Domestic Relations Office
The Domestic Relations Office (DRO) in Lubbock County was established in early 2006. As a statutorily-created DRO, we provide the following services:
Family/Divorce Mediation
Conservatorship, rights and duties during possession, visitation, child support, spousal maintenance, property/asset division, and debt/liability distribution are issues that can be mediated by a neutral third party. Mediators are trained in the areas of family dynamics, child development and family law.
Parenting Coordinator Referrals
A parenting coordinator is an impartial trained professional appointed by the Domestic Relations Office to help parents implement a workable co-parenting plan. The parenting coordinator assists the parents with issues such as conservatorship, rights and duties during possession, visitation and child support.
Community Supervision Program
Under a contract with the Attorney General’s Office, our office supervises non-custodial parents who have been found in contempt of a child support order. As with other probationer programs, this one is court imposed and the penalty for non-compliance could possibly result in jail time. The program is designed to identify and reconcile the issues that prevent parents from making timely payments for the support of their children.
Once an individual is placed in our program, the Community Supervision Officer will assess the various reasons the parent has not made timely payments. The officer refers and supervises attendance at recommended classes (such as life skills, job training or parenting), monitors the status of child support payments and takes steps to increase collection of child support.
Although this program is based in Lubbock County, these services are available on a contract basis to other courts or counties who request them.
Integrated Child Support System (ICSS)
Prior to the implementation of ICSS, the only Lubbock County citizens who had access to free assistance to enforce child support obligations were those who received Federal assistance (Medicaid, TANF); however, the ICSS contract allows Lubbock County to provide similar services to all others. An early intervention approach allows child support obligations to be monitored and enforced before unmanageable arrearages are allowed to accumulate.
A new Local Rule was passed by the Board of Judges, stating that all new child support orders in Lubbock County will be deemed to include an application for child support enforcement services. Essentially, this meant that every child support obligation in Lubbock County will be monitored immediately by the Domestic Relations Office, with enforcement actions being taken sooner rather than later. (The exceptions to this would be if the intended recipient of child support has received Federal Assistance or declines to accept the enforcement services.)
Social Studies
This in-depth analysis provides courts and other interested parties information regarding the child’s home environment or caretaker.
The social study is conducted or supervised by a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) or Ph.D. The study includes an interview and home visit of the participants. It is conducted in accordance with applicable state law and may include a background check.