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The Legislature’s 2026 Family Court Plan: Big Promises, Bigger Consequences





By DK, Family Court Trauma Coach
Creator of Noncustodial Mother’s Day.

A quiet shift is happening in family courts, and it's being led by a company named Maximus. These changes come on the heels of growing public pressure—especially from parents in Arizona—where conversations about reforming child support and custody enforcement started heating up in 2025. Since then, politicians in Arizona and other states have begun holding meetings on the matter.

But what exactly is changing? And who is being left out of the conversation?

What Maximus Is Planning

Jeremy Toulouse, a representative of Maximus, says the company plans to modernize the child support system with a more “holistic” approach to family services. He acknowledges that the current system is often punitive toward noncustodial parents, especially fathers, citing examples like contempt proceedings and driver’s license suspensions.

The Maximus website promotes ideas like empowering fathers, coparenting initiatives, and stabilizing noncustodial parents to reduce child welfare cases. On the surface, that sounds like progress—but we have serious concerns.

There’s no mention of noncustodial mothers. Nothing about helping us maintain contact with our children or supporting our visitation rights. Once again, the narrative is dominated by fathers, while noncustodial mothers—many of whom are suffering in silence—remain invisible.

Follow the Money: Title IV-D and the Courts

To understand what’s really happening, you need to look at how the system is funded.

The plan to modernize family court involves Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, a federal program that provides funding to states for child support enforcement. Courts and agencies receive incentive payments for the amount of support they collect—often tied to performance metrics. While this may sound like a tool to ensure accountability, it creates a dangerous incentive structure.

Some believe this system prioritizes collection over fairness and may even influence judicial decisions. Critics argue that these incentives can benefit judicial retirement funds, raising ethical questions about how decisions are made—and who truly profits.

It’s hard not to feel like our retirement futures are being used to fund theirs.

Where Are the Noncustodial Mothers?

There is a growing number of noncustodial mothers in the U.S., and yet we are consistently left out of these policy conversations. We face barriers to seeing our children. We are silenced in courtrooms. We are dismissed in the media. And now, as systems begin to “modernize,” we’re watching reforms unfold without our voices in the room.

What You Can Do

We are urging mothers and allies to take action:

  • Contact Maximus directly at (844) 592-2218
    Let them know how you feel about their “restructuring” of family court—and how it fails to address noncustodial mothers.
  • Join NALA 
    Noncustodial Mothers Are Leading America. Subscribe by signing up at NALApride@myyahoo.com and read their weekly emails on what to do. You do not have to be just a noncustodial mothers to sign up, you just have to want to change the system. 
  • Share this article
    The more awareness we build, the more pressure we create to include all parents in future reforms.

Final Thoughts

Family court should be about what's best for all children and all parents—not just those who fit the most visible narrative. We believe that justice must include noncustodial mothers, and we will continue to fight for reform that reflects the full truth of what’s happening in family courtrooms across this country.

We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re demanding equal recognition.


HOME

The Great Custody Switch: Mothers Just Filed Family Court Discrimination in New York

Noncustodial Mothers Are Leading America (NALA)

Forced to Flee: When Mothers Say the System Left Them No Safe Place to Stay

Resources For Noncustodial Mothers

Silenced in Court, Heard on Air: Noncustodial Mothers and the Power of Podcasts

Was or is custody being sold in your child custody case?

 

#Maximus # #HighConflictCustody #Alienation #FamilyCourt #MentalHealth #NoncustodialMothers #MothersMatter #ForcedToFlee #NALA #DKFamilyCourtCoach


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