California observing Child Support Awareness Month

On its website, the California Department of Child Support Services states that August is Child Support Awareness Month. The observance is meant to give recognition to the state’s child support agencies and the courts that help ensure that children receive the support benefits to which they are entitled. Child Support Awareness Month is also meant to serve as a reminder to parents that support payments can act to represent the love they feel for their children.

But just because a primary function of the DCSS is to make sure parents keep up with their child support obligations does not mean that the Department takes a purely adversarial or punitive approach to carrying out its duties. In fact, in its statement, a representative of the Department acknowledges that sometimes parents can face challenges such as underemployment that can make it very difficult to keep up with payments.

The DCSS encourages those who are in arrears in the payments to pay a visit to one of their offices. It is possible that the Department can offer referrals to programs that may be able to provide appropriate help for those in crisis. The ultimate goal is for parents to be better able to get their children the financial support they need and deserve.

And while August has been selected to place focus on the importance of child support, the needs of children continue through every month of the year. And if you have found yourself having trouble making your payments and are now seriously delinquent, an experienced California family law attorney could be the advocate you need to help you work through your legal woes. The attorney could assess your situation and, if circumstances merit, work to have your support payments altered to a more appropriate level.