The first step in any court hearing for maintenance should be a mandatory DNA test to confirm whether the child is the man’s.
That was the recommendation of Acting Chief Magistrate Deidre McKenna, as she participated in an online panel discussion titled Financial Child Support Delinquency.
It was hosted by the Men Of Character Men’s Ministry of the Mount of Praise Wesleyan Holiness Church, Tudor Bridge, St Michael, recently.
She said that the cost of a DNA test, about $800, should be borne by the state, reiterating that any hearing on child support must begin with an understanding of whether the man accepts he is the father.
“My suggestion is let the state pay for the DNA test,” she said.
The Acting Chief Magistrate cited a case in which a man was supporting five-year-old and nine-year-old children but a subsequent DNA test revealed he was not the father of the nine-year-old. She said it left him devastated on hearing the results.
She said that in such cases, there was no compensation for the payments already made.
In addition to a right to a DNA test, the Acting Chief Magistrate said men had a right to return to the courts in the event they were unemployed and negotiate child support payments.
Listeners heard that in some cases, men were in arrears up to ten years.
“We have a lot of men we have to bring back to the court for child support,” the Acting Chief Magistrate noted.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in business closures, led to job losses which she associated with some men building up arrears.
She stressed the need for men to be educated about their options, adding that many fathers were unaware of them.
Retired police inspector Hartley Reid, also a panellist, agreed with the magistrate on a DNA test being the first order of business and that it should be paid by the state, with “no additional tax to deal with the cost”.
Another panellist, deputy director of the Child Care Board, Colin St Hill, said some fathers might not be in a position to pay child support.
“A lot of men are not employed or are under-employed.”
St Hill said research indicated that when there is a relationship, men are more likely to support their children.
He suggested that parties involved in a child custody matter first seek mediation.
“You should always try to avoid the court where possible.”
Merlon Yarde, Wesleyan District Men’s director, said there was a role for the church and in particular men’s ministries.
“We are in the communities. Give the men the necessary information,” he said. (HH)
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