As a domestic relations mediator and GAL, I appreciate what a complex area of law domestic relations is--parenthood is difficult, co-parenting is difficult, and some parents have special barriers to being good parents.
Judge Milton C. Lee Jr. of the District of Columbia Superior Court recently wrote int the ABA Judge's Journal about the Fathering Court Initiative, over which he presides. It's an exciting new idea in which a "problem-solving approach" is taken child support, and the focus is
changed from simply transferring "the most money possible from the noncustodial parent to the custodial parent" to instead looking at how to maximize the "noncustodial parent's ability to provide meaningful monetary support."
In Judge Lee's view, to work such an initiative "must include useful employment opportunities;" promote co-parenting; provide case management services; focus on reentry concerns for noncustodial parents recently released from prison; provide job skill training and placement.
In the D.C. program, the focus is on the reentry population, and child support calculation is initially reduced to 25% of the presumptive amount during the first 90 days of the program, then 50% for the next 90-day period, "and so forth until graduation from the program. This structured payment schedule permits fathers to obtain employment upon return to the community without the burdens of very substantial child support orders," and "permits father to get accustomed to" monthly "budgetary balancing."
Judge Lee notes in many ways the biggest obstacle is the reaction or low expectations of the custodial parent. However, he believes most of the noncustodial parents "were ashamed of their behavior and wanted to do better but simply did not grasp the significance of parental obligation. They wanted to be good fathers but needed help learning how to become responsible fathers." Each participant completes a "Quenching the Father Thirst" curriculum, developed by the National Center on Fathering to "help men understand the significance of being a father.
If you are
interested in child-related mediation or GAL (guardian ad litem) services, please contact Pilar Vaile, P.C. at (505) 247-0802, or
info@pilarvailepc.com.
