MOUNT VERNON — An innovative partnership is getting statewide attention and reaping benefits locally.
Established in late 2015, the partnership between child support services (CSS) of Knox County Job & Family Services and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office is the only one of its kind in the state. KCSO deputies locate individuals who are non-compliant in paying child support, serve subpoenas, summons, and notices of hearings, and locate and arrest individuals with outstanding warrants.
Moving beyond the legal processes, the deputies also provide a helping hand for individuals enrolled in the Seek Work program through CSS. The deputies make sure individuals actively look for work, even to the point of randomly calling an employer to check the accuracy of the application.
“Since Day 1, it’s been growing rapidly,” KCSO Deputy Doug Turpen told the county commissioners on Thursday. “They’ve [child support services] received more money from the individuals in the Seek Work program than they ever have before.”
The program has been so successful that a second deputy, Chad Kennedy, was added in August 2017 to help with day-to-day duties and to manage individuals on the Seek Work program.
In 2016, 151 individuals were enrolled in the program. The number climbed to 185 in 2017, and as of yesterday, 194 are enrolled.
In 2016, money collected through the Seek Work program totaled $112,586.95; in 2017, $234,425 was collected. The CSS department as a whole collected more than $7.659 million in 2017.
Turpen said he and Kennedy are “friend and accountability” partners with the individuals in the program.
“With two of us now, I think there will be more accountability,” he said.
Turpen and Kennedy will speak at a statewide conference to share the innovative practices they have developed within the partnership.
“I can’t believe that this won’t catch on with other counties,” said Commissioner Roger Reed.
“The secret to their success is the innovativeness,” said J&FS Director Matthew Kurtz.
Marty Thomas, administrator of CSS, said the county established 41 child support orders in 2017 and modified 97 orders. The caseload involved 500 court hearings.
In addition to establishing and enforcing child support, the department provides paternity testing. Staff includes five full-time case managers, two resource officers, four clerical staff, one attorney and one administrative/hearing officer.
On the legislative front, Thomas said that two bills, HB 366 and SB 125, are making their way through the Ohio Legislature. Both bills seek to revamp child support guidelines, including the way child support payments are calculated, health care coverage, number of children being supported by an individual, and parenting time. The current guidelines were established in 1992 and are based on 1980s data.
