Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton
HANCOCK COUNTY — August has been Child Support Awareness Month, something officials with the Hancock County Prosecutor’s office say they work hard on each and every day. Officials in the office say the county’s child support division has set another record when it comes to collecting funds for local county kids.
Prosecutor Brent Eaton pointed out the county’s division presently ranks in the top 10 of all offices state-wide in the overall percentage of child support collected. Eaton said one of society’s greatest responsibilities is to care for its children. During the Child Support Awareness Month, Eaton and his staff acknowledged the critical role financial support plays in the prosperity of children and shared their yearly stats.
“Without support from a noncustodial parent, children may lack essential resources like food, clothing, education and childcare,” Eaton said. “Establishing financial support requirements for separated parents allows the basic needs of a child to be met.”
Once a legal obligation is established by a court of law and the Indiana Department of Child Services, it’s up to local prosecutors who must work to hold parents accountable for financially supporting their children.
The child support division of the county’s prosecutor office has had consistent success under Eaton, who has stressed the importance of caring for kids. The county division is above state and federal guidelines in performance measures and has been under Eaton’s tenure as prosecutor since 2015.
In addition to regular child support collections, Hancock County case workers have successfully collected approximately $65,000 through lump sum intercepts since April 2024. Many of these intercepts fully paid off money owed, allowing cases to be closed while others provided families with their first payments in years.
Through the first seven months of 2024, the county’s child support division has collected more than $ 1.3 million in support for children in Hancock County, an increase of 2.3% from the same time period last year.
“I’m proud of the team’s dedication and willingness to embrace new enforcement techniques and rethink our approach,” Eaton said. “We are tightening our compliance requirements for review hearings and scheduling non-paying parents more frequently.”
Child Support Director Alyson Webster noted paying child support is an investment in a child’s well-being and their future.
“A child should have access to the income of both parents, which is why it is vital that child support obligations are met each week,” Webster said. “Custodial parents typically shoulder the bulk of a child’s expenses simply for the reason the child resides in their home. Consistent child support payments lessen the financial burden that custodial parents sometimes face. Child support is a moral obligation and a duty as a parent. Our team takes enforcement of that duty seriously.”
Eaton wanted to remind parents providing child support is not about a parent, relationship, or the past, but is rather about the child.
“That’s why we take this job seriously as we work to provide all children with resources to meet their basic needs,” Eaton said. “Parents should help their children flourish by meeting their legal obligations, and our state and local agencies should ensure children have a chance to succeed by pursuing this support.”
