Child Support Roundup in New Jersey

Supporting a child is an important role a parent and/or a guardian play in a child’s life be it emotional or moral support and certainly, as any parent can attest, monetary support. However, in the case of a family that is no longer intact, monetary child support often is lacking because of the untimeliness of child support payments. Approximately 38% of child support providers are responsible for medical bills, health care, and various other health care costs of the child so it is important that child support is paid on time. (1)

Unfortunately all too often the non-custodial parent falls behind in child support payments.

Some common ways to collect child support are wage withholding, direct payment to a child support agency, direct payment to a parent, or direct payment to the court. When child support is not paid, the custodial parents can file a warrant for the arrest of the individual who has not paid the support.

Recently, the Sheriff’s Association of New Jersey and the New Jersey Office of Child Support Services conducted the bi-annual Child Support Warrant Sweep through all 21 counties of New Jersey. Somerset County Sheriff Frank Provenzano, who led the sweep in Somerset County, said, “The purpose of the sweep is to apprehend those parents who have neglected to pay their court-ordered child support and impel them to comply.” (2)

In the three-day sweep this year, thedailyjournal.com reports, 965 warrants were served totaling $13.7 million. More than $267,000 was collected. In Somerset County, 26 individuals were arrested who owed approximately $224,830.

Salem County Sheriff Chuck Miller said “It is the hope of the entire law enforcement community to make the summer season a little brighter for the many neglected children who are affected by the failure of those parents who chose to ignore their financial and parental obligations.” (3) Forty-three (43) warrants were served in Salem County totaling $459,794.

Child support is more than just money. Child support helps to clothe, feed, and educate children. For more information regarding child support in New Jersey go to http://www.njchildsupport.org/# (Please note that this link is provided for information only and is not an endorsement of services.)

(1) http://www.resource4familylaw.com/topics/childsupportstatistics.html

(2) http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100703/NEWS/7030326/Somerset-sheriff-s-officers-arrest-26-on-child-support-warrants

(3) http://www.nj.com/sunbeam/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1277626211265620.xml&coll=9

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