Has anyone ever been to a child support hearing? kinda long story below

Question

my brother has a hearing coming up on Monday. The mother of his 3 kids applied for support. He doesn't have a job so he doesn't have proof of income. However he picks up the kids at 8am every morning and returns them to her at 6pm on Mon, wednesday and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday he returns them at 7:30pm because she works late. He also keeps the kids overnight twice a week.

He volunteers at the daycare affiliated with my church for several hours everyday. In return, the two older kids are allowed to attend the camp for free.

He recieved the letter about the hearing on Tuesday and his hearing is on Monday(6days later).

Should he bring anything with him other than social security card and id? The director of the daycare is wrtting him a character letter to take with him to the hearing.

I already know that he needs to get a job and I keep encouraging him to do so. Therefor, I'm just looking for some advice on what to expect when he goes. Wondering if they'll assign support now or give him a certain amount of time to find employment.

Should he ty

Answer 1

It depends on the state in which you live....here in Washington DC, if the person doesnt have a job, they sign an order of support for $50 a month and have the person do job searches and come back to court for financial reviews.....its good that he's involved in his childrens lives and helps out with them.....but like you said, he needs to go looking for a job.

Answer 2

Yes, he should bring a few things with him. Child support is supposed to be income based. If he has no job, they shouldn't assign child support. But he needs to be able to show that he is truly unemployed, and to be able to vouch for his character and good intentions. The character letter will help. He will also want as many of the following as possible:

1. Any proof whatsoever of what he does to care for the kids. Receipts, witnesses, pictures, etc.

2. Witnesses that can vouch for his unemployment, his character, his mental health, and his positive treatment of the children.

3. If possible, any witnesses that can vouch against the mother's character or treatment of the children.

4. Any proof of unemployment would help a little, too.

5. If at all possible he should get an attorney. He might even consider visiting legal aid to see what kind of cheap advice he could get. If he can't afford an attorney, as it appears he can't, he can still visit attorneys for a consultation. Many will give free consultations, and that will at least provide him with some good advice to take with him. That said, if she shows up with an attorney and he does not have one, he will likely get screwed.

Answer 3

have the church write up how much it would cost for her to send her kids there if he didn't volunteer

also he can have as many people there to support him

if he hasn't already have him talk to a lawyer

basically he needs to get as much info as possable.

I don't think she realizes how much he is saving her money wise even if he isn't sending support.  so have him try to estimate the amount she is being saved and how much she would have to spend on day care, the camp, food, and so on.

maybe he should file a counter support hearing for him taking care of the kids because he has this arraingment.  and if they want they can keep this arrangment, but he just find a pt. job.