Family Employment and
Support Program
(FESP)

What is FESP?

FESP is a court supervised program that assists non-custodial parents who are behind in their child support payments to obtain full-time employment. Participants are required to submit employment applications and meet with court employment coordinators weekly for job referrals. Specialized assistance and resume writing is provided based on need.

Ten Steps for Developing Successful Court Employment Programs

1. Judicial Leadership
2. Steering/Implementation Committee
3. Coordination with Other Child Support Efforts
4. Identify Target Population
5. Pursue Funding

6. Employment Staff
7. Rules and Procedures
8. Forms/Assignment/Case Management
9. Monitoring
10. Publish Results

Judicial Leadership

• Commitment From the Top
• Authority of the Court
• Instant Credibility
• More Recognition as to What You Are Trying to Accomplish

Steering/Implementation Committee

• Judge
• IVD Master
• Office of Child Support Enforcement (Local & State)
• Criminal Justice Coordinator (County Executive)
• Court Administrator
• Office of Employment and Training
• Bureau of Substance Abuse
• FESP Staff (Post Implementation)

Coordinate FESP with Other Child Support Efforts

• Consolidation of Child Support Dockets
• Civil Contempt
• Criminal Contempt
• Criminal Prosecution
• Other Programs (Drug Testing, Visitation Centers)

Develop Target Population for Screening

• Arrearages more than 12 months
• Arrearages in excess of $25,000
• History of Unemployment
• History of Interrupted Payments

Pursue Funding

• Position Descriptions/Recruitment & Selection
• Grant Administration (if necessary)

Employment Staff

• Hire Staff Experienced in Employment Programs
• Committed to the Long Term Objective
• Direct Referral to Employers (not Jobs Programs)
• Employer Development Process

Rules and Procedures

• Sanctions - Notifications
• Two Month Review Hearings
• FESP Contact Rules
• Screening of Potential Participants

Forms/Assignment/Case Management

• Consent Agreement
• Direct Orders
• Specialized Dockets
• Overseeing All Legal Processes
• Court Attendance by Staff

Monitoring/Continual Assessment

• Reviewing Intake
• Getting Rid of Program Deadwood
• Measure Success on Deterrence and Other Factors That Are Positive

Publication of Results

• Demographic/Data Collection
• Media
• Family Division
• Executive & Legislative Branches

FESP Client Profile

• Average age is 37 years old
• 86% have criminal backgrounds - mostly drug related
• 79% are African Americans
• 75% live with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or siblings
• 60% live in Baltimore City but have a court order in Baltimore County
• About 62% have a high school diploma, GED or above

FESP Results

• 201 Parents in program
• 140 Parents currently in program and paying child support ( over two thirds of entire client base)
• 46 Employer and 6 training programs
• Average length of time to obtain employment is 8.4 weeks.
• Median income is $12.60 per hour

• Program Operation 31 months
• First 7 months, FESP collected $35,448.39 (average of $5,064 per month.)
• Since program inception, FESP has collected $743,248.44.
• In Calendar Year 2006,collections amounted to $382,505.52. For the first seven months of Calendar Year 2007, collections have amounted to $241,166.79.
• Anticipate over $400,000 annually in collections.
• Collection to cost-to-operate ratio is $4.00/1.00

Additional Benefits

• More Parents Employed in the Community Paying Child Support
• Improved Relationships with Children so that they may reach their full potential
• Higher Self Esteem of Clients
• More Accountability in Addressing Personal Problems
• Improving Local Economy/More Income Tax Collections