SARATOGA COUNTY — The county has been recognized for doing a good job making sure absent parents who are ordered to pay child support pay up.

For the eighth consecutive year, the county Department of Social Services has gotten an award from the state for effective child support collection efforts.

In 2007, the county had the best percentages among comparable counties in four categories: establishing paternity, having family court establish child support payments, collecting support and collecting past-due support payments.

The county’s streak of strong annual performances has drawn the attention of state officials.

“We recognize, at the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, that this is a remarkable achievement,” said Elizabeth Berlin, executive deputy commissioner of the agency, which oversees child support matters statewide.

Berlin presented a recognition certificate at a meeting of the county’s Social Programs Committee this week in Ballston Spa.

The county’s performance was well above the state average in the four categories, Berlin said.

In 2007, the county had 5,933 child support cases involving 6,952 children. It collected $19.34 million that was then distributed.

According to the state, the county was able to establish paternity in 97.9 percent of cases where there was an absent father, compared to 91.8 percent statewide. It then got a judge to establish support payments in 96.1 percent of cases, compared to 88 percent statewide.

The county also has 82.5 percent of its collections current, compared to 69.8 percent statewide, and collected 77.6 percent of overdue payments, compared to 63.4 percent statewide. The county’s percentages last year were also an improvement over its own figures for 2006.

Berlin said the office is looking to improve collections statewide.

“We have made it a priority at the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to increase those figures,” she said of the state averages.

Berlin noted that while the work of social services agencies is frequently associated with helping the poor, support collection assistance is available to all, regardless of their income.

County Social Services Commissioner Robert Christopher said the children who are being supported get the biggest benefit, but support payments also lower the county’s costs, because they can keep families off the public assistance rolls.

The support collections unit also pushes for a parent to provide health insurance coverage for the children, he said, although that’s not reflected in the statistics.

“I am very proud of my staff,” Christopher said.

The staff work includes investigations to locate absent parents and taking enforcement action against parents who don’t meet their child support obligations. Deadbeat parents can and have gone to jail locally.

“Through [staff] efforts they have saved the taxpayers of Saratoga County many thousands of dollars,” Christopher said.