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Franklin County recognizes Child Support Awareness Month; agency highlights services for 74,000 children
Summary
At a Franklin County commissioners meeting, Director Susan Brown outlined how the county child support program serves more than 74,000 children, noting last year’s dispersals exceeded $139 million and describing a family-centered approach that links parents to jobs, treatment and other supports.
At a recent Franklin County Board of Commissioners meeting, leaders marked National Child Support Awareness Month and welcomed Susan Brown, director of the Franklin County Child Support Enforcement Agency, to describe the program’s reach and services. The commissioner who opened the meeting invited Brown to address the board and acknowledged a county resolution recognizing the awareness month.
"Each August, we take this time to highlight the essential role that child support services play in strengthening the well-being of children and families within our community," Brown said. She told the board the county program serves more than 74,000 children — about one in five across the county — and that child support payments provide critical stability for custodial families. Brown said, "When child support is received, it accounts for 41% of the income of custodial families living below the federal poverty level and 65% for families living below 50% of that level." She also reported that last year the program dispersed more than $139,000,000 in support payments to over 102,000 parents and children.
Brown emphasized that the agency’s work extends beyond collections, saying staff prioritize a family-centered approach that helps establish legal parentage and connects parents to employment services, mental-health and substance-use treatment, housing and food supports, reentry programs, domestic-violence services, and fatherhood and parenting programs. A commissioner closed the agenda item by thanking Brown "for your leadership and the fantastic work and dedication of your staff" and invited staff forward for a group photograph.
Why it matters: The county’s figures underscore the local scale of child support activity and its role in household income for lower-income custodial families. The board’s recognition signals local attention to both the program’s fiscal activity and its broader social supports; the transcript presents program totals and percentages but does not provide a board vote or formal text of the referenced resolution in the meeting record.
