Let us first look at some important statistics published by the National Fatherhood Initiative.
The Effects of Father Absence in the Home of Minor Children:
Children of Father-Absent homes are:
- Five times more likely to live in poverty.
- Three times more likely to fail in school.
- Two times more likely to develop emotional or behavioral problems.
- Two times more likely to abuse drugs.
- Two times more likely to be abused and neglected.
- Two times more likely to become involved in crime.
- Three times more likely to commit suicide.
Compare the facts with children having Father’s involved in their lives:
- Better cognitive (“knowing and perceiving”) outcomes.
- Higher self-esteem and less depression as teenagers.
- Higher grades, test scores, and overall academic achievement.
- Lower levels of drug and alcohol use.
- Higher levels of empathy and other pro-social behavior.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Michael Newsom, an employee of the Montgomery County Child Support Enforcement Agency (“CSEA”). Historically, Michael (“Mike”) commenced employment with the CSEA in November of 2000 as a Supervisor at the Agency’s Call Center. He later became an Intake Unit Supervisor and in November of 2010, he became the Fatherhood Coordinator with the Agency. An alternate title for Mike … Read More... “An Interview with Michael Newsom, Fatherhood Coordinator for the Montgomery County Child Support Enforcement Agency”
On May 28, 2014, I had the opportunity to spend time with Anne Bissacco in an interview for this Ohio Family Law Blog Article. Anne is the Ombudsman and Customer Relations Supervisor for the Child Support Enforcement Agency (“CSEA”) for Montgomery County, Ohio. What is an “ombudsman”? Webster’s New World Dictionary defines the word as follows: “A public official appointed to investigate citizens’ complaints”. This is exactly the role that Anne performs. She listens to complaints and works to find solutions for identified problems.