The Georgia Fatherhood Program, part of the state Department of Human Services Division of Child Support Services, will sponsor a career fair at the Carroll County Recreation Center in Carrollton on Aug. 17.

The “Fathers and Families Career/Resource Fair” will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants are asked to dress professionally and be prepared to interview on site. They will have the opportunity to receive resumé writing assistance, apply for positions and discuss employment opportunities.

Participants will also be able to learn about DCSS and the Georgia Fatherhood Program. The program works with fathers and mothers who are non-custodial parents who are unable to pay child support regularly, and has worked over the past decade to increase the number of parents who remain current on child support.

The program also helps non-custodial parents overcome employment barriers so they can gain steady employment and make timely child support payments. Some of these employment barriers include lack of a high school diploma, no driver’s license, substance abuse, criminal records and mental health issues.

“In our program, we deal with non-custodial parents who are court ordered to pay child support,” said David Harris, program director for the Georgia Fatherhood Program. “Nowadays everyone is looking or a job and that affects whether they can pay child support.”

Although the program provides services for non-custodial parents, the career fair is open to everyone.

“We wanted to open it up and have opportunities for the entire community,” Harris said. “It’s a way to help our customers and our community at the same time.”

The program has hosted career fairs throughout Georgia for the past two years.

“Carrollton was one of the first places we went to about two years ago,” Harris said. “We try to hit different areas of the state every month.”

He admitted, however, that the program’s schedule may seem ambitious.

“But the need is there,” Harris said. “This is an opportunity for us to not only help out customers, but to help the community at large. That goes for the entire family. We want people to become self-sufficient.”

The Georgia Fatherhood Program, which is the largest state-operated fatherhood program in the country, typically takes three to six months to complete. Participants are required to work at least 20 hours per week while enrolled in the program and pay child support.