Harrison County Child Support Agency recognized during Awareness Month
Assistant Financial Clerk Lisa Smith, Case Manager Rebecca Miller, Director Linda Porter, Case Manager Ann McAfee, Case Manager Joni Dulkoski.
Submitted
Local office honored for top collections and enforcement as Ohio’s child support program serves nearly 600,000 children and collects $1.58 billion in 2024.
August was Child Support Awareness Month, and the Harrison County Child Support Enforcement Agency used the opportunity to spotlight the children who depend on support payments made by their nonresidential parent.
One in four children are involved in Ohio’s Child Support Program, and four in 10 are born to unmarried parents. Support is key in caring for Ohio’s children. In 2024, Ohio Child Support Programs served 594,072 children and collected $1.58 billion.
The Harrison County Child Support Enforcement Agency worked closely with employers, unemployment offices and noncustodial parents to collect support. This year, the agency was recognized at the state level for best collection of arrearages and enforcement of child support since records began in 2013.
Officials emphasized that child support exists to meet children’s needs, including food, clothing, school supplies, housing and utilities. Payments should not be used to block or leverage visitation, which is a separate court matter. Every child should have the chance to maintain relationships with both parents, and parents are encouraged not to discuss adult matters such as child support in front of their children.
In 2024, 52,276 paternities were established in Ohio through free DNA and genetic testing offered by child support programs. Agencies also established support orders and collected payments largely through income withholding, with 75% of payments coming from employers. Additional collections included $13 million from unemployment, $5.5 million from lottery, casino and racino intercepts, more than $31,000 from property and mineral liens, and $88 million from state and federal tax offsets.
Ohio serves 44,080 custodial fathers, 59,370 third-party custodians and 458,666 custodial mothers. The state also works across borders, with 44,472 intergovernmental cases handled in 2024 — 24,363 initiated by Ohio and 20,109 initiated by other states. Harrison County has scanned all active cases into the statewide system to ease information sharing with interstate and other county agencies.
Child support ensures that both parents share responsibility for their children, regardless of their own relationship. As the agency noted: “Your child is worth your support.”
