MAKING A DIFFERENCE : One County’s Approach: Aggressively Collect Child Support

Since 1872, California law has mandated that parents support their children, regardless of marital status. More than a century later, however, only about 40% of child support orders tracked by district attorneys statewide result in any payments. Every county hounds parents who neglect their child support obligations, but the Orange County district attorney’s family support division ranks first among California’s 13 largest counties in the percentage of payments recovered, with 53% of Orange County child support orders resulting in at least partial payment.

Orange County District Attorney’s Family Support Division Caseload:

(Percent of caseload welfare)

1988: 42%

1989: 44%

1990: 44%

1991: 46%

1992: 53%

1993: 53%

1993 (projected): 92,368)

(Thousands)

Total Child Support Payments collected through D.A.’s office:

(Millions of dollars)

1993: $45 million (projected)

Sources: Orange County District Attorney Family Support Division, Children Now

TOOLS TO TRACK AND OBTAIN PAYMENT FROM DELINQUENT PARENTS:

Social Security numbers gathered from drivers’ license renewal forms.

Personal information from public utility records.

Wage, income tax refund, unemployment and disability benefit attachments.

Reports to credit bureaus about overdue child support payments.

Inform state professional licensing agencies of support arrearages and request withholding of license renewals.

RANGE OF SERVICES:

Establish paternity of children owed support

Locate delinquent parent

Establish, modify, and enforce child support-related court orders.

Collect child and spousal payments

Establish and enforce medical support payment (Primarily ensuring coverage of children under any insurance policies of non-custodial parent)

BENEFITS OF VIGILANCE:

Effective child support enforcement would in some cases eliminate the need for welfare or at least reduce the costs of providing welfare.

OPINION

Angelo Doti, Director of Financial Assistance, Orange County Social Services Agency

“In Orange County for February 1993 there were 28,247 families (single parent households receiving Aid for Families With Dependent Children). About 94% of those families are receiving AFDC because of lack of child support or insufficient child support.

“Increased child support collection and, in the future, increased medical support collection . . . relieves the taxpayer of long-term responsibility of dealing with someone being irresponsible enough to have children and then not supporting them. There are two winners--the children and the taxpayer.”