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A Problem Too Big for Government Alone
"The General Accounting Office reports that the amount of unpaid child support has grown from $45 billion to $89 billion in just the four-year period ending August 2001.
The GAO also cites data from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement revealing that child support collections decreased from 21% to 17%."
Looking at the statistics above, it is clear the government cannot do it alone. It is necessary to ensure that attorneys, private companies, and others involved in child support enforcement can continue to do their part to collect the dollars owed to families, more importantly children, in need. NCCSO works to protect the options available to parents to collect the child support they deserve.
The government’s incapacity to deal with unpaid child support collections is further illustrated by the following evidence collected from a variety of media outlets across the nation.
The
fact is that custodial parents must have
effective enforcement options when seeking to collect their
child support.
Your Options
'Steps on Collecting Support'
Use this a starting point to learn more about your options. Or read below for more information on the
role of government agencies, private support enforcement
agencies and private attorneys.
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"Private
business is very well equipped to handle this
situation [child support enforcement]."
- Mary
Lou Lacey
NCCSO
member
She
hired a private child support enforcement
agency after five years of receiving little
support from her ex-husband. She found the
company by using the yellow pages.
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Government
Agencies
Most government child support enforcement agencies
are supported by tax dollars and offer enforcement services
for nominal cost to the custodial parent. Others charge
some fees to cover part of their costs. Government agencies
also have direct access to some enforcement processes that
only they can use. While government child support enforcement
agencies want to try to assist custodial parents, their
limited resources make it difficult for them to help many
of their clients collect any child support.
Private
Child Support Enforcement Agencies
Because private enforcement agencies do not receive government funding, they
must charge fees for their services. Private child support enforcement agencies
usually work on contingency fees that equal a percentage of the amount of support
collected. If they do not collect child support for a client, most of them
do not charge the client. Because private enforcement agencies are funded by
client fees, they are often able to devote more time and attention to their
cases than can government agencies that are operating with limited government
funding. This may make a difference in hard-to-solve and interstate cases.
Private agencies do not, however, have access to some enforcement processes
that are available to government enforcement agencies.
Private
Attorneys
Family law attorneys may also be able to help
enforce court orders for child support. Private attorneys
usually require some fees to be paid in advance, although
some may work on contingency fees. Private attorneys may
be most effective when the custodial parent and the non-custodial
parent live in the same town or state.
Other Options and Tools
Qualified Domestic Relations Orders: A Much Overlooked Tool for Collecting Your Past-Due Child Support
A Consumer’s Guide to Private Child Support Enforcement Agencies
Click here to read our 'Tips for Parents' on how to get your case heard!
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