About

The Family Court Division plays a critical role in promoting the well-being of the City's children and protecting the general public.

The Family Court Division consists of two units:

The Interstate Child Support Unit appears on behalf of out-of-state custodial parent petitioners who are seeking to establish paternity and obtain child support from New York City residents. In addition, a custodial parent who lives in New York City may seek the Unit's assistance in filing for child support from parents who live outside the state and the country.

Attorneys in the Family Court Division's Interstate Child Support Unit primarily handle child support petitions filed under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) by out-of-state jurisdictions or custodial parents residing in other states, U.S. Commonwealths, and many foreign countries. Staff also assist many New York City residents in obtaining paternity and child support orders.

The Juvenile Delinquency Prosecution Unit investigates and prosecutes, where appropriate, juvenile delinquency matters that are referred to our office or removed from the Youth Part to the office and prosecutes the matters where appropriate. Juvenile delinquency matters involve youth ages 12 to 17 who have been arrested for conduct that would constitute a crime if they were adults.

In prosecuting juvenile delinquency, the Family Court Division's Juvenile Delinquency Prosecution Unit seeks to ensure that those youth who commit delinquent acts are held accountable for their misconduct and receive appropriate services. The Family Court system is focused on rehabilitation. The Law Department seeks to balance the need for protection of the community with the needs and the best interests of the youth. The Division's work also includes providing information to victims of youth crime on available community-based services, including counseling, crisis intervention, and safety planning.

In 2018, the Family Court Division handled approximately 2,800 juvenile delinquency referrals and approximately 3,500 new Interstate Child Support cases.
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About the New York City Law Department

The New York City Law Department is one of the oldest, largest, and most dynamic law offices in the world, ranking among the top largest law offices in New York City and one of the largest public law offices in the country. Tracing its roots back to the 1600s, the Department has an active caseload of 80,000 matters and transactions in 16 legal divisions. The Corporation Counsel heads the Law Department and acts as legal counsel for the Mayor, elected officials, the City, and all its agencies. The Department's approximately 900 attorneys represent the City on a vast array of civil litigation, legislative and legal issues, and in the prosecution of juvenile delinquency matters. For more information, please visit www.nyc.gov/law.