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Information for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and other City agencies

The child support program continuously seeks to identify improvements to our program to achieve better outcomes for the children, parents, and guardians we serve. For a basic summary of our services, see Child Support Overview and the Infographic or access the OCSS Resources Flyer.

Community Partners and the partnerships OCSS has with other City agencies are vital to us for sharing information about child support with parents and informing strategies to best assist the families and children that we all serve. If your organization would like to receive training for your staff on any child support topics, please contact Alan Farrell at 929-252-5219 or alan.farrell@dfa.state.ny.us. You can also refer to the list of upcoming Training Institute Webinars.

For close to 10 years, we have had a committee of community partners who meet with us to share ideas, suggestions, and concerns. There have been several new initiatives and changes that have come out of the committee, as outlined in our Child Support Snapshot . Contact Alan Farrell at 929-252-5219 or alan.farrell@dfa.state.ny.us if you are interested in participating.


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Relevant Documents

Additional Videos

Upcoming Presentations

The Child Support Training Institute Update

We look forward to seeing you at our free virtual child support webinars.

HRA's Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) Training Institute presents The Child Support Information Hour – an ongoing series designed to shed light on the sometimes complicated issues around child support. Programs are designed for staff at city agencies and community-based organizations, as well as our clients – custodial and noncustodial parents – and professionals that work with those clients. Each session starts with a presentation that is followed by a question and answer period.

How community-based organizations can benefit from learning about the child support program: Child support clients who are either noncustodial or custodial parents are also often participants of many other programs such as: Child Welfare, Corrections, Veterans Affairs, Workforce One, DYCD, Head Start, SNAP, Cash Assistance, Nurse Family Practitioners, Jobs Plus, and many community-based organizations. The services the child support program provides can support or detract from the goals of your organization. These information sessions can help you better understand the intersection between our program and yours. We would love for you to encourage your clients to attend sessions that might interest them. All are welcome!

All sessions are held virtually on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 11:00am, unless otherwise noted. There is no cost for these webinars, we end each session with a question-and-answer period. Links for registering are below. Please Note: If you have trouble registering for any session, please email us immediately at OCSS.TrainingInsitute@dfa.state.ny.us.

What's New in Child Support

Tuesday, September 10th at 10:00am
Attendees will learn about our latest initiatives, our new program offerings, and our approach to make child support easier to understand. Attendees will receive information about the NYC Child Support Mobile App where custodial parents can apply for child support, noncustodial parents can make online payments, and both parents can manage aspects of their child support case.

Best Suited For: Staff of organizations who work regularly with families or individuals and want to learn about new services available from OCSS.

Register for the What's New in Child Support webinar

An Introduction to Interstate Child Support Cases

Tuesday, September 24th at 10:00am
Most child support cases involve a custodial and noncustodial parent who live in the same jurisdiction. However, there are cases where the parents live in two different jurisdictions/states or countries and the child support programs in those jurisdictions need to cooperate and work together to provide child support services. Child support is federally mandated, state supervised, and in New York State, locally administered. While there are many different factors to consider, this webinar will cover the basics of how different child support agencies work together to deliver the support that children need, regardless of where they and the parents live.

Best Suited For
Staff of government and community-based organizations that work with individuals who have a child support case, and attorneys that handle child support cases.

Register for the An Introduction to Interstate Child Support Cases webinar

How Do I…? Information on Managing a Child Support Case

Tuesday, October 8th at 10:00 AM

Attendees will learn how to complete several important activities related to child support, including how to prepare for court, make a payment, modify a child support order, complete a parenting time agreement, and get help with child support issues.

Best Suited For:
Custodial and Noncustodial parents and staff of organizations that work with individuals who have a child support case or may be considering applying for child support.

Register for the How Do I…? webinar

Snapshot: A Tool for Community-Based Organizations

Tuesday, October 22nd at 10:00 AM

OCSS developed the Snapshot tool to allow staff at Community-Based Organizations to get basic details about a child support case. CBOs and advocacy groups are trusted advisers that can provide a crucial link to services for their clients. Snapshot is a secure online tool that allows groups to assist clients by accessing a Snapshot of their child support case. This one-page document lists payments made, the amount of money that is owed and to whom, and any enforcement actions taken on the case. It also includes a list of recommended next steps in response to details of the specific case. To maintain client privacy, a signed OCSS Child Support Snapshot permission form is required to release information to your organization. To sign up, email OCSSinfo@dfa.state.ny.us with “Child Support Snapshot” entered as the subject line.

Best Suited For:
Attorneys, and staff of organizations that have a basic knowledge of child support and want a deeper understanding of the steps NCPs can take to reduce debt that is owed either to the government or the custodial parent, modify their order, challenge an enforcement action, or obtain a hardship review.

Register for the Snapshot webinar

Child Support Issues for Veterans and Active Military

Tuesday, October 29th at 10:00 AM

Attendees will learn about the importance of child support for veterans and their families, and the resources that are available for veterans and active military regarding child support issues.

Best Suited For:
Veterans, NYC DVS staff and providers, including staff of organizations that work with individuals who have a child support case or may be considering applying for child support.

Register for the Child Support Issues for Veterans and Active Military webinar

Child Support Agreements and Mediation Options

Tuesday, November 12 at 10:00 AM

This session is open to all noncustodial and custodial parents seeking a child support order – to explore the ways that agreements - either for a new order or modification of an existing order - can be used to simplify and expedite the child support process by limiting visits to family court. This session will also cover how mediation can be used to address child support debt that is owed to the custodial parent.

Best Suited For:
Parents involved with child support and staff of organizations that work with individuals who have a child support case or may be considering applying for child support.

Register for the Child Support Agreements and Mediation Options webinar

How to Prepare for Court, What to Bring, and What to Expect

Tuesday, November 19th at 10:00 AM

Attendees will learn about the role of Family Court in establishing and modifying child support orders, and how to prepare for court. Parents can appear without a lawyer. It is best to be prepared and bring the appropriate documents. This session will describe what happens during a child support hearing, what documents are needed, and what the outcome means for both the custodial and noncustodial parent.

Best Suited For:
Parents who expect to go to Family Court for an initial child support order, or who want to modify an existing order, as well as staff of organizations that work with individuals who have a child support case or may be considering establishing / getting a child support order.

Register for the How to Prepare for Court webinar

Special Executive Session: Q&A with OCSS Leadership

Tuesday, December 3rd at 10:00 AM

This event is open to everyone in the community, including noncustodial and custodial parents with or without a child support order. The leaders of OCSS want to listen and hear from you. They will make short presentations about how NYC Child Support works and then answer questions from attendees on all subjects related to child support.

Best Suited For:
Parents and staff of organizations that work with individuals who have a child support case or who are thinking of applying for child support. This is an opportunity to meet the leadership of OCSS and let them know your thoughts and ideas about the program. Please help us spread the word to parents involved with or interested in the child support program.

Register for the Special Executive Session webinar

Getting Started with Child Support: What Can I Expect?

Tuesday, December 17th at 10:00 AM

Child Support is complicated, and many people who might be considering child support, or who find out that they have been summoned to a child support hearing, don't know what to expect. Research shows that many single parents, particularly low-income parents, are eligible for child support but have not applied. This webinar reviews all the initial steps in the process – from starting a child support case to attending the hearing in front of a Support Magistrate in Family Court. We’ll cover the necessary steps and documentation required as well as the importance of attending the hearing. The general timeline for establishing a child support order will also be covered. We’ll also review our new package of material being provided to parents/guardians applying for child support services and with a court date.

Best Suited For:
Parents considering child support and staff of organizations that work with individuals who have a child support case or may be considering applying for child support.

Register for the Getting Started with Child Support webinar

Fundamentals of Child Support

Tuesday, January 7th at 10:00 AM

This webinar provides a detailed overview of the entire child support process including information on the value of child support, the lifecycle of a child support case, and a description of programs designed to benefit parents who have a child support case.

Best Suited For:
Parents and staff of organizations that serve families or individuals that are new to child support or those who would like to refresh their knowledge.

Register for the Fundamentals of Child Support webinar

Child Support Administrative Enforcement Actions: What NCPs Need to Know

Tuesday, January 14th at 10:00 AM

This training takes a deep dive into administrative enforcement actions that are taken when child support payments aren’t made in a timely fashion and arrears begin to accumulate. Participants will learn about when enforcement actions occur, exemptions, and how to challenge an administrative enforcement action.

Best Suited For:
Attorneys, parents, and staff of organizations that have a working knowledge of child support and want a deeper understanding of the administrative enforcement mechanism.

Register for the Child Support Administrative Enforcement Actions webinar

Child Support: Debt Reduction Options for NCPs

Tuesday, January 28 at 10:00 AM

Unpaid child support debt is a serious problem for noncustodial parents as well as custodial parents and their children. It leads to enforcement actions that can interfere with job retention, create barriers for father engagement and cause stress for all parties. In fact, most debt is owed by NCPs with little ability to pay. HHS has recommended that debt be reduced to help avoid incidents of child abuse and neglect. Participants will learn about the important OCSS programs that can administratively reduce child support debt owed to the government as well as strategies to avoid debt in the first place and an option for negotiating debt owed to custodial parents.

Best Suited For:
Attorneys, parents, and staff of organizations that have a working knowledge of child support and want a deeper understanding of the steps NCPs can take to reduce debt that is owed either to the government or the custodial parent.

Register for the Child Support Debt Reduction Options webinar

The Basics of Child Support for New Parents

Tuesday, February 4th at 10:00 AM

This session is open to all parents – noncustodial and custodial parents with a child support order, as well as parents that are thinking of applying for child support. Participants will learn about the basics of child support: eligibility, the application process, how to receive child support safely, and what to expect during the life of a child support case.

Best Suited For:
Parents and staff of organizations that work with individuals who have a child support case or who are thinking of applying for child support.

Register for The Basics of Child Support for New Parents webinar

2023 Policy Conference Materials

The Office of Child Support Services held its biennial policy conference, “Confronting Structural Racism in the Child Support Program: Listening, Understanding, and Taking Action.”  The goal was to have an in-depth discussion about how structural racism affects the families we serve and delve into ways that we could reduce the negative effects that child support and closely related programs have on Black and Brown people paying and receiving child support.  We brought together distinguished speakers and panelists, led by keynote speakers Jennifer Jones Austin (CEO/Executive Director, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies) and David Pate, Jr., Ph.D. (School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison), from areas of child support, child welfare, economics, and law as well as parents who have experienced the child support system firsthand. 

Link to conference overview by OCSS Executive Deputy Commissioner Frances Pardus-abbadessa and interviews with multiple presenters and panelists: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeg1TxRXTePhFKSUgbIojDu-Ypk-77TBx

Slides:

Child Support in the Community Newsletter