Parents in Washington who are striving to raise children together after divorce must remain cooperative and open to compromise if they hope to maintain amicable relationships. A peaceable agreement can turn into an ugly battle when disputes arise regarding child custody, visitation or failure to pay child support. Across the nation, there are parents fighting to obtain child support payments that have been due to them for weeks, months, even years.
Depending upon an individual’s circumstances, the money received in child support may be crucial to making ends meet where the care and upbringing of children is concerned. Some people rely heavily upon such payments just to provide for the basic needs of daily life. When a parent fails in an obligation to make payments, all of those involved may suffer adverse effects.
Arizona’s governor has decided that publicly shaming parents who owe child support may be one way to prompt them to make good on their payments. He has launched a campaign to list the names of those who owe child support and the amounts they owe on various social network sites on the Internet. He has also made public statements saying that those who are mature enough to have a child should be responsible enough to pay for the child’s needs in life.
Whether in Washington or elsewhere, a parent who is owed child support can become frustrated and angry when trying to handle the situation alone. It is typically advisable in such circumstances to seek legal assistance in the matter. Failure to pay child support is a matter taken seriously by the court. An attorney can act as a legal advocate to hold the paying parent accountable in compliance with an existing court order.
Source: NBC News, “Arizona Uses Facebook and Twitter to Publicly Shame ‘Deadbeat Dads’“, James Eng, Jan. 3, 2016
