Child Support Spies to Watch Parents

Private investigators will be used by the Child Support Agency (CSA) to spy on parents who are not meeting their child support payments.

The Federal Government says the new measures would help the CSA collect outstanding debts of $1 billion from the current financial year.

Human Services Minister Joe Ludwig said a small proportion of parents was not doing the right thing.

Our View on Protecting Children: Texas Custody Case Collapses, Leaving Damage in its Wake

Imagine that state agents raided your home and seized your children along with more than 400 of your neighbors' kids. The reason, you were told, was suspicion of child abuse, but the authorities produced scant evidence involving your child. Imagine further that after a series of hearings, the children were shipped off to foster families while courts sorted matters out.

That is essentially what has transpired in Texas over the past two months, though outrage was minimal and suspicion high because the parents were members of a reclusive polygamist sect.

Sharing Parents the Best Answer

The North Dakota Legislature held a meeting March 16 to hear issues relating to the child custody study.

The study committee was given a directive by the Legislative Council to only study other states' custody practices. This is not the directive passed by the Legislature, stating that the study was to cover custody, visitation and child support problems in the state of North Dakota.

Family Court Justice Committee Says Wait Times Still Most Pressing Issue

Family court judges could be contributing to the system backlog by not listening to testimony, or reading documents filed with the court, resulting in further delays, a new report by the Family Court Justice Committee suggests.

The six-member committee, comprised of lawyers, family counselors and single mothers, also worries decisions are not being based on all of the facts.

It recommends the province's family court judges be subjected to reviews by an independent judicial commission to ensure the rights of children are protected, due process is adhered to, and that no gender or other biases are present.

Court Staff Overwhelmed in YFZ Child Custody Cases

A task force of volunteer lawyers traveled to San Angelo to assist in the YFZ Ranch child protection cases, the Texas Supreme Court press office reported April 18.

The volunteers were in San Angelo for an April 17 custody hearing concerning the 416 children taken from YFZ Ranch, a polygamist settlement owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon Church.

In early April, state agencies entered the ranch near Eldorado in Schleicher County and took the children into custody after an anonymous caller said she had been beaten and sexually abused at the site.

YFZ Ranch Kids to Stay in State Custody

The 416 children removed from the polygamist compound near Eldorado will stay in state custody for now, a judge ruled Friday night following a two-day hearing.

State District Judge Barbara Walther also ordered that the children undergo genetic testing to determine their parents and said the state will send a mobile lab to conduct the tests to the San Angelo Coliseum where the children are being kept.

Documents Showing Abuse Released in West Texas Polygamist Compound Case

Even more new details are emerging about alleged child abuse within the locked gates of the compound, and concerns have been raised for the past four years.

The primary reason being given is because until now everyone says their hands were tied. Rumors and speculation about alleged child physical and sexual abuse, underage marriages and holding people against their will inside the church are nothing new. They were raised four years ago in Eldorado and even more recently at the state capitol.

But until one 16-year old girl cried out officially for help just over a week ago, everyone says the same thing: they did not have probable cause to take action.

Pittsburgh Steelers' Najeh Davenport Acquitted In Domestic Case

Steelers' running back Najeh Davenport has been found by a jury not guilty Wednesday of all criminal charges filed against him in connection with a domestic violence incident stemming from a child custody issue.

A local jury composed of five women and three men has cleared the Steelers backup tailback last night of all three counts of demeanor. Davenport is charged with domestic violence, child endangerment and unlawful restraint stemming from a child custody dispute on Oct 4.

K-Fed Says He's on Full-Time Daddy Duty

Kevin Federline says he's been on full-time daddy duty since getting custody of his two toddler sons.

"I spend most of the day chasing my kids around the house," he tells In Touch Weekly magazine. "Their needs define my schedule every day."

Cross-Country Custody Tie

Seven-year-old Tatan (name changed) does not know which country’s law will decide whether he will live with his father or his mother.

Born in Pennsylvania, US, of Indian parents who later separated, the boy is at the centre of custody battles in both countries. And no one knows which verdict will hold.

State's Mistake Denies Father Rights To His Child

A Nebraska father said a mistake by the state denied him rights to his child. Michael Eggleston met his 5-year-old daughter for the first time two years ago. At first, Eggleston said he wasn't sure whether he was the father. A paternity test proved he was the child's father and he began paying child support. But he said his ex-girlfriend didn't want him to be a part of the child's life. Eggleston married another woman and backed off.

Now Kids Have Their Say in Family Court

A dramatic change seems to have taken place in the status of children in law, as new regulations enacted in December are being applied in a pilot project in Family Court in Haifa and Jerusalem.

"Family Court," the regulations state, "will give children the right to express their feelings, opinions and desires in the matter before the court...and will accord them the proper weight in its ruling, in keeping with the child's age and maturity."

Britney Spears, Kevin Federline Fight Over $1 Million Legal Bill

Attorneys for pop star Britney Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline on Monday sparred over $1 million in legal fees in their child custody case as an official let stand a court order that has denied her custody and limited visits with their two sons.

Family Court Commissioner Scott Gordon kept in place an earlier ruling that custody of Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2, would remain with Federline. He also maintained a previous order that has denied Spears any visitation, even though in recent weeks Federline has agreed to limited visits between her and the boys.

Women in N.Y. Prisons Seek Better Child Custody Protections

Advocates for women in prison were joined by 250 formerly incarcerated women in Albany Tuesday to demand better treatment of women in prison and ask for $1.5 million in state aid for programs to allow incarcerated mothers to keep custody of their children.

The coalition is also supporting state legislation to give foster agencies greater discretion when determining whether an incarcerated mother would lose custody of their child.

Custody Statute is Bad Math

William Farrell is a stand-up guy who works hard to provide for his two kids.

But the Longmont resident says a revision to Colorado's child-custody statute is forcing him and thousands of others to work even harder.

The statute in question is 14-10-115. It allows children born after a divorce to be factored into child-support payments. It increases payments when the custodial parent has another child. But it can also lessen benefits for kids when the noncustodial parent has another child.

Britney Hires New Lawyer for Child Custody Case

Britney Spears has hired a new lawyer to represent her in the ongoing custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline. Stacy D. Phillips, a Columbia University law grad, replaced Sorrell Trope, who gave up the case citing communication problems with the troubled pop star, reports People.

Court Upholds Custody of Children by Tribal Court

The Iowa Supreme Court said Friday the custody of two children whose parents had been in jail may be transferred to the tribal court of the Sac and Fox Tribe.

Scofflaw Dad Ran - Six Times

Timothy Burt likes the coastal life of South Carolina better than the snow-blanketed hills of Cincinnati, at least judging by how many times the wanted felon has fled there.

Hamilton County taxpayers have paid about $4,300 to return Burt from South Carolina to Hamilton County six times on a criminal conviction for failing to pay child support.

Child support records show that Burt currently owes the two children named in the indictment $55,415. He owes a third child, age 8, $19,000. That child is not involved in the criminal case.

Let Judge Decide What's Relevant in Custody Cases

In the best interests of the child …

These words should be the defining factors in cases involving parents and child custody issues. Let's face it, the kids have to come first.

But back in 2003 Virginia made a misstep, becoming the first and only state to prohibit the admission of almost all meaningful evidence in child custody and visitation cases regarding parents' mental health and their parenting strengths and weaknesses. This, despite the fact that Virginia law does require courts to consider the condition of parents in such cases.

Family Court Project Takes Different Road to Resolutions

Some of the most contentious and time-consuming court proceedings in Vigo County are not high-profile criminal cases, but rather, the hundreds of custody, divorce and paternity battles that rage off the radar each year.

As the overwhelmed courts struggle to find time for family legal issues, a little-known resource is working hard to clear the court caseload and make the process less painful for the families involved.