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DES Recognizes Child Support Awareness Month

As proclaimed by Governor Doug Ducey, August is Child Support Awareness Month, an opportunity to highlight the significance of child support for Arizona families. It’s critical that children receive support from their parents and caretakers, and the DES Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) works diligently with all parties involved to ensure our state’s next generation has the resources needed to thrive.

DCSS operates as Arizona’s child support program under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act (IV-D), which enables us to provide a myriad of services. In State Fiscal Year 2022, more than 137,700 children statewide have been helped, and over $644 million has been collected in child support, $329.1 million of which was collected by DCSS, with the remaining funds collected by the Arizona Clerks of the Court and Navajo Nation Child Support Services.

The services we provide extend far beyond the mere enforcement of child support orders. We work with both the parents/caretakers who receive child support, as well as the parents who pay child support, to find equitable solutions. Understanding that unforeseen circumstances can disrupt anyone’s lives at any time, we work with child support payors and employers to gain understanding of the child support processes and barriers to making payments and provide assistance in navigation through payment options, settlement and hardship programs, if applicable, so children can receive the support they need.

Additional services we provide include obtaining a child support order; collecting child, medical and spousal support payments from parents who have a court order; and helping parents establish paternity. You can learn more about the variety of services available to help both parents support their children by visiting des.az.gov/dcss.

The goals of the child support program are to ensure that children are supported by their parents; to foster family responsibility by offering services and resources to families that will help them become more self-reliant; and to reduce the costs of public assistance to the taxpayer. I am proud of the way our teams focus on equitable situations that help support our state’s children.

Michael Wisehart