Communicating with our Customers

We have a dedicated team of professionals who ensure we communicate effectively with our customers and partners in the child support program. We respond to parents who contact us directly as well as to those who write to the White House or Congress seeking help with child support cases. We ensure that the information we share on our website is accurate and current.

External communications

No one should have to read something several times before they can act on it. That’s why federal law requires us to use plain language. We strive to write in a concise way that’s easy to understand and avoids misinterpretation. We certainly don’t want to burden customers by making them contact us for clarification. 

The way we communicate depends on the target audience. We adapt the relevant information to the customer — moms and dads, state and tribal program directors, legislative staff, international partners, the employer community — to make the message as clear as possible. 

We train our staff to follow plain language writing rules. Everything OCSE publishes goes through an internal review process to ensure accuracy, clarity, and relevance for our customers. 

Responding to parents

Our customer service team is often the first point of contact for parents, even when they initially reach out to the White House, elected officials, or local child support offices. Our team explains how the child support program works and helps parents navigate child support processes, including complicated interstate procedures. The local child support office manages the case, and we work closely with our state or tribal program partners to gather the case information to provide a written response to the parent.

We also analyze trends and information from public inquiries, such as demographics and key concerns, to improve customer service. Tracking this data helps us understand the key issues, complaints, and concerns that parents have about the child support program or their case. Most customers contact us about enforcement actions, locating a parent in an international case, or issues related to past-due support and payments. We get the most inquiries from custodial parents, followed by foreign governments and noncustodial parents.  

Online resources

We want to equip our partners with the latest tools and data to run their child support programs smoothly. We keep customers and partners informed by updating our website with policy changes, research reports, and other news and resources.

Our Child Support Professionals section shares OCSE policy, federally required forms, and other training and resources. The Parents section includes contact information for state and tribal child support offices, how to sign up for services, and the process to change a child support order.

Find more information about OCSE and the national program on our About page and sign up for our Child Support Report newsletter.