WHEREAS, the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement, within the Department of Social Services, seeks to help families achieve financial stability, a critical component of helping ensure that children can grow and thrive; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement is dedicated to managing approximately 256,000 cases for 322,000 children and their parents with average collections of over $600 million every year; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement further recognizes that consistent payment of child support is associated with increased parental involvement, which promotes greater self-esteem, better academic performance, and more positive behavior of children; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement recognizes that working parents are paying parents, and consistent payment of child support depends on workforce engagement; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement continues to enhance its family engagement with parents and ensures responsible parenting through parenting education, fatherhood initiatives, community partnerships, access and visitation, re-entry programs, payable support orders, and intensive case management; and  

WHEREAS, the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement is committed to working with community and workforce partners to help parents overcome lack of job skills, unemployment, substance use, and mental health related barriers; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement demonstrates its ongoing dedication to expanding innovative services to increase economic stability by being one of only two state divisions nationwide to successfully compete for and be awarded six consecutive federal child support grants, including the “Safe Access for Victims’ Economic Security" grant which improves safety for victims and survivors of domestic violence in accessing child support services; and

WHEREAS, in alignment with its legacy of innovation and dedication, the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement is currently launching the Virginia Initiative for Building Earning Capacity of Parents (VIBES) project to enhance earnings and promote child support compliance among unemployed and underemployed parents who are responsible for paying child support in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement continues to deliver “Responsible Parenting” curriculum to build awareness of child support services and increase cognizance of the legal, financial, and social facets of parental responsibilities among the youth in foster care as well as those committed youth within the Department of Juvenile Justice; 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize August 25-31, 2024, as CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.