Other - Child Support Services Department (DEP)

Other

Foster Care

If your child is currently receiving foster care, the court may hold both parents responsible for Child Support. Custodial parents should be aware that even if a case has been opened and an order has been established for the non-custodial parent to pay Child Support, once the child is in foster care DCSS will establish a separate case for the custodial parent.

The court uses California Child Support guidelines to determine the support due in each foster care case. Each parent may be ordered to pay a different amount of Child Support based on income and other financial considerations.

If your child has been placed in foster care, the Family Court Clinic at 99 Notre Dame Avenue is available to answer questions about your obligation to pay support or you can consult a private attorney. The Clinic information line is (408) 882-2900 and the service is provided free of charge.

State Hearings

If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, we will provide you with information about your right to a State Hearing, a process which allows a judge to review your case.

Issues not heard at State Hearings:

Court-ordered amounts of child support
Child custody and visitation
Spousal support
Contempt matters
Civil rights issues

Locating Parents

DCSS must find out where the noncustodial parent lives or works to obtain or enforce a child support order. Sometimes we locate a noncustodial parent with a single postmaster letter verifying an address we have, but often we must use a variety of tools to locate an NCP.

Locate actions we take include the use of

Postmaster letters
County Assessor's Office information
Letters to the custodial parent
Voter registration files
Wage verification letters to an employer

At the state level we use the California Parent Locater Service (CPLS), which provides us with information from state agencies, including:

Franchise Tax Board
Department of Motor Vehicles
Employment Development Department
New Employee Registry
Department of Justice
State Utility Match System
Property Tax Exemption File

Through the Federal Parent Locater Service (FPLS), we have access to agencies such as the:

Veteran's Administration
Department of Defense
Social Security Administration
New Employee Registry (for employers outside of California)

We also have automated access to:

Credit reports
County Department of Revenue
Criminal Justice Information Control (CJIC)
California Law Enforcement Telecommunications

We use other databases to give us information about addresses, phone numbers, professional licenses, contractors, real estate agents, California corporations and limited partnerships, and sales and tax licenses.

For informational brochures for most Child Support topics including information for Custodial Parents, Non-Custodial Parents, Employers or other interested parties, Visit the State of California - Child Support Publications

Inmate Modification Project

If you have a Santa Clara County child support order but you are presently incarcerated, you may request that DCSS review your order. To have your case considered for review, you must have a Santa Clara County order, be in custody for at least three months from the date of your request, and have no income. If you meet these requirements, click on Request for Review and Adjustment (in English or Spanish), fill out the form, and send it to the address provided on the form.

Social Security Administration (SSA)

The Social Security Administration can help with various benefits, such as Retirement, Disability, and Medicare. For information see their web site at, www.socialsecurity.gov