🚀 go-pugleaf

Yesterday, I received the 1990 - 1991 year end report for B.C.'s Family
Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP).

The Attorney General's office contracted $4,578,725 of taxpayer's money
to  "Themis Program Management and Consulting Limited", for the fiscal year
of '90/91, to run the FMEP for the same period. Remember, these report
figures are for B.C. only, lord knows what the national expense to taxpayers
is!

During 1990 - 1991, over $29 MILLION came due to B.C. custodial parents for
child support, that was not being paid voluntarily (as per their Court Orders)
by the non-custodial parents (NCP's). The FMEP managed to collect "nearly"
$17 million (58%) of all maintenance due. Approximately 26% of all enrolled
creditors were paid in full; 50% were partially paid (like me...I've received
a grand total of $250 from my ex in the 6 mos. I've been actively enrolled
with the FMEP. He is currently in default for over $14,000.). 24% of FMEP
creditors had received no payment since they enrolled, as of March 31, 1991.

In 1990 -1991, the total enrollment with FMEP was 12,658, with an additional
1,429 cases in the process of being enrolled, as of  March 31, 1991. That was
an increase of 45%,  from the previous fiscal year. Total # of FMEP staff for
that period? 102 --- an increase of 9%. Creditors were continuing to enroll
in the FMEP at a rate of 450 per month, or 5400 a year. Approximately 30%
of cases are creditors receiving Income Assistance. I suspect the increase
again for 1991 -1992 will be even more substantial.

To quote the report, "Because people who have always received their maintenance
payments regularly tend not to enroll, the FMEP has a higher proportion of cases
in arrears..."

This is EVERYONE's problem, especially our children's. Many NCP debtors resort
to working under the table to avoid Attachment Orders, etcetera. This means
those clever schmucks DO NOT pay, as the rest of us do, the millions of dollars
spent each year in trying to collect from them.

Bear in mind that it wasn't just the $4.5 million we paid for the FMEP in 90/91;
we also paid for the other publicly funded agencies that are incredibly clogged-
up with cases regarding NCP's who refuse to pay maintenance for their own
children. Agencies like Social Services and their own Family Maintenance Program
staff; Legal Aid (who will often represent the NCP's, if they're deemed eligible);
the Sheriffs, the Courts; public counselling agencies: Family Court Advocacy
offices; and many others who are involved in the collections and enforcement of
child support arrears.

The majority of the NCP's who are in default of their child support Orders are
quite able to pay. Many of those people also see their kids regularly, although
some CP's restrict or deny access, despite visitation orders, in an effort to
realize support payments from the NCP; a tactic I do not condone, but do
understand. Fact is, it rarely works anyway and everyone loses on that one,
especially the kids.

This is not just a problem for the public's pocketbooks. It is a very serious
problem for thousands of Canadian families. The kids pay the most, and they are
our responsibilty and our future.

So what can you do about it? Get involved. Ask questions. Talk to your local MP's
and MLA's. Report NCP's you know who do not pay maintenance for their own kids.
Encourage NCP's that do not pay to consider that their moral, financial and
legal obligations to their children does not end because their relationship with
their former spouse did. Encourage CP's to encourage liberal visitation access, too.
I understand that NCP's who have liberal access to their kids are something like
80% more likely to pay support fully and regularly (though this is not true in my
case).

If you would like to report a support-avoiding NCP who is working/in hiding,
you may call confidentially and toll free to 1-800-663-3455. If you know a
CP who needs support or help from parents in the same boat, have that person
call me @ (604) 756-4581 (no collect calls, please), or I can be contacted
via e-mail address, lisa@oneb2.almanac.bc.ca
I have started a support network called Parents for Enforcing Child Support
(P.E.R.C.S.) and welcome enquiries, comments and new members.

Time to get off my soapbox for a few hours and make my daughter lunch...

Lisa

lisa@oneb2.almanac.bc.ca (Lisa Graham)
                  The Old Coot's Almanac
               Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
                    Courtesy the old coot hisse'f!