Friend of the Court
Notice: Due to COVID-19, our phone service has changed until further notice. When you call the Friend of the Court (FOC) office, you will need to leave a voice mail message along with your case number and a telephone number where you can be reached. Calls will be returned from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, by our Client Service Representatives who are currently working remotely. (You should receive a return call within 24 hours).
The FOC lobby remains CLOSED. No in-person payments are accepted at the FOC at this time and no appointments are being scheduled for payments to be made in-person. However, there are a number of ways you can make a payment. We now have a Payment Drop Box on the 1st floor of our office building, 82 Ionia Avenue NW. (Just beyond the Security Checkpoint).
Friend of the Court Drop Box Station
- Drop box for documents is available on the first floor of 82 Ionia Avenue.
- Drop box for non-cash payments is available on the first floor of 82 Ionia Avenue.
No Cash please. Cashier Checks and Money Orders, made payable to: Kent County Friend of the Court, are accepted in the Payment Drop Box.
You may still communicate with us by:
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Phone: (616) 632-6888
Leave a message and we will return your call within 24 hours - E-mail at foc.mail@kentcountymi.gov. Please include your name and case number. Your message will be given to a FOC employee, and you will receive a response as soon as possible.
- 2-Way Communication through the MiSupport website at www.michigan.gov/michildsupport.
To access your case online, you may sign up at www.michigan.gov/michildsupport.
Facing Eviction?
Don’t forget about your Kent County Friend of the Court case. Please click here to learn about steps you can take.
Evaluation Payments:
- Checks or Money Orders only
Kent County Friend of the Court
PO Box 351,
Grand Rapids MI, 49501-0351.
Support Payment Options:
- Payments, (Money Orders and Certified Checks) accepted at the FOC Payment Drop Box. (No in-person payments).
- Online:
- Mail:
- MiSDU, PO Box 30351, Lansing, MI 48909-7851
- Cash:
- Pay Near Me: CVS Pharmacy, 7-Eleven and Family Dollar
Child Support Enforcement Meeting with a Case Manager?
- To schedule an appointment with a Case Manager, please click here
Mediation Appointment?
- To schedule FOC mediation, please click here.
Telephone Appointment? Do you need an Interpreter?
- To schedule an appointment to receive a phone call, please click here.
- If you speak a language other than English, please put the language you speak on the form.
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Spanish - ¿Necesita una cita telefónica y un
intérprete?
Por favor programe una cita para que le devuelvan la llamada y que necesite un intérprete y qué idioma habla. Si no lee inglés, pídale a alguien que lo ayude a completar la solicitud para una cita telefónica. Haga clic aquí para programar una llamada.
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Kinyarwanda - Ukeneye gahunda ya terefone
numusemuzi?
Nyamuneka teganya gahunda yo guhamagarwa kandi ko ukeneye umusemuzi nururimi uvuga. Niba udasoma icyongereza, nyamuneka saba umuntu wagufasha kurangiza icyifuzo cya terefone. Kanda hano kugirango utegure guhamagara.
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Somali - Ma u baahan tahay ballan taleefan iyo
turjubaan?
Fadlan ballan u samee wicitaan soo noqosho iyo inaad u baahan tahay turjubaan iyo luqadda aad ku hadasho. Haddii aadan aqrin Ingiriisiga, fadlan qof ha kaa caawiyo buuxinta codsiga ballanta taleefanka. Halkan guji si aad u ballansatid wicitaan.
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Bosnian - Trebate telefonski sastanak i prevodioca?
Molimo vas da zakažete sastanak za uzvratni poziv i da vam treba prevoditelj i koji jezik govorite. Ako ne čitate engleski, zamolite nekoga da vam pomogne da ispunite zahtjev za telefonski sastanak. Kliknite ovdje da zakažete poziv.
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Vietnamese - Cần một cuộc hẹn qua điện thoại và một
thông dịch viên?
Vui lòng lên lịch hẹn cho cuộc gọi trở lại và bạn cần thông dịch viên và bạn nói ngôn ngữ nào. Nếu bạn không đọc được tiếng Anh, vui lòng nhờ người khác giúp bạn hoàn thành yêu cầu đặt hẹn qua điện thoại. Bấm vào đây để lên lịch cuộc gọi.
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Nepali - Ṭēliphōna apō'inṭamēnṭa ra dōbhāṣē cāhincha?
thông dịch viên?
टेलिफोन अपोइन्टमेन्ट र दोभाषे चाहिन्छ? कृपया फिर्ती कलको लागि अपोइन्टमेन्ट निर्धारित गर्नुहोस् र तपाईंलाई दोभाषे चाहिन्छ र कुन भाषा बोल्नुहुन्छ तपाईंलाई। यदि तपाईं अ English्ग्रेजी पढ्नुहुन्न भने, कृपया कसैलाई फोन अपोइन्टमेन्टको लागि अनुरोध पूरा गर्न मद्दत गर्नुहोस्। कल तालिका बनाउन यहाँ क्लिक गर्नुहोस्
Ṭēliphōna apō'inṭamēnṭa ra dōbhāṣē cāhincha? Kr̥payā phirtī kalakō lāgi apō'inṭamēnṭa nirdhārita garnuhōs ra tapā'īnlā'ī dōbhāṣē cāhincha ra kuna bhāṣā bōlnuhuncha tapā'īnlā'ī. Yadi tapā'īṁ a Englishgrējī paḍhnuhunna bhanē, kr̥payā kasailā'ī phōna apō'inṭamēnṭakō lāgi anurōdha pūrā garna maddata garnuhōs. Kala tālikā banā'una yahām̐ klika garnuhōs.
Court Hearings
FOC hearings are limited and will be held remotely via Zoom. If a hearing for your case is scheduled, the notice and petition will be sent to you through e-mail with instructions. It is very important that we have your updated email address. You can update it with us online by completing this form.
If you are not working because of COVID-19
- Please provide proof in writing to FOC from your employer that this is a lay-off or the business closed
- If a lay-off, include the return-to-work date if it is known, and whether the employer will continue to pay you during the lay-off.
- If you are filing for unemployment benefits, let the FOC know this and make payments from these benefits the best you can until you see automatic deductions for support being made.
- If you are seeking employment, report your job search in writing to the FOC monthly until new employment is found, you return to work, or you start receiving benefits.
We are advised by the Office of Child Support (OCS) that the latest stimulus payments will NOT be offset for child support arrearages. However, according to OCS: “…as with the second round of stimulus payments, if individuals do not receive a stimulus payment, they must claim the recovery rebate as a credit on their 2021 tax return. This may result in reduced tax liability or an increased tax refund. Tax refunds that include recovery rebate funds are subject to tax refund offset for debts to federal or state agencies, including child support arrearages.” This is not a decision that is made by your local Friend of the Court.
My child is 18 and supposed to graduate in May. Now that the Governor has ordered that schools cannot be physically open, does my support obligation end now?
In support orders that don’t have a specific termination date, many continue support for a child age 18 or older (but not exceeding 19 ½) for so long as the child “is regularly attending high school on a full-time basis with a reasonable expectation of completing sufficient credits to graduate from high school while residing on a full-time basis with the recipient of support…” Although your child may not be physically in a classroom, it is up to the individual school districts to determine what still constitutes “attending.” Until further clarification from the appellate courts or the State Court Administrator’s Office, the Kent County Friend of the Court will continue to follow the same schedule as though school is still in normal session. This means that if the child is 18 and graduates in May, support will terminate on June 1.
Mission Statement
To serve the Court and the families of Kent County to ensure children are supported, both financially and emotionally.
- FOC Newsletter
- FOC Third Annual Report – Implementation of Community Engagement Task Force Recommendations
- Request for E-Mail Communication
- How to Contact FOC
We understand that issues associated with custody, parenting time and child support can often be stressful. The animations below make Friend of the Court processes a little less intimidating.
A big thank you to Grand Valley State University's Suzanne Zack and the students in GVSU's Animation Outreach, North Park Montessori students and staff, and the Grand Rapids Community Media Center for their creativity!
Mediation is used to help resolve issues and make changes to your custody and/or parenting time order.
Submit updated changes in health insurance information to FOC within 21 days
Overview
The Friend of the Court is the collection, enforcement and investigative arm of the Circuit Court in the area of domestic relations. The action by the office is dictated by court order. Orders are issued by the court after the Judge has made a determination and the written document is signed, then filed with the county clerk. To obtain a domestic relations order from the Court, the issue has to be brought before the Court through formal legal action. This is accomplished through private attorneys, sometimes the prosecuting attorney or by action of one of the parties. The Friend of the Court does not become involved until action is filed with the court.
We are available through email 24-hours a day at foc.mail@kentcountymi.gov and by phone at 877-543-2660 or (616) 632-6888, Monday-Friday from 8:00am-4:30pm. Case Managers will be available for walk-in appointments on Tuesdays from 8:00am-11:30am and Thursday from 1:00pm-4:00pm.
From time to time, changes are made in our case manager assignments. Please know that, even though you might work with someone different, your case manager is fully able to assist you.