PInow.com Investigation News

Collecting Child Support

PInow.com Staff — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:44:47 +0000

Forsyth County must do a better job of collecting child-support payments, because when those payments aren’t collected, children can suffer. And, as their parents turn to social-service agencies for help, the costs are eventually passed on to the rest of us.

Forsyth leaves millions of dollars that is owed to custodial parents uncollected each year, Blair Goldstein reported in Sunday’s Journal. The county’s social services department is supposed to step in when a parent has trouble collecting court-ordered support. So far this year, the county DSS has collected just 61 percent of the support payments owed each month. That’s less than the collection goal of 71 percent set by the state. And that makes Forsyth the urban county with the worst collection rate other than Mecklenburg.

That has got to change.

Child-care rule a hurdle

PInow.com Staff — Thu, 24 May 2007 15:45:10 +0000

Caregivers in the thousands refuse background check

Thousands of Coloradans who get state aid for providing in-home day care to the children of relatives or friends are refusing to undergo the criminal background checks required by a new state law.

As a result, 70 percent of the people caring for 7,662 children and getting payments under the state’s Child Care Assistance Program in 2006 are expected to be ineligible for additional money, state human-services officials said.

The remaining providers who agree to the background checks will get the payments if they pass.

Where to live when mom and dad divorce

PInow.com Staff — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 21:11:35 +0000

A proposal moving through the state Legislature would require courts to change how they decide child custody cases. Historically, Minnesota’s courts have awarded physical custody of a child to one divorced parent, typically the mother. But a bill under consideration would require court to presume that children of divorced parents split their time living between both parents.

Minnesota’s courts have long held a preference against divorced parents sharing physical custody of their children.

In 1945, Justice Leroy Matson said children need stability, and it’s difficult to achieve stability when “a young child is shunted back and forth between homes.” Minnesota’s courts continue to cite Matson’s words in child custody cases today.

Child-care workers say system is working

PInow.com Staff — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 23:20:46 +0000

Two caseworkers entrusted with checking on the safety of children in state custody have been accused of faking reports saying they kept tabs on them.

The two Tampa workers hadn’t seen some of the children in months, state investigators found. When supervisors realized this, they followed up on the neglected cases and learned one boy had been passed on to a relative before he ultimately landed in a juvenile detention facility.

A Department of Children and Families investigative report revealed the allegations.

Child custody cases elicit extraordinary emotions

PInow.com Staff — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:09:56 +0000

Attorneys, counselor offer views, advice

Law enforcement officers continue to speculate on why Eric Johnson chose to steer a single-engine Cessna 150 into a house on the outskirts of Virgil I. Grissom Airport Monday morning.

Investigators have determined Johnson was distraught following a recent divorce and heated child custody battle.

Custody disputes are notorious for eliciting extraordinary emotions.

Unfair system? Child support reform urged

PInow.com Staff — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:41:38 +0000

For Dan Frazier of Somersworth, surviving on his $900 monthly disability benefit is a challenge — one made greater by an automatic $100 deduction for child support.

“Sometimes I have to borrow $20 or $30 to make it until the end of the month,” he said. “I live from check to check.”

Many non-custodial parents across the country are in similar or worse circumstances after being ordered to make child support payments that are high relative to their income.

Resources:
Child Support Investigations

Is Your Ex Avoiding Child Support?

PInow.com Staff — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 23:18:57 +0000

Many parents and children are in financial difficulty today because parents are not paying the child support ordered by courts. Hiring a private investigator can help parents augment resource-strapped legal systems so that payment can finally be made.

Deadbeat parents cost children a lot of money. In the state of Hawaii alone, more than half a billion dollars represents the amount of delinquent child support payments. According to 2005 statistics, the state is only able to successfully collect 40% of delinquent accounts. The District of Columbia is not much better, collecting only in 37% of cases. Most states have passed laws to get deadbeat parents to pay up — in some states; parents who fall behind on their child support can find their pay checks cut, their credit dinged, or their licenses suspended.

Despite the legal measures, though, parents still report that deadbeat parents do not pay child support. Child advocacy groups point out that some parents move or change identities in order to avoid child support, while others only make a payment or two when threatened with cut pay or loss of a license and then return to non-payment. In many cases, law enforcement and child services simply do not have the resources to find and compel non-paying parents to make payments.

What can parents do that the courts have not tried?

This leaves many families and many children devoid of the financial support promised to them by courts. The financial distress this causes leads many to private investigators. Investigative professionals with child support investigation experience can offer a number of services, including:

Tracking down parents who have changed their place of residence or their identity to avoid child support payments.

Tracking down a parent’s place of employment, so that child support payments can be deducted from their pay.

Asset searches that can prove how much money a parent has. This service can even help uncover hidden assets – including hard assets such as real property — that can be used towards child support.

Surveillance to prove that a non-paying parent is living a lifestyle which includes enough money to make payments.

Why choose an investigator?

While the government may not be able to uncover the information a parent needs, an investigator will work until all information is available. The custodial parent can then use this information in order to get the legal system to take action. With evidence in hand, it is easier for a parent to get the legal system to compel the non-paying parent to meet their financial obligations.

Since parents seeking child support investigations are often low on money, many investigators set fixed fees for these services. Some are willing to accept payment after a parent has collected payment from the other parent. In many cases, a child support investigation is an investment.

A free child support investigation resource

Parents now have an additional resource to help them get their child support. The PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators is a free-to-use private investigator directory that can help parents quickly and easily find qualified, experienced investigators in their area. With the PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators, parents can find a professional who can help them conduct a through, legal investigation that gets results. The PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators even has a full resource library that can help parents get the most from their investigation.

About PInow.com
PInow.com (http://www.pinow.com/) is a Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators that enables law firms, corporations and the general public to find investigators anywhere. PInow.com strives to be the most trusted resource on the web to locate qualified investigators. All investigators listed on PInow.com are pre-screened and must meet specific listing requirements.

PInow.com was developed by the team that brought you the ServeNow.com Process Servers Directory (http://www.serve-now.com/).

Visit PInow.com to find investigators who can help with all your investigation needs.

Model Behavior? Not Exactly

PInow.com Staff — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:31:41 +0000

Apart from leaving a sorry legacy of conflict, ridicule, scorn, lust and misery, Anna Nicole Smith leaves to posterity one other thing: a Byzantine set of legal conflicts that will probably take years to untangle. In fact, if judges and lawyers ever get together to write a book about how not to handle probate, estate and child custody issues, they will probably use the Anna Nicole Smith story as the backbone for the story.

There are so many unresolved legal issues it is hard to know where to begin, or to end, and besides, by the time you read this some of those issues already may be resolved. So instead of focusing upon the things that Smith and Company did wrong, or upon the hundred or so possible scenarios that could play out over the next few years, I thought I would humbly offer a few suggestions on what other families, other couples, can try to do right when it comes to maneuvering through the shoals of family law.

Private investigators - Jeff Means

PInow.com Staff — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 22:12:12 +0000

‘Like going on a scavenger hunt when you don’t know what you’re looking for’

Jeff Means spends 10-hour days staring at a TV screen, editing surveillance videotape shot by his investigators.

The Hazel Green private investigator and founder of Sound Mind Investigations has a marker board in his office filled with a long list of ready-to-be-edited surveillance tapes.

Means and his six-person staff are often hired by individuals in the North Alabama area hoping to win child custody or find out if their spouse is cheating.

While the general perception of the fast-growing field of private investigation is that it’s nonstop excitement, local private investigators like Means say that much of the work is tedious.

If A Former Partner is Dating Someone New, Is a Child Custody Investigation A Smart Idea?

PInow.com Staff — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 01:56:26 +0000

There are many things that can affect a child’s safety in a custody situation. One of these things is the new friends and partners that a parent may meet after a divorce.

Child custody problems are more prevalent than most people realize. According to 2003 US census findings, 43.7% of mothers with custody and 56.2% of custodial fathers are separated or divorced. This means that many parents are raising their children while separated from their spouse. Statistics show that the majority of people who divorce eventually remarry or at least form new partnerships. Not surprisingly, custodial parents worry about the influence of these new partners on their children.

They may have a reason to worry. Custody arrangements in a divorce are usually based on information that is current at the time of the divorce. However, the circumstances of a person’s life can change dramatically – usually with no corresponding changes to custody arrangements. A parent may meet a new partner who is a bad influence – or is even actively dangerous – to the child the parent is responsible for.

What are the signs of a problem?

Parents who have partial or full custody have a responsibility to ensure that their child is safe – both with them and with the other partner who shares custody of the child. A big part of that is ensuring that the friends and new partners that a parent has are safe for the child. When a parent starts dating again, there are many signs that the child may not be safe:

A child does not seem to want to spend time with a custodial parent. This needs to be taken especially seriously if the child was previously eager to see the parent. In some cases, the change may simply occur because the child is upset or confused about the changes in a parent’s life. However, it could also point to an unhealthy new situation.

Child returns from spending time with their other parent with signs of neglect. A child that returns unwashed, hungry, tired, or improperly dressed for the weather may be suffering from neglect.

Child returns from spending time with their other parent with signs of abuse. These signs may include withdrawal, acting out, bruises, scratches, and inappropriate language.

Disturbing information about a former partner’s new friends and acquaintances comes to light. Although listening to gossip is never a good idea, anything upsetting needs to be checked out for the child’s safety.

A parent is less willing to spend time with the child. While at the start of a new relationship, a parent may want to spend time alone with their new partner, it’s also important to maintain a strong parent-child relationship.

Changes in a parent’s behavior. If a custodial parent suddenly becomes irresponsible – arriving late to pick up a child or making last-minute changes in plans – or suddenly changes behavioral patterns, that may be a cause for concern. It may indicate changes that can be far from beneficial for the child.

In many cases, simply keeping lines of communication open may be enough to keep everyone concerned feeling comfortable and safe. Meeting a former partner’s new friends and spending time together or discussing concerns frankly helps to waylay many fears. Unfortunately, this type of frankness is not always possible. In those cases where a child’s welfare is at stake, then, many parents turn to a custody investigator to ensure that children stay safe with a custodial parent. Parents can find qualified, experienced investigators as well as useful resources at no charge through the PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators. The investigators parents can find through the PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators can look into a child’s living situation to ensure that the child stays safe.

About PInow.com
PInow.com (http://www.pinow.com/) is a Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators that enables law firms, corporations and the general public to find investigators anywhere. PInow.com strives to be the most trusted resource on the web to locate qualified investigators. All investigators listed on PInow.com are pre-screened and must meet specific listing requirements.

PInow.com was developed by the team that brought you the ServeNow.com Process Servers Directory (http://www.serve-now.com/).

Visit PInow.com to find investigators who can help with all your investigation needs.