Courts
Courts play a strong role in providing financial and emotional support for children. Judicial and legal systems are key players in collaborative efforts with child support agencies, such as problem-solving courts, to better serve the needs of children and families and facilitate child support outcomes.
In jurisdictions that do not use an administrative process, most child support agency-initiated establishment and modification actions are filed and processed in the court, and the judicial process often extends to a number of child support actions.
- Courts support the program mission by establishing appropriate and timely child support orders through a fair process.
- To achieve better child support outcomes, courts may prevent and reduce arrears by decreasing the number of inappropriate and unrealistic child support orders through standardized criteria and practices and information sharing.
- OCSE-promoted problem-solving techniques and practices may improve the outcomes of court cases and reduce the number of subsequent court actions involving the same families.
- Through cooperative agreements with child support agencies, courts may receive funding for some functions.
- Our judicial partners include the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) , Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA), National American Indian Court Judges Administration (NAICJA) , National Association of State Judicial Educators (NASJE), National Center for State Courts (NCSC), National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), and National Judicial College (NJC).
Featured Resources
What Courts and Attorneys Must Know About Income Withholding
August 18, 2011OCSE Grants Involving Child Support and Judicial Collaboration
September 24, 2007Income Withholding for Support and the State Disbursement Unit
April 15, 2012
Modifying Support Orders
May 15, 2012Establishing Paternity for a Child Born Out of Wedlock
May 8, 2012Judicial Bench Cards: Child Support and the Judiciary
November 21, 2011
Income Withholding for Support Form
May 16, 2011
Additional Resources for Courts RSS Feed
Income Withholding Form - State Contacts and Program Information
October 2, 2012Provides the links to state income withholding (IWO), SDU, and EFT/EDI contact and program information needed to process an IWO formIncome Withholding for Support (IWO) Training
July 6, 2012Training presentation providing directions on how to complete the Income Withholding for Support (IWO) formProviding Expedited Review and Modification Assistance
June 20, 2012This fact sheet highlights ways child support programs have improved modification and adjustment processes"Voluntary Unemployment," Imputed Income, and Modification Policies for Incarcerated NCPs Chart
June 20, 2012Outlines practices, laws, and policies in different jurisdictions related to child support orders for incarcerated parentsAccess to Justice Innovations
June 20, 2012Profiles child support access to justice innovations including court facilitators, self-help hotlines, and online tools
Income Withholding Form - State Contacts and Program Information
October 2, 2012Provides the links to state income withholding (IWO), SDU, and EFT/EDI contact and program information needed to process an IWO formHow Private Employers Withhold Income for Child Support
July 1, 2011Description of income withholding and how to allocate payments among multiple orders for the same employeeIncome Withholding for Support (IWO) Training
July 6, 2012Training presentation providing directions on how to complete the Income Withholding for Support (IWO) formIncome Withholding for Support Instructions
May 16, 2011Instructions for the standard form used for income withholding in tribal, intrastate, and interstate casesIncome Withholding for Support Form
May 16, 2011Used for income withholding in tribal, intrastate, and interstate cases