Contact your elected government officials! Write letters, make phone calls, send e-mails and faxes. Tell them your story; express your frustrations with the system; let them know that you need THEIR help in helping YOU get the support you are owed.

Make your voice heard. This is critical for getting responses, creating change and, most importantly, getting ACTION TAKEN ON YOUR CASE.

Here’s a list of elected officials you should target:

• Your state representative (“Find Your Representative”/left-hand column)
• Your state senator (“Find Your Representative”/left-hand column)
• Your state Governor
• Your U.S. Representative in Washington
• Your U.S. Senators in Washington (each state has two, contact both)
• Federal child support enforcement officials, including the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Commissioner of the Office of Child Support Enforcement
• The President of the United States (Yes, the President, if you don’t get help from anyone else)
• Local media outlets. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Send a letter and email to your local television and radio stations about doing a story on the difficulties involved in getting help from the government in collecting your child support.

Hopefully, by taking these actions, your case will come to the attention of top officials in the government child support agency, and you will get some help. If you don’t get prompt help, review some of the other “Options” that are on the NCCSO’s web site---including private attorneys and private child support collection agencies.

Get involved in the legislative process. Even if you get help from the government, you still need to help improve the process for you and others like you.

Call your state and federal representatives. Find out what they can and will do to help improve child support enforcement efforts. Ask them how you can support getting more resources and funding for child support enforcement. Ask them to introduce and support new state laws to increase enforcement options for parents - including allowing private attorneys and private enforcement agencies to use the same enforcement tools that the government uses.

If the government agency doesn’t have the resources to use these tools, then shouldn’t you be able to hire an attorney or private agency to help you?

Join the National Coalition for Child Support Enforcement Options and get your friends, family and co-workers to join as well!

The NCCSO is working to bring attention to the needs and rights of custodial parents. The best way to do this is to increase our membership and present our concerns as a unified group. There is strength in numbers!

When you join the NCCSO (at no costs or dues to you) you will receive:

• Monthly email newsletters that give you tips and other information about child support enforcement and ways in which you can help improve your efforts (and that of other parents) to collect child support.

• Periodic "Alerts" about state legislation that may hurt or help parents who are trying to collect their child support. You will be notified about what you can do to help, including writing letters or even going to your state Capitol to join other NCCSO parents in voicing their concerns to the elected representatives.

• "Tips" about enforcement options and ways in which you can get more help in collecting your child support.

Click here to become a member.

You can also volunteer to serve as an NCCSO Coordinator in your state or area. Send us an email and we will be in touch with you about these opportunities!