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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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Click a topic, or press the enter key on a topic, to reveal the details.

Relevant Documents

Child Support Snapshot
Debt Reduction Flyer for Service Providers
CBO Information Packet
Next Steps (For Referrals to Customer Service)
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
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
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
2022 Annual Report
2023-2024 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

Child Support Administrative Enforcement Actions: What NCPs Need to Know

Tuesday, July 15th at 10:00 AM – click here to register:https://bit.ly/4g162ur

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.

An Introduction to Interstate Child Support Cases

Tuesday, August 5^th at 10:00 AM – https://bit.ly/4jfoAK5

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.

The Basics of Child Support Account Statements

Tuesday, August 19th at 10:00 AM –https://bit.ly/42hqdRC

One of the benefits of a child support case is it provides a record of what has been paid by the noncustodial parent, to whom it was paid, and when it was paid. Account statements inform the parties, and the court about the financials of a child support case. It is provided during a court hearing when an order is already established, and it can be requested ad hoc. This webinar will explain the components of an account statement and how to interpret it.

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

Why Am I Not Receiving My Child Support Payment?

Tuesday, September 9th at 10:00 AM –https://bit.ly/40laTR0

This webinar provides information about reasons that a custodial parent may not be receiving child support payments and the steps that a CP can take to address the situation. It is most likely that a CP is not getting payments because the noncustodial parent (NCP) has stopped making payments, but there can be other reasons as well. This webinar will present the common issues that lead to non-payment and present strategies for addressing each situation.

Best Suited For: Custodial parents, staff at community-based organizations and government agencies, legal services providers.

Child Support: Debt Reduction Options for NCPs

Tuesday, September 16^th at 10:00 AM – click here to register:https://bit.ly/40aqDpW

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.

Snapshot: A Tool for Community-Based Organizations

Tuesday, September 30^th at 10:00 AM – click here to register: https://bit.ly/4fWXzYZ

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.

Child Support: Agreements and Mediation Options

Tuesday, October 7th at 10:00 AM – https://bit.ly/3CbsOBO

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.

What Do I Do If…?

Tuesday, October 21st at 10:00 AM –https://bit.ly/40yh1GZ

Child support can be complicated, and it usually lasts for many years. During that time, events often occur that require CPs and NCPs to take steps to inform OCSS and/or Family Court about changed circumstances. This webinar explores some of the most common situations that OCSS clients may need to address, including a change in custody, job loss, changes in a child’s status, and relocation of one or more parties.

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

Child Support Issues for Veterans and Active Military

Tuesday, November 4th at 10:00 AM – click here to register: https://bit.ly/3E08RP6

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.

Special Executive Session: Q&A with OCSS Leadership

Tuesday, November 18^th at 10:00 AM – https://bit.ly/42hqT9C

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.

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

Tuesday, December 2^nd at 10:00 AM – click here to register: https://bit.ly/4fTGxuQ

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.

The Basics of Child Support for New Parents

Tuesday, December 16^th at 10:00 AM – click here to register:https://bit.ly/4fYlsQ4

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.

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