Legal Definitions - office of child-support enforcement

The Office of Child-Support Enforcement refers to a government agency, operating at both federal and state levels, specifically designed to assist parents in obtaining and enforcing child support orders. Established under federal law, its primary role is to ensure that children receive financial support from both parents, even when those parents are separated or divorced. This office helps custodial parents locate non-custodial parents, establish legal child support orders, and collect payments, often through various enforcement mechanisms.

Here are some examples of how the Office of Child-Support Enforcement operates:

• Establishing a Child Support Order: After a difficult separation, Emily finds herself solely responsible for her two young children. The children's father has moved to another state and has not contributed financially. Emily contacts her state's Office of Child-Support Enforcement to seek assistance. The agency helps her locate the father and initiates the legal process to establish a formal child support order, ensuring her children receive the financial assistance they are legally entitled to.

  This example illustrates how the office assists parents in locating non-custodial parents and establishing initial legal child support orders, which is a core function of the agency.

• Enforcing an Existing Order: Mark has a court order for child support from his ex-wife, who lives in a different county. Recently, she has fallen behind on payments, causing financial strain for Mark and their child. Mark reaches out to his local Office of Child-Support Enforcement. The agency reviews the existing order and takes steps to enforce it, which might include initiating wage garnishment from his ex-wife's employer or intercepting tax refunds, to ensure the overdue payments are collected.

  This demonstrates the agency's role in enforcing existing child support orders and utilizing various collection methods to ensure payments are made, even when parents reside in different jurisdictions.

• Interstate Child Support Collection: Sarah lives in Florida with her son, and the child's father lives in Georgia. They have a child support order established in Florida. When the father loses his job and stops making payments, Sarah contacts the Florida Office of Child-Support Enforcement. The Florida agency then collaborates with its counterpart in Georgia to locate the father, verify his employment status, and initiate enforcement actions within Georgia, such as income withholding, to resume child support payments.

  This scenario highlights the office's capacity to handle interstate child support cases, working across state lines to ensure that children continue to receive financial support, regardless of where each parent resides.