A small team of Carbon County workers spends its days chasing down missing parents, filing contempt proceedings and making sure children get the money they are owed. Last year alone, they collected more than $6.5 million.

Carbon County commissioners on Thursday proclaimed August 2026 as Child Support Enforcement Awareness Month, recognizing the county’s Domestic Relations office as it marks the 51st anniversary of the federal Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement Program, established in 1975 to ensure children receive financial support from both parents.

Director Carla Ferguson addressed the board after the proclamation was adopted, offering a window into the scope of the office’s work — and its results.

“Last year, we collected over $6.5 million to distribute across the commonwealth to custodial parents and their children,” she said. “This year, we’ve already collected almost $4 million, and we’re still meeting and exceeding all five federal performance measures.”

The office is coming in at roughly 83% for current support collected, a figure that mirrors Pennsylvania’s statewide performance and far outpaces the national average. According to the proclamation read at Thursday’s meeting, Pennsylvania ranks first in the nation for the collection of both current and overdue support, collecting 82.9% and 84.2% of the respective totals. In federal fiscal year 2025, the state disbursed nearly $1.1 billion to families statewide.

The numbers in Carbon County reflect an office that stayed busy throughout the past year. Staff held 691 conferences, filed approximately 641 contempt of court proceedings against delinquent payers, and recorded about 280 new filings. The office also issued 142 bench warrants, most of which were served with help from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office.

“Some of them are still out there, but most of them were apprehended, thanks to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office,” Ferguson said.

The office also has a reason for internal celebration this fall. Assistant Director Molly Sheridan has been nominated for the Mary Kunkel Award for Excellence through the Domestic Relations Association of Pennsylvania, with a decision expected in October.

The award carries special meaning for the office. Mary Kunkel was a former director of the Carbon County Domestic Relations office who died unexpectedly while still in the position.

“That award would be really exciting to get for our office,” Ferguson said.

Despite what Ferguson described as a busy year marked by an audit and staff changes, the office enters the fall fully staffed.

“We are fully staffed,” she said. “We’re really lucky to have a strong team who is dedicated down there.”