ATLANTA — Gov. Brian P. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp joined Superior Court Judge Ann B. Harris and leaders from the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Tuesday to celebrate the first graduates of the Cobb Judicial Circuit’s Parental Accountability Court (PAC) program.
 
The ceremony honored five individuals who successfully completed the Cobb PAC program by meeting their child support obligations for six consecutive months, and achieving individual goals set to improve their economic and social well-being.
 
The Governor and First Lady celebrated their accomplishment and the intergovernmental partnership that helped the graduates eliminate barriers to providing financial and emotional support to their children.
 
“Marty and I were honored to see the Cobb Judicial Circuit Parental Accountability Court’s success firsthand and celebrate the accomplishments of today’s graduates,” said Governor Kemp. “Their hard work deserves our recognition because it will undoubtedly change the course of their children’s lives for the better. We commend the graduates for their determination, and we thank all of the program’s participants for prioritizing this important initiative.”
 
The Parental Accountability Court program is a partnership between the Department of Human Services and Superior Court Judges to help chronic nonpayers of child support provide regular support to their children and deal with issues that make it difficult for them to provide consistent support to their children, including substance abuse, illiteracy and mental health issues. It also supports efforts to reduce incarceration rates and costs associated with incarceration.
 
The program operates in 43 of Georgia’s judicial circuits and helped parents provide more than $1.6 million in support to their children in State Fiscal Year 2019.
 
The Parental Accountability Court program has been in operation in Cobb County since 2017, an effort spearheaded locally by Harris, who called the program “a proactive way for courts to work with parents in overcoming their barriers to employment, so they can fulfill their obligation to support their children.”
 
“With this graduation, we celebrate our participants and their success in meeting their challenges and living up to their responsibilities,” Harris said. “I hope and trust that the skills and habits they have developed through the PAC will empower them in the months and years to come.”
 
To learn more about the Parental Accountability Court Program, visit childsupport.ga.gov.