Department of Child Support Services enforcing child support orders

“How does the Department of Child Support Services go about enforcing child support orders?”
The Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) is here to help parents and guardians with their child support, legal, collection and accounting needs. The office offers an array of tools and resources to help parents obtain child support. Each office is staffed with highly qualified professionals, including family law attorneys who focus specifically on child support law.

DCSS implements and enforces wage withholdings and lien filings on personal and real estate property, bank accounts, bonuses, and lump sum civil settlements, such as workers compensation cases. DCSS intercepts unemployment, disability, and worker’s compensation benefits, as well as lottery winnings.
There are many tools and resources available only to DCSS. These tools provide DCSS great advantage in enforcement efforts. These include:

• Automated computer interfaces with partner entities such as the Franchise Tax Board;
• Automated filing of legal child support documents;
• Automated intercepts of state and federal tax refunds for past due child support;
• Automated intercepts of unemployment, disability and Social Security benefits;
• Collections through the Franchise Tax Board (e.g. bank accounts);
• Credit reporting of past due child support;
• Automated suspension of driver and/or professional licenses for past due child support;
• Automated passport suspensions; and
• Automated intercepts of lottery winnings.

To help children get the support they deserve, we offer the following free services: establishing paternity and child support orders, enforcing divorce orders for child support, modifying child support orders, and collecting and distributing court-ordered support. For more information: Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department, Orange County Department of Child Support Services, or San Diego County Department of Child Support Services.