Missouri shutters the Fair Share program - no more help for parents struggling with child support

Effective July 1, 2009, Missouri is cancelling the Fair Share program. This was the program that helped parents who had lost their jobs to find a way to continue paying child support. Without Fair Share, a father who has lost his job and is more than $10,000.00 behind in child support is left with no safety net. Even if he finds a job, he will still be left vulnerable to prosecution.

When I contacted a representative from Missouri's child support enforcement agency to discuss options for parents who are behind in their child support, I was told the only option is the career center through the state, but that working with the career center will not prevent prosecutions.

The closing of the Fair Share program means that either Missouri is going to turn a blind eye to dads who are not paying their child support or Missouri is going to renew its efforts to prosecute dads who are behind on their child support. Neither of those alternatives is a good one.

In the first alternative, the children of this state are going to be without the support their noncustodial parent could provide if he were able to find employment. In the second alternative, not only do the children lose - but the state will be exchanging the cost of social workers for the higher cost of prosecutors and judges. That doesn't seem like a good trade off to me.

If you agree and would like to express your opinion to the child support enforcement office or to the director of social services, here is a link to their telephone numbers.