New court to help parents become stable to hold kickoff party Friday in Superior Ct.

A new court program will officially kick off on Friday in the Tallapoosa Circuit in hopes of helping parents having trouble with child support become more self sufficient.

The program is current known as the Problem Solving Court and the Parental Accountability Court.

Superior Court Judge Meng Lim will oversee the program, which is a partnership between the court and the Division of Child Support Services. It is already in use in other areas around the state.

Program coordinator Kayla Arnold said the court will work much in the same way drug court does, but with some key differences.

The court will offer support to parents who are released from jail for not paying child support so that they can turn things round and become self sufficient enough to keep up with child support payments.

Arnold said the program will provide a variety of resources to participants, from mental health and substance abuse programs to help finding and securing employment.

“The main goals are to reduce recidivism, build relationships with their children and be more self sufficient so they can gain employment and financially support their children,” she said.

Arnold said the program will provide life and work skills courses to ensure that once a participant gets a job, they are able to keep it.

“The majority of those who we seek to help are unemployed for various reasons, and that’s one of the main problems with parents trying to help their children financially,” she said.

The program will address the issue of unemployment by connecting participants with employers willing to provide jobs that can lead to the financial stability needed to keep up with payments to child support services.

The court requires participants to meet with Arnold once a week and with Lim once a month to ensure they are meeting the goals described in the guidelines.

Working under a pilot program until now, the court only has four participants so far. Arnold expects those numbers to grow.

“We want to help as many as we can,” Arnold said.

A kickoff celebration for the program is being held Friday, Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Polk County Superior Court.

Anyone who wants to participate in the program or provide assistance in helping parents find resources or work can call Arnold at 1-877-4234746.