I googled the phrase "Deadbeat dad" the other day.Two things came up - 1) agency after agency wanting thirty to fifty percent of my daughters child support if they were actually able to collectand 2) article after article sticking up for the poor, unfortunate deadbeat fathers of America. I read one article that broke down the so-called deadbeat fathers leaving only 11% of them being the real deadbeats. You know - the one's who have the means and refuse to pay supportfor one reason or another. Of course, while sticking up for all of the other struggling fathers who fail to pay their child support, the importance of that 11% was completely lost. One article went so far as to say there are non deadbeat dads, that even those real deadbeat dads have been mandated with too much child support. This comment was followed up with a "factual statement" that no father wants todesert their child(ren). It may only be 11% - but yes, there are men whochoose toabandon their fatherly responsibilities. So what do you do when you fall within that 11%? Well - I'm starting a blog in hopes that someone - somewhere will listen.

My Child Support Enforcement case worker has recently explained to me that due to confidentiality she can not share with me the details of my 2-year-old daughter's child support case. My personal belief is that she has failed to keep up with the case and follow the structure laid out by the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act so she's trying to cover her incompetence by trying to keep me out of it. I've contact the Federal Child Support Enforcement Department and I was told that I have every right to follow my daughter's case closely and ask as many questions as I wish. I was also told that my case worker is supposed to be my partner. The following is the email I wrote to my case worker yesterday.

Ms. [child support enforcement case worker],

I understand confidentiality laws, because this is mine and my daughter's case, are those confidentiality laws effective upon us? If they are, can you please provide the statute stating such. I am very familiar with confidentiality laws as I work in the medical environment; however I have been doing quite a bit of research on our case. I have not run across such a regulation that states you are not allowed to provide me with the information of when you put a lien on his bank account or certified him for tax intercept. As a matter of fact, in my most recent conversations with the US Department of Health & Human Services: Administration for Children & Families, they stated I need to request as much information as I possibly can from you, including this information. I was told to stay in direct contact with you as often as possible and that it is your job to reassure me that my daughter will not fall through the cracks by keeping me up-to-date on the details of our case. I'm currently looking at the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act; HR3130 and I am unable to locate any information stating that my Child Support Enforcement Representative is not allowed to share the information about my daughter's case with me directly.

I do not wish to create any problems, but it's my understanding that I have every right to follow this case closely and ask many questions. It's also been explained to me that my case worker is supposed to be my partner in this; I'm getting the feeling that this partnership is not fairing very well. Try to imagine, Ms. [child support enforcement case worker], knowing that a man is living in a $600,000 home, driving his choice of a BMW, Porsche, Jeep Cherokee and a few others. Imagine knowing that he receives $4000-$7000 a month for whatever he desires. Imagine knowing that he waited until I held his daughter before he beat us and choked me until he truly thought I was dead. Imagine the courts allowing him to get away with almost everything. Imagine after 17 months (7 months of that homeless, 1 year of that living in a mold infested home that was killing our family) that the courts finally put down a verdict of child support that you know that he can pay, but out of spite, he will not.

Now... imagine the Case Worker assigned to the case refuses to work with you, making you feel like she has placed just as much worthlessness on her head as he has. If you could possibly imagine all of those things, you would understand why I will not allow this to be put to the way-side any longer. You would be up-in-arms like, it's been explained to me that, any CSE case worker would be. I think what you do not understand is that this man truly is the definition of a deadbeat father. He does have the means - his attorney just got paid over $100,000 for handling his criminal case so nicely as to get it all knocked down to little more than child abuse.

I am angry. Why aren't you? I am tired of a system that is working against the greater good on behalf of my daughter. I will not go away. I am not allowed to contact him regarding the child support payments - I am allowed to contact you in regards to them. And here's the kicker... He contacted me last week to explain to me how it was my fault that he beat me and my children. He proceeded to tell me that there was no lien on his bank account and he'd already received his stimulus check. Imagine my surprise. So either he's lying - or you are. One way or the other - as I said - I'm not going away so I hope you can cozy up to me a little, because I will be following up often. My daughter... my family has suffered by this man's hand long enough. I have suffered by it long enough. You can think me as much of a pushy b*tch as you like, but your job is to go after this man whether you like me or not. Transferring this case to Jeffco will only drag the proceedings out longer; I haven't the means to allow that. We will be living in the car by this time next month if we don't receive some child support.

I require the statue stating you can not share the information regarding Case# 18906138922A with me, or I require the information of when you put into effect the efforts you claim were put into effect prior to June 2, 2008. Please Ms. [child support enforcement case worker] - just work with me on this instead of against me. I'm not out to get you or even to get him. I'm in this to care for, raise and support my family.

Thank you,

Kerry Rae Gieger