks,” Gaal said in a press release.
The prosecutor’s office began meeting with local organizations in March to find ways to work together to help parents, Gaal said. The office closely followed creative methods used around the country and drew inspiration from the successes.
If a parent needs help finding work or securing a better paying position, the prosecutor’s office can refer the case to WorkOne Bloomington for job training and employment assistance.
Richard Rampley, director of Bloomington’s WorkOne center, said the collaboration will formalize practices already in place.
If a parent who struggles to pay child support needs help managing a mental health problem or a drug addiction, the prosecutor’s office can refer him or her to Centerstone, a Bloomington healthcare provider.
Completing treatment plans created at Centerstone or working with WorkOne become part of the court order, and the prosecutor’s office can withhold enforcing sanctions if the parent follows through with the alternative plan, Gaal said.
Court Commissioner Bret Raper, who deals with child support orders, said he sees litigants every week who want to pay but are not able to. The partnerships could help some of them, he said.
Raper said there’s another way the program could help.
“People who have some say in creating their order are more likely to comply with it,” he said.
