Thursday, August 20, 2015

August is National Child Support Awareness Month

Mesa County Department of Human Services (MCDHS) collects over $1 million dollars in child support each month.  This money goes directly to support children in our community both emotionally and financially whether it’s ensuring basic needs are met such as food, clothing and shelter or providing financial support for participation in school activities or medical/dental care.  The child support system is critical for building a better future for our young ones.

The mission of the Colorado Child Support Services Program is to assure all children receive financial and medical support from each parent.  This is accomplished by locating each parent, establishing paternity and support obligations, and enforcing those obligations.   The Child Support Services Program puts children first by helping both parents assume responsibility for the economic and social well-being as well as the health and stability of their children. 

A recent innovation in Colorado Child Support Services is mobile and electronic methods of paying child support. The change has helped increase the convenience, efficiency and timeliness of delivering financial support to children. The new system has helped users make more than 5,000 payments totaling nearly $2 million in child support, statewide.

Colorado Child Support Services also has plans to begin an automated text messaging notification system by the end of this month. The system is intended to increase the effectiveness of child support enforcement correspondence by using short text messages in lieu of phone calls to communicate with clients. Similar systems implemented in other states have helped boost compliance with child support enforcement

The Mesa County Department of Human Services is committed to promoting the health and well-being of all children by ensuring that non-custodial parents pay child support on a regular and timely basis as agreed between the parents or ordered by the courts.

“Children rely on both parents for the financial and medical support they need to be healthy and successful,” said Michelle Trujillo, Director of the Economic Assistance Division at the Mesa County Department of Human Services.  “Child Support provides the security for children that they deserve, which is even more significant during recent economic challenges and rising health care costs,” added Trujillo.

The Mesa County Department of Human Services Child Support Team currently oversees a caseload of over 6700 cases.  For more information on Child Support services administered through MCDHS
please call 248-2780 or visit www.humanservices.mesacounty.us.



No comments:

Post a Comment

Services Closed in Observance of Independence Day 2020

In observance of Independence Day, all Mesa County Department of Human Services offices will be closed on Friday, July 3. All offices wi...