Improving Judicial Processing of Child Support Enforcement Cases Through the Use of Technology

Allegheny Family Court’s Special Improvement Project tested the effectiveness of allowing nonresident, noncustodial parents to “appear” at court conferences and hearings to establish or modify child support orders using video and teleconferencing techniques. By making the video- and teleconference option available to all noncustodial parents (NCPs) in local cases who lived outside of Allegheny County, the court hoped to improve the rate of participation in order-making proceedings. A further expectation was that participation would lead to the generation of more appropriate orders that were better paid over time.