Let us first look at some important statistics published by the National Fatherhood Initiative.
The Effects of Father Absence in the Home of Minor Children:
Children of Father-Absent homes are:
- Five times more likely to live in poverty.
- Three times more likely to fail in school.
- Two times more likely to develop emotional or behavioral problems.
- Two times more likely to abuse drugs.
- Two times more likely to be abused and neglected.
- Two times more likely to become involved in crime.
- Three times more likely to commit suicide.
Compare the facts with children having Father’s involved in their lives:
- Better cognitive (“knowing and perceiving”) outcomes.
- Higher self-esteem and less depression as teenagers.
- Higher grades, test scores, and overall academic achievement.
- Lower levels of drug and alcohol use.
- Higher levels of empathy and other pro-social behavior.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Michael Newsom, an employee of the Montgomery County Child Support Enforcement Agency (“CSEA”). Historically, Michael (“Mike”) commenced employment with the CSEA in November of 2000 as a Supervisor at the Agency’s Call Center. He later became an Intake Unit Supervisor and in November of 2010, he became the Fatherhood Coordinator with the Agency. An alternate title for Mike … Read More... “An Interview with Michael Newsom, Fatherhood Coordinator for the Montgomery County Child Support Enforcement Agency”
On May 28, 2014, I had the opportunity to spend time with Anne Bissacco in an interview for this Ohio Family Law Blog Article. Anne is the Ombudsman and Customer Relations Supervisor for the Child Support Enforcement Agency (“CSEA”) for Montgomery County, Ohio. What is an “ombudsman”? Webster’s New World Dictionary defines the word as follows: “A public official appointed to investigate citizens’ complaints”. This is exactly the role that Anne performs. She listens to complaints and works to find solutions for identified problems.
The process of changing your child’s last name (name change) can be quite involved. If there is a dispute between unmarried parents as to their child’s surname, there are some general name change factors that Courts in Ohio consider.
I have been practicing family law for 34 years. In my opinion the process by which the State of Ohio has gone about establishing child support orders in Juvenile Court without including any parenting or visitation provisions was patently unfair to fathers. I appreciate that taxpayers shouldn’t have to shoulder the burdens of paying welfare or other assistance for children when it is the joint legal responsibility for their mothers and fathers to do so. But is it fair to establish a child support obligation and not include any reciprocal provision for the fathers to have the right to visit their child(ren)? It is no wonder that there are so many uninvolved fathers out there. Psychologists will tell you that a child who has had both parents involved in his/her upbringing stands a much better chance to become a stable healthy adult. That is why I am very excited about this new, long overdue Ohio project!
I always like to talk about the connotations associated with the words we use every day. Whether they are positive or negative, the words we use can have a grave impact upon a person’s feelings. One such word that comes to mind is stepmom or stepdad. Generally, feelings associated with the word step anything can result in feelings of negativity. I am sure everyone remembers Cinderella’s EVIL stepmother! Being a stepchild, I understand why those feelings can sometimes arise. Blended families come with many obstacles. However, I also know why they can also be associated with very positive connotations and because of that I thank God every day for blessing me with my stepfather, my dad. In the spirit of Father’s Day, I would like to talk about laws in Ohio that have resulted in stepparent 
Do child support/spousal support payments have to be made through the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) or through the Ohio Child Support Payment Central (OCSPC)? This question is generally answered with a resounding “Yes”! There are many reasons for the involvement of the CSEA and the OCSPC.
In Ohio, when a divorce proceeding is initiated, the Plaintiff files his or her Complaint for Divorce along with his/her Financial Affidavit and other pleadings. The