By Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott
Schools out the crickets are chirping and the days are long and hot. Its officially summer time in Texas.
Kids look forward to summer all year long. Help make it special by creating lasting memories for you and your family.
When parents are involved in their lives children have a better chance at growing up healthy happy and well adjusted. Most parents instinctively understand this and do what is needed to provide the foundation for success.
Take time this summer to connect with your children and create memories with simple activities such as exploring a new park making homemade ice cream playing in the sprinkler having a picnic or barbecue reading a book or stargazing.
Employees of the Office of the Attorney General who are charged with ensuring Texas children receive the financial support they need from parents see the benefits of fathers and mothers being involved in their kids lives. This starts with regular child support payments. Children depend on child support to provide basic needs like food shelter health care and clothing.
Research shows that children who receive regular child support reap intangible benefits as well such as making better grades in school being more likely to finish high school and attend college and even having fewer behavior problems at school. Without a doubt paying child support is one critical way parents can demonstrate their love for their children.
But money is only part of the equation. Too often children would benefit from more not less involvement from the parent who pays child support. That is why the Attorney Generals Office encourages strong family formation responsible parenthood and parental involvement through initiatives including:
The Access and Visitation program promotes noncustodial parents access to and visitation with their children when appropriate through a variety of shared parenting projects. Awarding grant funding to local organizations is one way the Office of the Attorney General can help children whose parents are engaged in custody or visitation disputes since federal funding to run the child support program cannot be used to handle these issues. The services provided under this grant include co-parenting education alternative dispute resolution development of parenting plans supervised visitation and visitation enforcement.
The Access and Visitation Hotline is the only service of its kind in the nation that provides parents with free phone access to attorneys who offer legal information and assistance related to child custody and visitation issues as well as paternity and child support information. Hotline attorneys do not represent parents. Rather they provide tools and guidance and answer parents questions. The statewide toll-free number (866) 292-4636 is answered in English and Spanish Monday Friday from 1 to 7 p.m. The Hotline has a corresponding Web site
www.txaccess.org where parents can download sample materials and tools for assistance with child access issues.
p.a.p.a. (parenting and paternity awareness) is an innovative educational curriculum designed for secondary school students and young adults that deals with the rights responsibilities and realities of parenting." Key themes in the curriculum focus on the importance of father involvement the value of paternity establishment the legal realties of child support the financial and emotional challenges of single parenting the benefits of both parents being involved in a childs life healthy relationship skills and relationship violence prevention.
Thankfully most parents faithfully carry out their responsibilities to their children doing such things as paying court-ordered child support each month. All children deserve the security that comes from knowing their parents care enough to make regular child support payments.
Please help make this summer memorable for your kids by paying your child support and being there for them. The Office of the Attorney General hopes you and your family have a fun and safe summer!
Points to Remember Parental Involvement
Parents who are involved in their kids lives:
• Support them financially
• Help them avoid risky behaviors
• Show them they are loved
The Attorney Generals Office can help you:
• Learn the responsibilities of parenthood • Locate a noncustodial parent • Establish your childs paternity • Establish and enforce child support orders • Establish and enforce medical support orders • Review and adjust child support payments • Collect and distribute child support payments
Call (800) 252-8014 or visit the Attorney Generals Web site at
www.texasattorneygeneral.gov to find out more.
