
We know that children have the best chance for success when they receive emotional and financial support from both parents. ACF has worked hard to deliver services that lift up parents so they can provide this critical support for their families. Recently, OCSS published a rule that would build on these efforts and make it easier for state and tribal child support programs to offer employment and training services to unemployed and underemployed parents.
Research indicates that a noncustodial parent’s employment status directly correlates to reliability of child support payments. Providing employment and training services to parents with child support obligations who may be unemployed or underemployed has proven to help these parents and, in turn, their children. These types of national and state-based programs can result in increased employment rates, earnings, and amount and regularity of child support payments.
The Employment and Training Services for Noncustodial Parents in the Child Support Program final rule aligns with our commitment to whole-family strategies and to increase financial stability and economic mobility for families. It will give state and tribal child support programs the flexibility to use federal funding to provide services such as skills assessments, job search assistance, job readiness training, occupational training, job placement, and work supports, including transportation assistance. These services can help parents struggling to pay child support find a job that can help them make regular payments.
Many child support programs work to increase parent participation in the workforce, improve compliance with child support orders, and provide families with a path to economic stability. This rule will support those current efforts and make it easier for other programs to launch child support-led employment and training efforts.
Child support programs interested in starting an employment and training program can visit the OCSS website to access the Knowledge Works and Tribal Employment Pathways resources. These resources have planning tools, sample forms and templates, training videos, and more.
I’m so proud that we were able to get this important rule published. Thank you to my hardworking OCSS colleagues and child support partners nationwide for your perseverance, thoughtful feedback, and commitment to promoting child well-being by serving the whole family.

Tanguler Gray, Commissioner
This blog gives the commissioner a forum to communicate directly with child support professionals and other partners about relevant topics.