When a family breaks up the children are typically the most vulnerable. No matter how much you tell them that it will all be okay, children don’t understand what is going on. They may feel helpless or abandoned. Our Salt Lake City Child Support Attorneys at Emy A. Cordano, Attorney at Law know that is not the reality. You and your partner’s choice to divorce is a good decision for both of you. This good decision will be good for children in the long run. It may be hard to understand now, but one day they will. Getting through a divorce is hard. But getting child support can prove even more challenging.
The Reality of Child Support
Child support is often mischaracterized in movies and songs. Some think it is an allowance given to the custodial parent which they abuse and use on themselves. This is not the case. Child support is court-ordered payments to be used on the child only. This kind of money should be applied to room and board as well as food and clothing. Child support rarely included health care providing or daycare. These are two very financially draining obligations when you are the primary parent. People who receive child support often still need more financial help. Unfortunately, even if the court orders a payment, the custodial parents don’t get it.
The challenges of child support have to do with the parents as well as the system that makes up child support. The penalties for not paying a child are severe. You can lose your licenses, access to passports, or receive jail time. The stakes are higher for those who are paying child support. Unfortunately, those who pay child support cannot meet the payments every time. Most are honestly trying, but with the penalties so severe, instead of facing the penalties, the dads disappear.
Utah is in the top 10 for child support collections. Each year more and more children don’t get the financial support they need and Georgia is trying to find ways to combat these growing numbers. Georgia decided to challenge the punitive style of child support. Instead, they are offering incentives for parents to pay. They are treating the parents as humans instead of bank transactions and it is working. Georgia is providing child support workers to help better guide parents. Around 87% of custodial parents are waiting to receive child support. That equates to 15 million children. If changing the culture helps to reduce the 30% of support not provided then it is a change worth keeping.
What To Do
If you are a parent who is dealing with child support at any stage in your divorce, our Salt Lake City Child Support Attorneys at Emy A Cordano, Attorney at Law are here to help you. We understand the needs of your children and encourage you to start a conversation with our professional staff to see how we can achieve those needs together. Call (801) 901-8159 or click here to start a conversation with our Salt Lake City Child Support Attorneys at Emy A. Cordano, Attorney at Law today.