Fathers that Work helps non-custodial parents who are delinquent in their child support payments get and keep a job. Such employment enables them to pay their back child support and keep current on future support payments. Rather than just running people through the court system and hope they pay, the Prosecutor's Office takes an active role in trying to help them get and keep a job.
Fathers that Work is a partnership between the Prosecutor's Office, the City of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Private Industry Council. Participants in the program volunteer or are ordered to take part by a judge.
Those who are deemed eligible for job placement first come to the Child Support Division, where a referral specialist does and intake evaluation. The evaluation examines that person's skill levels, previous job history, any drug or alcohol problems, available transportation and other issues that would affect a person's readiness and/or eligibility for a job. The referral s0pecialist then sends that person to either a job readiness agency, where a person can learn a skill, or directly to an employer.
Once a client is placed in a job, another component of the program, Indy Parent, kicks in for those eligible for welfare-to-work assistance. The Child Support Division and River Valley Resources work together on Indy Parent, which provides any resources necessary to help that parent stay in a job, such as bus passes, appropriate clothes or help with child care.