Child Support Services

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

The child support program serves one in seven children in New York City and collects more than three-quarters of a billion dollars annually on their behalf. As an agency, we continuously seek 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.

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 desk guide entitled How You Can Help Your Clients with Child Support (19-DG-03) for some taking points.

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. 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

Next Steps (For Referrals to Customer Service)
US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty: Transforming Child Support into a Family Building System
NYC's Job Training Program Adapts to Challenges
Her Justice: Towards Justice For Parents in Child Support Courts
Aspen Institute: Reducing Arrears: Child Support Policy Fact Sheet
Aspen Institute: An Evidence-Based Approach to Child Support
NCSEA Child Support Communique: Co-Parenting: Opportunities and Challenges for the Child Support Program
Federal OCSS, Child Support Report: Co-Parenting Services and the Child Support Program (page 5)
Federal OCSS, Child Support Report: New York - NYC (page 11) - 2019 Child Support Awareness Month event at the DHS shelter
Urban Institute, Elaine Sorensen: Child Support Plays an Increasingly Important Role for Poor Custodial Families
Federal OCSS: The Child Support Program is a Good Investment, Story Behind the Numbers
US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty: Transforming Child Support into a Family-Building System
Columbia University School of Social Work: The Role of Child Support Debt on the Development of Mental Health Problems among Nonresident Fathers
New York City Independent Budget Office, Fiscal Brief: A Shift In Priorities and Caseload at the City's Office of Child Support Enforcement
2016-2017 OCSS Biennial Report (formerly Annual Report)

Additional Videos

Although all of our videos are posted to the OCSS YouTube Channel, this section lists videos intended for our partners.

Upcoming Presentations

What’s New in Child Support

Tuesday, November 15th at 10:00 AM – click here to register
Attendees will learn about our latest initiatives, our new program offerings, and our approach to make child support easier to understand. Attendees will also receive information about the new OCSS App where custodial parents can apply for child support 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.

Child Support Enforcement Actions: What You Need to Know

Tuesday, November 29th at 10:00 AM – click here to register
This training takes a deep dive into enforcement actions that are taken when child support payments aren’t made in a timely fashion. Participants will learn about eligibility, exemptions, and how to respond to these actions.

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.

Child Support in the Community Newsletter