We are excited to announce that we are now located at the Family Justice Center, 12240 Fillmore, Suite 150, West Olive, MI 49460. Our Grand Haven office location will continue operations as a FOC satellite location with limited services.
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Who is My Investigator? | Make an Appointment | Child Support | Parenting Time & Custody | Changing Personal InformationOttawa County Friend of the Court is in your Community
The Friend of the Court Office will be offering services at West Michigan Works (12331 James Street Suite 130 Holland, MI 49424) the first Monday of every month from 9am-3pm.
Welcome
The Friend of the Court Office is responsible for protecting the rights and interests of children in domestic relations matters.
- Investigate, report and recommend to the court which parent should have custody of minor children
- Enforce orders entered by the court
- Ensure that children's rights to parenting time with non-custodial parents are protected
- Learn more in the Friend of the Court Handbook
- Our Location
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Who Is My Investigator?
Investigators, also called caseworkers, are assigned alphabetically by the last name of your child’s father except in interstate or intergovernmental cases. A specialized investigator is assigned to medical liability issues.
Investigators are assigned according to the last name of your children's father
- A & B Steve White
- C, D & E Allisen Berghorst
- G, K & L Brandi Dockery
- H, I & J Amy Lamer
- M, N & O Sarah Nelson
- P, Q, R & Z Michelle Morrow
- S & T Kate Armstrong (Out of office until January 13th)
- F, U, V, W, X & Y Kat Davis
- Interstate Cases
- A thru L Michele Sauers
- M thru Z Reyna Masko
Contacting My Investigator
In Writing
Written correspondence is preferred for documentation purposes and may be submitted in four ways:
- Submit a question online through the MiChildSupport Portal or submit a question here.
- Via US-Mail to the Family Justice Center, 12240 Fillmore, Suite 150, West Olive, MI 49460
- Via fax to (616) 846-8128.
- Dropped off to the Family Justice Center, 12240 Fillmore, Suite 150, West Olive, MI 49460 or to our satellite office, 414 Washington Avenue Room #225, Grand Haven, MI 49417
By Virtual Appointment
Book a virtual appointment. Only a phone is needed. We will call you at your scheduled appointment time.
General FOC Questions
- Mondays & Fridays
- Schedule a Virtual Appointment »
Specific Investigator Questions
- Tuesdays & Thursdays
- Schedule a Virtual Appointment »
By Walk-In Appointment
The Friend of the Court is open for in-person walk-in appointments on Wednesdays from 8AM - 4PM, with the last appointment at 3:30PM. Walk-in appointments are located at the Family Justice Center, 12240 Fillmore, Suite 150, West Olive, MI 49460.
Investigators staffing the walk-in hours vary, so you may not see your assigned investigator during your visit. To speak with your assigned investigator, check your investigator's access day here to schedule a virtual phone appointment.
By Telephone
Call 877-543-2660 during regular business hours. This will place you into the mandated interactive voice response call system. Follow the prompts to be connected with the option of your choice. The office receives a high volume of calls and the wait times can be lengthy.
Paying Child Support
Child support is paid monthly. Typically, support is collected by an Income Withholding Order which garnishes the payment directly from the paycheck of the payer of support. If a withholding order is not in place, child support must be paid by:
Cash
Cash payments can be made during business hours at the Friend of the Court office. Cash payments are also accepted at CVS Pharmacies, Family Dollar and 7-Eleven stores nationwide using PayNearMe services. Service fees may apply.
Check or Money Order
Mail your check or money order and payment coupon to the Michigan State Disbursement Unit (MiSDU). Mail to: MiSDU, PO Box 3035, Lansing, MI 48909
Credit Card
Visit MiSDU to pay by credit card. All-Paid accepts credit card payments online or via phone at 1-888-604-7888. You will need your case number, social security number and location code 8829 to use All-Paid. Service fees apply to credit card payments.
Receiving Child Support
Child support is distributed electronically into a bank account or put onto a ReliaCard debit card. A ReliaCard will be mailed to the support recipient unless a direct deposit account is established before the initial deposit of support funds. MiSDU handles all inquiries about direct deposit plus questions about payment coupons, direct deposits, check issuance, lost/stolen checks, unclaimed checks, pin numbers, debit card disbursement questions, and disbursement details. Call MiSDU at 877-543-2660 and follow the prompts. Call ReliaCard at 855-233-8374 for inquiries about your debit card.
Return to TopParenting Time & Custody
Custody is the ability to make decisions for your minor children. If you would like custody to be modified, and you are unable to reach an agreement with the other party, you may file a motion for a custody assessment. Custody assessment take approximately three months to complete due to the in-depth custody assessment procedure. Schedule an appointment with your investigator to discuss the custody assessment process.
If there are emergency circumstances (for example, you believe the child is at immediate risk of harm while in the care of the other parent) please contact your local law enforcement or child protective services at 855-444-3911. You may file an ex parte petition for temporary custody.
If parenting time is specified in your court order (for example: "alternating weekends" or "Tuesdays from 4-8PM") and the provision is not being followed, you may file a parenting time complaint. If your court order does not identify a specific parenting time schedule and you wish to have the parenting time provision modified to include specific days, times or holidays, you will need to file a motion to modify parenting time. Please refer to the Friend of the Court parenting time policy for general parenting time provisions.
Return to TopChange My Personal Information
Keeping your address, contact information, employer and other information up to date with the court is important to ensure uninterrupted communications, payments and more. Complete the change of personal information form, attach any required documentation and return it to the court.
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