Child Support Made Easy San Bernardino DCSS helps parents pay, receive and communicate about child support B Y K R Y S TA S C R I P T E R
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parents. By letting the agency here’s a lot of misconceptions about child support, handle the information-gathering generally speaking, so we really want to educate our on both sides, Fowler says, customers and provide them with accurate information. parents are less likely to come And also [provide] resources so that we can help our customers to court lacking the required successfully participate in this situation,” says Shannon Fowler, materials they need. a Supervising Child Support Specialist with DCSS. “So there’s Dealing with child support is not an easy a greater process, but that’s why the county offers likelihood that that order will be services to parents. DCSS can assist accurate and accurate orders means with enforcing court orders, managing orders someone can actually make payments, or even communicating payments on,” Fowler says. on behalf of the parent seeking It’s not just court orders. child support. With its connections to other “Our services are needed agencies, DCSS can help when the family has reached a unemployed parents find jobs, certain point where they’re no navigate financial hardships, longer communicating,” Fowler and even renegotiate court says. DCSS can connect parents orders to add childcare and with the necessary resources other needed costs. In one they need to deal with issues like instance, DCSS was able to help unemployment or discussing new Shannon Fowler a previously incarcerated parent support payments. Supervising Child Support Specialist, San Bernardino County DCSS find employment and successfully “Another benefit for our pay child support on a consistent basis. customers is that sometimes they do In another case, DCSS assisted a parent in co-parent successfully until it comes to the getting a substantial payment from Social financial support, right?” Fowler says. “We Security thanks to their derivative can be that person to call and discuss benefits, a benefit they had no idea financial aspects of the parenting previously existed. of their children because that can “If our customers engage with sometimes be a contention point.” us, we will do everything we can DCSS uses as many digital to remove those barriers and really processes as it can to simplify help out their kids, which is really things for parents, including virtual everyone’s goal,” Fowler says. meetings, text communications and online appointment scheduling. Case managers can also handle documents for court proceedings, a process that PHOTO COURTESY OF SHANNON FOWLER Fowler says makes it much simpler for
If our customers engage with us, we will do everything we can to remove those barriers and really help out their kids, which is really everyone’s goal.”
6 | LET US HELP YOU GET THERE | San Bernardino County Department of Child Support Services
DID YOU KNOW… San Bernardino County Department of Child Support Services offers a streamlined application process to make it easy to get your child support payments—you can open a case online at www.childsupport.ca.gov. • You’ll need the full name, address, phone number, and employment information of the other parent, as well as any other medical or financial documentation of any other government-related aid you may have received on behalf of your children. • The county can usually locate the other parent, but the more information you have, the quicker the process will be. If you have a divorce order or other court order, bring those too. • You can apply online, or you can download a copy of the paper application to mail in. For any questions, call the Department of Child Support Services at 866-901-3212.
