Child support division in a Maryland county receives recognition

Most of the news stories our Maryland readers see that address child support situations usually cover celebrities either seeking thousands of dollars per month in child support or facing penalties because of a failure to pay child support. So, it is always good to see positive news coverage surrounding this difficult family law issue – like the report that the Child Support Enforcement Division of one Maryland county recently received an award from the state Department of Human Resources.

According to the reports, the Washington County enforcement division received the Gold Certificate of Award for the excellent work completed by the employees of that division. These enforcement divisions are tasked with the difficult job of making sure child support obligations are met, arrearages are caught up and paternity is established in many cases.

Previous posts here have detailed how the outstanding amount of child support that should be paid throughout the country presents a huge problem that impacts thousands of families every year. When a parent depends on the child support agreements reached to cover the financial needs of a child, a failure to abide by those agreements can have a substantial negative impact on household finances. Raising a child in America is expensive, but that shouldn’t deter a parent with an obligation to pay child support from keeping current on payments.

But, on the other side of the coin, sometimes there are legitimate reasons why a child support agreement should be changed. If the paying parent loses a job through no fault of their own, a child support agreement modification could enact the changes needed to get through the tough times. Whichever side of the problem a Maryland parent finds themselves, however, it is good to know that the employees of the Maryland Department of Social Services are doing their jobs well.

Source: HeraldMailMedia.com, “DSS child support division awarded for work in Washington County,” Oct. 29, 2013