Link to Forms Available on State Website
Duties:
The Bradford County Domestic Relations Office is responsible for the establishment and enforcement of child support/spousal/apl/ and alimony orders. The office handles local/intrastate/interstate/ and international cases.
The Domestic Relations Office has a case load of approximately 4,350 as of August 31, 1999.
The Domestic Relations Office processes approximately 2,500 cases per year that involve both parties in Bradford County. We have approximately 650 new complaints per year, 600 petitions to modify per year, 275 terminations per year, 300 reviews per year and 120 petitions resulting from office conference contempts. Numerous petitions to withdraw as well as petitions that are directly dropped off from attorneys are also processed.
These cases must be conferenced resulting in a approximate 2,500 local cases heard in the Domestic Relations Office per year. These cases must be scheduled according to the Rules of Civil Procedure with proper notification given. Agreements and subsequent orders must be entered on these cases. All of which must be processed through PACSES.
The Domestic Relations Office also processes approximately 500 cases per year that involve UIFSA, where one of the parties is outside Bradford County. We have approximately 250 new complaints per year going to other jurisdictions, 50 per year coming in from other jurisdictions and 200 petitions to modify per year. All of which need an order established.
Federal Regulations and subsequent State law mandates that every child support case be reviewed once every three years.
The Domestic Relations Office is also responsible for the establishment of paternity on all children born out of wedlock. The office currently has approximately 29 pending paternity cases.
Currently approximately 1,000 referrals came in from the Dept. of Public Welfare.
There are approximately 2,000 address changes person-wise per year. We process approximately 48,700 incoming phone calls per year and approximately 15,000 outgoing phone calls per year. Between phone calls, requests from other jurisdictions and mail the Domestic Relations Office processes at least 90,000 requests per year for services.
If parties do not appear as ordered this office is responsible to get personal service or if appropriate bench warrants. An approximate number of 30 bench warrants per year is the direct result of support conferences.
Our Accounting Department was responsible for the distribution of approximately 7 million dollars in child support payments in 1998.
The Domestic Relations Office is responsible to submit monthly invoices to the State for FFP. The Domestic Relations Office does all its own invoices to the Counties Accounting Department. Approximately 200 are done per year.
In addition to establishing support orders, the Bradford County Domestic Relations Office is required to enforce the Court's orders for child support. This means there are currently 4,350 cases that require some sort of enforcement. An average of 2,200 new and amended wage attachments are done per year with an approximate 236 attachments terminated. Some attachments require advance notice currently averaging 200 per year. We have an approximate 1,200 contempt petitions filed per year. We have an approximate conferenced in the Domestic Relations Office. We average 600 reporting clients per year, these are individuals that are on work search orders. The enforcement division is responsible for the location of absent parents resulting in extensive investigation work.
