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Project FOCUS
The Community Health Center, working in conjunction with The Child Support Enforcement Agency and funded by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Service, began the FOCUS program in January 2002.
The failure of non-custodial parents to provide court mandated child support remains a major concern of the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA); FOCUS' top priority is to work in concert with CSEA, the Probation Department and the Criminal Court system to expedite the non-custodial parent's ability to pay child support.
FOCUS works with non-custodial parents with fifth degree felonies delinquent in their responsibilities to pay child support.
Enrollment into the FOCUS program will be a term of probation sentencing recommended by the Child Support Enforcement Agency's prosecutor or the probation officers in charge of criminal non-support parents.
Training patients to obtain employment and stressing the need for them to pay child support are top priorities of the FOCUS program. Intensive case management in conjunction with providing patients job leads, basic organizational tools, teaching job search skills and providing transportation to prospective employers has helped to increase long-term employment.
The FOCUS program has produced not only monetary gains for the children of our community, but has increased confidence and self worth to our patients, enabling them to continue to pay support with stable, long term employment.
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