Jodi-FL Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 i have no idea where to go to get my questions answered. we have a 19yo girl living in our attached apartment (in-law quarters) who just graduated from high school in the spring, and therefore out of the foster care system. she is trying to get her 3yo daughter out of the system, and has met all the requirements the court set up for her to do so (job, apartment, completed therapy, etc). her court date is this thursday, and her case worker is recommending they give her 3 more months to prove her stability (i.e. keep her job). today she got a certified letter in the mail saying the state is suing her for child support. the state/system has so far given her: $800 towards furniture for the apartment, $250 towards kitchen stuff, paid for all her uniforms at one job, pays for her medical expenses and braces and gives her a food allowance and they will give her $1500 towards a car when she's able to get her license (next july because of a truancy violation when she was in 10th grade). they will also pay for half of her rent the first 6 months and for day care if the court awards her custody of her daughter. i just can't for the life of me understand why they would demand she pay child support when they are the ones paying for so much of her stuff. ? the documents she needs to bring to court to determine how much she will owe will show she has nothing. her w-2 from last year. she was in high school and had a part time job. less than $5,000 (all of which is gone). her pay stubs from the last 6 months. she's only had a job for the past month. she makes $7.50/hr at the job she works 24 hrs/week, and $11.50/hr at the job she works 20 hours a week. how can i help her? or should i? in what direction do i point her? she doesn't have a lawyer. her case worker is done with her this thursday, and the child support hearing isn't until october. i can't understand our government and their spending habits at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 :confused: I hope it's a mistake! I've interacted with that system a little thru a family I know. One thing I was impressed with was how many misunderstandings and miscommunications there were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VA6336 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Maybe it's just a formality? That since her daughter has been in the foster system for X amount of time, they have to at least try for child support? Once she shows that she really doesn't have it, maybe they'll move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Her *her* but don't try to help with the state. She's very familiar with the system, and how arbitrary, non-linear, non-sensical it can be. Instead help her with things like time management, budgeting, priority management, parenting, etc. The system is crazy, and will make you crazy trying to figure it out. She's probably has a case worker for years (or a few of them). It's their job to manage the case with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 It is not uncommon for the state to ask for child support payments from parents who have children in foster care. These payments generally aren't very much and, in the case of this young lady, they couldn't be very much due to her income. In my experience, asking for child support payments was done in large part to require the parents to take some financial responsibility for their kids. I don't think the young lady has anything significant to be concerned about regarding the child support. (Caveat: My experience is with the Texas foster care system only. Things might be completely different in another state.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 (edited) My guess would be that it's a standard procedure thing. She's gone from being a child in the system to being a parent with a child in the system. The two are handled differently by the system. In our state, it's standard procedure to try to get child support from the parents of kids in care to help offset the expenses incurred on behalf of the child and reduce the burden on taxpayers (and to encourage parents to think about their financial obligation toward children they bring into the world). My guess would be that she was protected from this aspect of being a parent before graduation by the fact that she was also considered a child under the law. Now she's not, so that protection has been removed, and the standard procedures for parents kick in. I would guess that all she has to do is show up with the documentation they asked for, and they will determine that she doesn't owe anything, and that will be that. But they HAVE to go through the procedure because it is required by law that they do so. The laws dealing with these things don't always make logical sense on an individual case, because one individual's circumstances may intersect with lots of different laws and policies that are made at different times and are administered or overseen by different offices, or even different agencies. In the government one hand often has NO IDEA what the other hand (of the octopus!) is doing. Whoever is in charge of collecting child support might not even know (probably doesn't) that she is also receiving government assistance for living expenses. They're just sending out the standard paperwork that they send out to all parents of foster kids. I would say at this point it's nothing to worry overmuch about, just another weird hoop to jump through due to bureaucratic overlap. Edited September 21, 2011 by MamaSheep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodi-FL Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 i'm all for her learning financial responsibility. i was raised by a single mom who had to work 3 jobs to put food on the table because my father never paid child support. i get that. i just don't understand why they pay so many of her other expenses (some of my children have commented-tongue in cheek-that they wish they were in the foster care system so they would be given so much money). but it is probably 2 different arms in the system. unfortunately, i see in her (and in her sister who was also in the system and decided to have a second child as a teen out of wedlock to see what else she could get out of the system) a sense of entitlement, that the state "owes" her. of course, their bio mom teaches them that when she cares enough (or needs money from them) to be in touch. sigh. hug your babies. thanks for the thoughts everyone- j. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 i'm all for her learning financial responsibility. i was raised by a single mom who had to work 3 jobs to put food on the table because my father never paid child support. i get that. i just don't understand why they pay so many of her other expenses (some of my children have commented-tongue in cheek-that they wish they were in the foster care system so they would be given so much money). but it is probably 2 different arms in the system. unfortunately, i see in her (and in her sister who was also in the system and decided to have a second child as a teen out of wedlock to see what else she could get out of the system) a sense of entitlement, that the state "owes" her. of course, their bio mom teaches them that when she cares enough (or needs money from them) to be in touch. sigh. hug your babies. thanks for the thoughts everyone- j. You almost have to wonder if the left arm will pay the child support to the right arm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Since she was a child in the foster care system, as well as having a child in the foster care system, she received benefits (as you know). In Texas (and most likely in other states, as well), funding and programs exist to help foster kids who are emancipating from the system to become self-supporting. I think that is some of what you are observing with the help she is getting. The complex part of this situation is that she was both a foster child and the parent of a child in foster care. It does seem odd, I know, but the programs to help kids emanicipate with some skills/help/support are a step forward from just turning them loose from foster care when they aged out. You are kind to try and help her. I hope she is able to get her life on track in such a way that she is able to take care of her child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melodiya99 Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 I find it odd that she doesn't have a lawyer. I know that here parents can get a court appointed lawyer. Maybe she should check to see if that's a possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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