Every state understands the importance of child support from both parents whether they are together, separated or divorced. In most cases, parents may agree on how to support their children, but it is important to secure those agreements lawfully since the right to receive support belongs to the child not the parent (Keiser & Soss, 2008). Therefore, various states have stipulated guidelines that guide financial, physical, and emotional support of parents in every case.
Non-custodial fathers in the State of Illinois are guided by law to determine the amount of support they ought to give to their children. The state calculates net income in terms of percentages from the gross salary pay after all deductions have been made. The amount increases according to the number of children, and it is as follows; 20%, 28%, 32%, 40%, 45%, and 50% for 1-6 children respectively (Berrick, & Hernandez, 2016). Essentially, this financial support is one of the oldest and simplest in the United States. Judges are also allowed to adjust the formula accordingly if it does not adequately represent the best interests of the child accordance to various relevant factors (Bromer, & Weaver, 2016). Some of which include the child’s emotional and physical condition, the probable standard of living if both parents were together, financial resources and needs of the both parents, and the educational requirements of the child.
One disadvantage of this policy is that it is old and sometimes incapable of addressing all kind of support a child needs. The state of Illinois has a traditional arrangement outlining how much time the non-custodial father should spend with their children. Essentially, this policy is sometimes unable to include the preferences of those children who would love to spend more time with their fathers (Garfield & Isacco, 2006). One advantage of this policy is that the formula for calculating financial support is straight forward as does not discriminate the rich from the poor because it depends on of the income of the father (Thoennes, Tjaden, & Pearson, 2004). The court only adds amounts for daycare, private tuition, extra health care, and extracurricular activities only when the non-custodian father is financially able.
References
Berrick, J. D., & Hernandez, J. (2016). Developing consistent and transparent kinship care policy and practice: State mandated, mediated, and independent care. Children and Youth Services Review, 68, 24-33.
Bromer, J., & Weaver, C. (2016). Supporting family child care and quality improvement: findings from an exploratory survey of Illinois child care resource and referral agency staff. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 10(1), 4
Garfield, C. F., & Isacco, A. (2006). Fathers and the well-child visit. Pediatrics, 117(4), e637-e645.
Keiser, L. R., & Soss, J. (2008). With good cause: Bureaucratic discretion and the politics of child support enforcement. American Journal of Political Science, 42(4), 1133-1156.
Thoennes, N., Tjaden, P., & Pearson, J. (2004). The impact of child support guidelines on award adequacy, award variability, and case processing efficiency. Family Law Quarterly, 325-345.
