Director's Message

Welcome to the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department website.

Our department is here to assist parents with their child support needs.  We do this by helping parents engage in the financial support of their children; and although our area of expertise is in the capacity of financial support, we recognize that children need all types of support from their parents, not just financial support in order to grow up healthy.

Our mission is to serve our customers, focusing on what you need to ensure we are working toward the best outcomes for the children involved.

To this end we look to partner with you and other entities that can help to meet your needs which we believe will translate into helping to meet the needs of children.

Understanding the complexities surrounding child support, we are here to help you navigate the system.  Whether it is order establishment, order compliance, or order modification services we’re here to assist.  We can’t help with everything when it comes to the well-being of your children, but we can help with your child support needs.

We look forward to working with you.

Terrie Hardy, Director

Family Holding Hands
State Strategic Plan
Go to LA County Annual Report

History of the Child Support Enforcement Program

Child Support in the United States

In 1975, Congress amended Title IV-D of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sections 651 et seq.) to require that each state establish a child support enforcement program. The program was originally designed to establish and enforce child support orders for families that were on welfare in order to recover public aid paid to those families. The program was later expanded to provide services to non-aided families.

Child Support in California

In California, child support enforcement services were provided by the District Attorney’s Office in each county. In 1999, the State created a centralized agency, the California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS), to manage all local child support agencies in California. Over the next few years the responsibility for providing child support services transitioned from the District Attorney’s Offices to separate county agencies whose sole purpose is to establish and enforce child support orders.

Los Angeles County Child Support Services

In July 2001, the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department (CSSD) was established as an independent county department whose responsibility is to manage the child support program in Los Angeles County.

CSSD provides the following services:

  • Locate the Person Paying Support for purposes of establishing and enforcing child support orders
  • Establish parentage
  • Establish child and medical support orders
  • Enforce child, medical, and in some cases spousal support orders
  • Modify existing court orders for child and medical support
  • Collect and disburse support payments

CSSD does NOT:

  • Enforce custody or visitation orders
  • Enforce property settlement agreements
  • Assist in obtaining a divorce
  • Obtain or enforce restraining orders
  • Establish spousal support orders
  • Represent either party

For assistance with these issues, you may contact the Office of the Family Law Facilitator.

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