BATTLE CREEK, MI (WNWN/WTVB) – Calhoun County Government has announced that the Friend of the Court will process all child support and paternity cases instead of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office starting on October 1.
All the employees who currently work to establish child support and paternity in the Prosecutor’s Office will continue their work as employees of the Friend of the Court. They will relocate into new office space in the Friend of the Court by the end of October.
Officials say this transfer of responsibility was first allowed by Michigan law in 2015 and many counties have made this change.
Friend of the Court Kris Getting says, “This change allows Friend of the Court to take a holistic approach in the cases we handle. Our Friend of the Court Division is equipped, especially with the addition of the individuals who are already doing this work, to handle a case all the way through, thus ensuring it’s right-sized from the beginning.”
This does not affect any pending child support matters in the court. The transition will only affect individuals whose new child support case will be filed after October 1, 2022.
Individuals who want to establish a new child support case can file an application online with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services or they can file out a paper application for child support services that are available at the Friend of the Court.
