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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

2026 Webinar Schedule

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

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

NOW: Every presentation is simultaneously translated into Spanish.

How community-based organizations can benefit from learning about the child support program:  Child support clients are often also participants in 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 programs. 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 also encourage your clients to attend sessions that might interest them. All are welcome!

NOTE: If you have trouble registering for any session, please email us immediately at OCSS.TrainingInsitute@dfa.state.ny.us.  

How to Prepare for Family Court: What to Bring, What to Expect

Tuesday, September 15th at 10:00 AM – Click Here to Register

Attendees will learn about the role of Family Court in establishing and modifying child support orders, and how to prepare for court. Parents or guardians can appear without a lawyer. It is best to be prepared and bring the appropriate documents to court. 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 applying for child support.


Child Support Administrative Enforcement Actions: What NCPs Need to Know

Tuesday, September 22nd at 10:00 AM – Click Here to Register

This session takes a deep dive into administrative enforcement actions that are taken when child support payments are not made in a timely fashion, and arrears (debt) 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, guardians, and staff of organizations that have a working knowledge of child support and want a deeper understanding of the administrative enforcement mechanism so they can better advise their clients. 


Child Support: Debt Reduction Options for NCPs  

Tuesday, September 29th at 10:00 AM – Click Here to Register

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. Experts have suggested that debt reduction can reduce tensions between family members. 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.


Child Support: Cost of Living Adjustments and Modifications  

Tuesday, October 6th at 10:00 AM – Click Here to Register

This session reviews the ways that a child support obligation amount can change. Child support orders may be increased with a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) without going back to court. Only custodial parents whose child support orders are paid through OCSS can get a COLA. Noncustodial parents can object to the COLA increase; this session describes what this means and what steps need to be taken. The obligation amount can also be adjusted up or down based on changes in the circumstances of the noncustodial parent by applying to Family Court for a modification.

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


Child Support Issues for Veterans and Active Military

Tuesday, October 27th at 10:00 AM – Click Here to Register

Attendees will learn about the importance of child support services 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.


Family Issues: Custody, Visitation, Child Support and Parent Supports

Tuesday, November 10th at 10:00 AM – Click Here to Register

Custody and visitation issues are addressed in Family Court, but not in the same part where child support orders are issued. Attendees will learn about how issues of custody can affect the child support process. We will also look at co-parenting strategies and how those can impact child support.

Best Suited For: Custodial and noncustodial parents, guardian, staff at community-based organizations that work with individuals who have a child support case, government agencies and legal services providers.


Special Executive Session: Q&A with OCSS Leadership   

Tuesday, November 17th at 10:00 AM – Click Here to Register

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. 


Child Support: Agreements and Mediation Options

Tuesday, December 1st at 10:00 AM – Click Here to Register

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.


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

Tuesday, December 15th at 10:00 AM – Click Here to Register

Attendees will learn how to complete several important steps 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, guardians and staff of organizations that work with individuals who have a child support case, debt or may be considering applying for child support.

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