Child Support is a great way for fathers to help support their children after a divorce when they choose to either be the non-custodial parent, or make the unfortunate decision not to be active in their kids lives. In these cases, child support is vital to children and mothers who raise their children. But what about fathers that do want to be equal parents, have equal access, and support their children directly when they have them? In most cases, and in most states, the family courts will not allow this. Now, outside court, parents can decide to split physical custody of their children and neither parent pay child support, but within the courts, there HAS to be a custodial parent and a non-custodial parent. In these circumstances, the non-custodial parent will be forced into the federal child support enforcement program which will ensure that children receive support.
Many people believe that child support enforcement is simply a program that exists to get money for children from non-custodial parents. However, behind the scenes, child support enforcement via the Social Security Act, Title IV, Part D program and specifically Section 458 is helping to replenish Welfare and Low Income Assistance programs.
Here is how it works; for every one dollar collected in child support and paternity establishment, the federal government gives back an equal match from Social Security to US States based on performance in enforcement. Many people believe that performance is best achieved by keeping non-custodial parents (typically a father) as far away as possible from their children so that more child support is payed thereby increasing federal money back to US States.
And here is the rub; for parents that do want to be equal parents, this relationship between the federal government and US Family Courts feels planned, like a way to generate revenue for vital State programs and they are using non-custodial parents, step-parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents to achieve this.
What do you feel about this setup as a non-custodial family member? Do you feel like your State Family Court is more interested in how much child support you pay compared to what your contribution to your children is through directly supporting your children during shared parenting? As a custodial parent, would you rather have the non-custodial parent be an equal parent with equal access or have access to child support and state programs that come from being in the child support enforcement program?