Arizona DCSE Brochure

The information contained on this page is as displayed in the Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Child Support Enforcement brochure.

Program Description

Established in 1975 as Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, the Department of Economic Security Child Support Enforcement Program is a federal/state/local effort to collect child support from parents who are legally obligated to pay. Its goals are threefold: to ensure that children are supported by their parents, to foster family responsibility and to reduce the costs of welfare to the taxpayer. State enforcement programs locate absent parents, establish paternity, establish and enforce support orders, and collect child support payments.

The Child Support Enforcement program does not handle other problems that people often have along with child support problems. Problems such as property settlement, visitation and custody are not, by themselves, support enforcement issues, and by law the Child Support Enforcement program cannot extend its services to enforce court orders pertaining to them.

Eligibility Information

The Division of Child Support Enforcement provides services without charge to any parent or person with physical custody of a child who needs help. These services include:

• Finding the non-custodial parent: Locate
• Establishing legal parentage for children: Paternity
• Establishing the legal support order: Establishment
• Enforcing support order and collecting child support payments: Enforcement

Persons currently receiving assistance payments under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program (which replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program) or federally-assisted Foster Care or Medical Assistance Only automatically receive child support enforcement services.

Persons not receiving any state or federal assistance will need to complete an application requesting child support enforcement services.

The Division of Child Support Enforcement must, in accordance with federal and state laws, attempt to protect from disclosure personally identifiable information concerning applicants or recipients of child support enforcement services.

How to Apply

You can apply for Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement services by requesting an application, either in person, writing or by phone, from your local child support office.

Documents Needed

In order to make progress on your case, child support workers need the following:

• Name and address of the parent obligated to pay
• Non-custodial parent’s social security number
• Children’s birth certificates
• Name and address of the current or most recent employer of the non-custodial parent
• Names of friends and relatives and names of organizations to which the non-custodial parent might belong
• Information pertaining to income and other assets, pay-stubs, tax returns, bank accounts, investments, or property holdings of the non-custodial parent
• Any other information about the identity and whereabouts of the non-custodial parent

Along with the complete application, return the following documents, where applicable:

• One copy of the court order that pertains to child support or paternity of the child(ren)
• One copy of all orders/modifications that pertain to child support
• One copy of all payment records pertaining to your case, if payment is ordered through a Clerk of Court
• If establishment of paternity is needed, a copy of the birth certificate along with any written statements (letters or notes) in which the alleged father has said or implied that the child is his.
• If establishment of a court order is needed, an Affidavit of Financial information will be needed

No matter where you start – establishing who the father is, finding the non-custodial parent, establishing or enforcing a support order – the Child Support Enforcement Office must have all the pertinent facts in order to pursue your case successfully. The more information you know and provide the Child Support Enforcement Office, the more success you will have in obtaining regular and full child support payments for your children.

Where to Apply

Division of Child Support Enforcement Offices
 

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