MEMPHIS, TN – Starting July 1, 2009 child support services will no longer be handled at the Juvenile Court Downtown Memphis, instead at its brand new office in Hickory Hill.
Back in February, Maximus, a private government agency won a contract to take over child support services for the county. David Sanchez is project director with the company. He says, “We see this as a wonderful opportunity because we have so many children and families going without child support.”
Sanchez says right now the county caseload is about 115,000. He says more than half of those cases don’t have any child support order established. He says, “Our desire is to streamline the process. We developed this office with that in mind. We realize when you take on a backlog of cases you have to accommodate for that.”
Maximus will offer one stop shopping with a staff of hundreds including interview specialists and customer services representatives. The new office will also house a “Special Locate Unit,” with the sole task of tracking down absentee parents.
Sanchez says, “Whether they are on the receiving end or have to pay, everybody deserves to be treated with honor and dignity and respect. It is about helping individuals do the right thing for children and families.”
Parents will still have to go to Juvenile Court in Downtown Memphis for all child support hearings.
The new Shelby County Child Support Services office is located at 3915 South Mendenhall. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. For more information call 1-800-838-6911.
