The parties have little difficulty enforcing a basic table amount child support order as it is based on the non-custodial parent’s yearly income and the number of children. It is a fixed amount that the Family Responsibility Office (“FRO”) can enforce smoothly.
Difficulty arises when the FRO attempts to enforce a section 7 expense order which requires the parties to consult each other and agree upon the expenses to be incurred before they are incurred. Such orders are hard to enforce and are generally avoided by the courts.
In James Danielson v. Constance Danielson case, the courts set an upper limit for approval of section 7 expenses stating that if a single expense is higher than $499.00, the party incurring the expense shall consult the other, show the reasonableness of such expense to the other, and get agreement from the other for the same.
Such approach will reduce unnecessary back and forth in forms of correspondences between the parties; reduce litigation costs and increase enforceability for section 7 orders.