August is Child Support Awareness Month

In fiscal year 2017/18, there was a total of 8,962 open child support cases throughout Yuba, Sutter and Colusa counties – Sutter County accounting for 49 percent of the total. Of those cases, child support services in the three counties helped distribute a total of $16.6 million in collections.

Every August, child support services departments around the nation recognize Child Support Awareness Month to help raise awareness of the programs they provide.

The statewide theme this year is “You are there for them, we’ll be there for you.”

“Child Support Awareness Month is an opportunity for us to share information about our services,” said Tina Taylor, director of Child Support Services in Yuba County. “The Department of Child Support Services can have a critical role in improving the lives of families in Yuba County. Children need both parents to support them and we can help.”

Child Support Services assists parents to establish paternity and child support orders and enforce child and medical support orders, said Natalie Dillon, director of Child Support Services for Yolo, Sutter and Colusa counties.

“We will assist to modify child support orders when appropriate,” she said. “We collect from and distribute child support to parents as well as provide full accounting of all child support owed, paid and received. If needed, we can provide genetic testing to determine parentage or locate services to find parents for the purposes of child support.”

Taylor said if there is a change in circumstances such as with a job, custody or visitation, parents already paying support may qualify for a modification of the order.

“If a driver’s license or profession license has been suspended as a result of non-payment of child support, call the department,” Taylor said.

If child support is not being paid, a case can be opened through child support services for enforcement. Those with qualifying unpaid child support debt can seek relief through a compromise of arrears program that may reduce a portion of the debt.

“Our goal is to work with both parents to establish a reasonable order for child support,” Dillon said.

Child support services are free for parents enrolled in the Temporary Aid to Need Families Program. Others only need to pay a $25 annual fee.

Yuba County Child Support Services is located at 5730 Packard Ave., Suite 200, Marysville. Sutter County Child Support Services is headquartered at 543 Garden Highway, Suite A, Yuba City. For more information, call (866) 901-3212.