Child Support Awareness Month and why it matters
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – In the state of Ohio, one in four children are involved in the Child Support Program which is why August is recognized as Child Support Awareness Month.
WHIZ spoke to the Perry and Muskingum County Job and Family Services Departments (JFS) to discuss the impact it has on the local level and get advice for parents who may need help navigating the system.
Lindsay Hendricks is a supervisor of customer service and fiscal unit for Child Support at Muskingum County. A county where the system supports over 9,200 households with $960,000 dispersed in 2025.
“The importance is, you know, it really is key to try to get parents to work together,” Hendricks said. “You know each parent is equally responsible for supporting their child and encouraging, you know, good development. So, just getting them to put their differences aside and come together to make sure that their children have the shelter, food, clothing, and necessities that they need.”
The Perry County JFS Director Amy Frame says 3,000 children are supported with support orders with $3.5 million paid in 2024. Some parents may struggle to make their payments due to several factors, but Frame has some advice for those parents in need.
“So if we have a mom or a dad who is struggling to meet their child support obligations, we can plug them into training programs and assist them with finding a job and if they are in need of food assistance, or other things where we can wrap around them with all of those other services to make sure that they’re able to meet their support obligations,” Frame said.
Back in Muskingum County, Hendricks points out that parents can also request a review for a modification of your obligation at any time. For those who struggle to receive their payments, Hendricks highlights an underutilized tool.
“So we do have a web portal that a lot of people are not aware of,” Hendricks said. “We have a web portal and then a child support app for your phone. So, you can email your case manager, and they have to respond to you within 48 hours. So, anytime, you know, if if a payment’s missing or something like that always reach out to us and we can try to find out what went on and try to get something in. ”
More information can be found at your county’s Job and Family Services website. Links to their websites can be found below as well as a link to the app Hendricks mentioned in the story.
