The following information has been kindly provided by the Office of Child Support Enforcement

American children today live with the legacy of numerous social changes that took place during the second half of the 20th century. Divorce rates rose. Births to unmarried women rose. Family structure became much more fluid. The mission of attorneys and other professionals working in child support enforcement is to ensure that, despite these changes, today's children retain a degree of security, financial and otherwise, to see them through their youth.

Established under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program is charged with locating noncustodial parents, establishing paternity, and obtaining and enforcing orders for support owed by noncustodial parents to their children. This Federal legislation places responsibility for the program at both the Federal and State levels, giving the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) primary administrative, regulatory, and technical assistance responsibilities and delegating to State IV-D agencies the daily operational aspects of the program.

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