Community-Based Partners

The child support program can increase the likelihood of regular child support payments by helping the parent who owes support find and keep work and by connecting both parents to resources to help them achieve and maintain economic stability.

Resources:

• Fact Sheet: Economic Stability
• View More Employment Resources

Parents who are in prison need child support orders that reflect actual income – both while they are incarcerated and after they return home.  The child support program works with partners in the justice and reentry fields to help these parents.

Resources:

• Changing a Child Support Order Guide (PDF)
• State by State – How to Change a Child Support Order
• View More Reentry Resources

Child support offers financial independence from an abusive partner for many victims of domestic violence.  To promote safe access to child support, OCSE works with state, local, and tribal child support programs to promote safe access to services through collaboration with domestic violence, fatherhood, and child welfare organizations.

Resources:

• Safe Access to Child Support Services: Scope of the Issue
• You Have the Right to Be Safe
• View More Family Violence Resources

OCSE works with partners like the Department of Veterans Affairs, the American Bar Association, and their local affiliates to help low-income veterans resolve child support issues and other challenges.

Resources:

• Military Services and Child Support Partnerships Fact Sheet (PDF)
• View More Veterans & Military Families Resources

Child support can play a powerful role in connecting fathers to their children.  By engaging early in the process with fathers who owe support, the child support program can reduce the likelihood that they will fall out of contact with their children or accrue unmanageable child support debts.

Resources:

• Fact Sheet: Engagement of Fathers from Birth
• Changing a Child Support Order (PDF)
• View More Fatherhood Resources

Persons experiencing homelessness are very often eligible for child support services.  Through partnerships with community organizations and other agencies, child support can make a big difference by serving the needs of homeless persons and families.

Resources:

• Fact Sheet: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans
• Economic Stability & Job Services

The child support program can be confusing and intimidating.  It is important for child support agencies to work within their communities to help families understand the services available to them.  We have resources that can help.  Early intervention is key.

Resources:

• How Do I Apply for Child Support Services? (PDF)
• Child Support Services and You (PDF)
• View More Parent Education Resources

Child support education can help prevent the need for child support services by addressing the importance of being emotionally and financially prepared to support a child.  Child support programs partner with middle schools, high schools, fatherhood programs, pregnancy prevention programs, and teen development programs to reach young adults.

Resources:

• Fact Sheet: Partner with the Child Support Program to Raise Awareness about Responsibilities of Parenthood (PDF)
• Fact Sheet: Preventing the Need for Child Support