After three years and five Most Wanted posters, the Kansas Child Support Enforcement Program is pleased with the results the posters have generated. More than two-thirds of the 50 persons featured on past posters have been located.

But the State's latest poster will get worldwide distribution. In addition to distributing 6,000 copies of the printed poster across the state, the CSE program is increasing the number of potential viewers by placing the information on the Internet (http://www/ink.org/public/srs/mostwanted/).

These are particularly tough cases because we don't know the whereabouts of these parents," said Jim Robertson, director of the CSE program which operates within the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS). "With the help of the public, and sometimes family members, we have located 37 of the 50 absent parents on the past posters. Putting the poster on the Internet should broaden our audience and increase the chances of locating these absent parents."

Most importantly, Robertson added, 21 of the parents found through the posters are making regular child support payments and six are making sporadic payments.

Similar to the five previous posters, the Most Wanted poster features 10 parents who are not paying their court-ordered child support and can't be located. Because current employment and address information is not available for the absent parents appearing on the poster, SRS asks the public for help in locating them.

The series of posters is one of the more visible methods used by the CSE program to collect child support and educate the public about its importance. Once an absent parent is located, CSE staff can use an increasing number of legal tools to enforce a child support obligation.

We have a dual responsibility to the children and the taxpayers of this state," said Rochelle Chronister, SRS Secretary. Children, of course, benefit when they are financially and emotionally supported by both parents.

When families don't receive their child support payments regularly," Chronister added, they often must look to the State for help. By helping families enforce court-ordered child support orders, we not only help families remain financially self-sufficient, but we save tax dollars, as well."

SRS estimates the custodial families of 30,000 Kansas children are eligible for benefits through the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) because they don't regularly receive their court-ordered child support. This costs taxpayers between $40 and $50 million annually.

The Kansas CSE program collects about 55% of the more than $100 million of child support which is due each year to the families it serves -- both those who do not receive public assistance and those who do. Another $400 million in past due child support is owed by absent parents such as those featured on the poster.

The new set of absent parents featured on the poster are among the 130,000 cases worked annually by the Kansas child support program. SRS will distribute the Most Wanted posters across the state. Copies are also sent to child support programs in other states.

Among the criteria used in selecting parents for the poster were:

• persons who have a court-ordered obligation to pay child support;

• persons who owe more than $1,000;

• persons who had not made a child support payment in the past six months;

• persons whose whereabouts are unknown, unverified, or if known, refuse to meet their child support obligation.

The CSE program asks anyone with information about any of the absent parents featured on the poster to call the toll-free Child Support Enforcement hotline at 1-800-432-3913, any SRS office or can electronically mail information to srs@ink.org.

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001