CHILD-SUPPORT COLLECTIONS UP WITH GENTLER STATEWIDE RULES.

Byline: Bettie Rencoret Special to the Daily News

PALMDALE - A statewide change in approach is showing results at collecting child-support payments, Los Angeles County officials said.

Child-support collections are up 30 percent since the institution of what officials call a ``softer, more realistic approach,'' said Los Angeles County Child Support Services officials.

``We've found that more obligor parents will come forward and voluntarily satisfy their debt if compromise and reason are used in determining the amount owed,'' said Leah Rochford, the department's assistant division chief in its Palmdale office.

As a prelude to Child Support Awareness month in August, Rochford joined Kaye McKay, the department's division administrator, and Al Reyes, its communications and marketing chief, to discuss changes that have been made since the county-run, state supervised agency was created in 2001 to perform what had been a responsibility of the District Attorney's Office.

``Most of the people we deal with love their kids and really want to take care of them but the court-ordered amounts have often been so large that the obligor's finances are placed in a chokehold,'' said Rochford.

That doesn't mean, she said, that the department isn't diligent in trying to satisfy legitimate claims. She said the department continues to search for and negotiate every possible resource to obtain fair payment to the custodial parent.

``It's just that now we don't assume that there is always a criminal intent to avoid obligations,'' she said. ``Now we sit down with obligor parents, mostly fathers, and see if we can't work out a happy solution to all the problems involved.''

Two local cases were recently resolved with large payments.

In one case, three mothers were involved when a man who owed child- support payments to all three inherited assets in excess of $48,000. One local mother received $22,000 as her share of that to settle her claim, said Rochford.

The second case was settled for $59,000, when the father died and his home was sold.

``During the time their children were growing up the mother had received a total of $3 for their support,'' Rochford said.

Since the child-support department has become a separate, autonomous entity, the perspective has changed to focus on customer service, as opposed to enforcement of statutory orders, said Reyes.

The local office at 1020 E. Palmdale Blvd., on the second floor of the building that contains the Palmdale sheriff's station, is now open every fourth Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for people who can't come in during the workweek.

People can make appointments or walk in. The county's child-support hotline is [phone].

Special activities are planned for child-support month at the various offices. The Antelope Valley office is collecting books to give to youngsters.