Pundit

In today’s at-your-fingertips world, consumers count the minutes. Ordering a pizza? Thirty minutes or it’s free. Buying car insurance? Save money in 15 minutes. Need a new pair of shoes? Have it shipped by drone to your door in an hour.

The Michigan Child Support Program is comprised of several entities such as the Office of Child Support (OCS), Friend of the Court Bureau (FOCB), local friend of the court offices (FOCs), and prosecuting attorneys (PAs) who work together in a unique partnership. In order to help facilitate this partnership, there are several Work Improvement Teams (WITs) and workgroups. These WITs and workgroups help the child support program reach its strategic goals by improving the program’s accessibility, timeliness, processes, and customer service. The WITs and workgroups discuss issues, make decisions by consensus, and provide recommendations to the Program Leadership Group (PLG). Membership of both the WITs and the workgroups is comprised of child support partners, including staff from the OCS, FOCB, FOCs, and PA offices. The more diverse the membership of the WIT and workgroup, the more successful the group will be in helping the child support program improve.

You have logged a Michigan Child Support Enforcement System (MiCSES) Helpdesk ticket. So, what happened to it? You have probably asked yourself this question a dozen times, so we are here to shed some light on the process for you.

MICHIGAN COURT OF APPEALS DECISIONS

View the full December 2015 edition of Pundit in pdf by clicking the following link:

Meredith Cohen is the new management analyst at the Friend of the Court Bureau (FOCB). She is a proud Spartan, Wolverine, and Warrior! Meredith earned her Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Michigan State University in 2007, and her law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 2010. While in law school, Meredith clerked at the Michigan Children's Law Center defending children in delinquency proceedings and representing children as a lawyer-guardian ad litem. Meredith also held internships with both Judge Avern Cohn of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, and Judge Judy Hartsfield in the Third Circuit Court of Michigan, Family Division – Juvenile Section.

This past May, Genesee, Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties combined forces in a sweep of 10 northern Michigan counties – Emmet, Mackinac, Otsego, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Crawford, Charlevoix, Menominee, Ogemaw, and Wexford – collecting a total of $119,398 in current and past-due child support for the four counties. In this sweep, Genesee partnered with the four-county sweep group and traveled north in order to contact obligors living in the northern counties.

On Wednesday, November 4 2015, partners from the Michigan Child Support Program gathered at the Hall of Justice for the annual Partner Forum meeting. The meeting served as an opportunity for the partners to celebrate the program’s accomplishments and envision goals for the future.

MICHIGAN COURT OF APPEALS DECISIONS