When married parents divorce or separate, or when only one of the unmarried parents of a child has custody, the court may order the "non-custodial" parent (the parent with whom the child does not live) to pay a certain portion of his or her income as child support. This is not the only scenario in which child support might arise. Less frequently, when neither parent has custody, the court may order them to pay child support to a third party who cares for their child.

All states are required by federal law to conduct reviews of their child support guidelines every four years. Most legislators and administrators use this review period to strengthen and update their guidelines, as well as to examine approaches other states have adopted. In 2004-2005, NCSL conducted a survey of states, supported by the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, to gain a deeper understanding of how states review their guidelines, and of the issues they address.

Courts have attempted to ease the pain of custody battles for families by providing (and sometimes requiring) mediation, parental education, and other services to divorcing parents or parting never-married parents and their children. It is hoped that with increased access to all types of information, courts and judges will have all the tools they need to handle custody cases in today’s world.

The Family Law Quarterly publishes these charts in conjunction with the annual "Family Law in the Fifty States Case Digests." The charts summarize basic laws in each state by topic, including custody, alimony and grounds for divorce. All charts are current as of January 2008.

This Handbook on Child Support Enforcement is a guide to help you get the child support payments your children need and deserve. Although it is written for people who are working through Child Support Enforcement (CSE) offices, it will also be useful to parents who are working with private attorneys.

The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) Preliminary Report highlights financial and statistical program achievements which occurred in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. The information was retrieved from State-submitted reports on program status sent to the Federal government on a quarterly and annual basis.

This summary is presented as a guide for clinicians evaluating the often delicate and complex issues surrounding a child custody dispute.

SupportGuidelines.com is the comprehensive resource for the interpretation and application of child support guidelines in the United States. It is designed to be an aid primarily for attorneys who wish to research the law of child support in general and child support guidelines in particular.

The Secretary shall establish and conduct a Federal Parent Locator Service, under the direction of the designee of the Secretary referred to in section 652 (a) of this title, which shall be used for the purposes specified in paragraphs (2) and (3).

This Act, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), revisits the problem of the interstate child almost thirty years after the Conference promulgated the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act (UCCJA). The UCCJEA accomplishes two major purposes. First, it revises the law on child custody jurisdiction in light of federal enactments and almost thirty years of inconsistent case law. Article 2 of this Act provides clearer standards for which States can exercise original jurisdiction over a child custody determination. It also, for the first time, enunciates a standard of continuing jurisdiction and clarifies modification jurisdiction. Other aspects of the article harmonize the law on simultaneous proceedings, clean hands, and forum non conveniens.

(Done at The Hague, 19 October 1996) The objects of this Convention are: a to determine the State whose authorities have jurisdiction to take measures directed to the protection of the person or property of the child; b to determine which law is to be applied by such authorities in exercising their jurisdiction; c to determine the law applicable to parental responsibility; d to provide for the recognition and enforcement of such measures of protection in all Contracting States; e to establish such co-operation between the authorities of the Contracting States as may be necessary in order to achieve the purposes of this Convention.

These guidelines were developed to help parents predict the amount of child support a judge would likely set, and to ensure that children in similar situations are all treated the same when it comes to child support.

Contains helpful information about child support.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.

Membership organization that helps parents collect child support and advocates for better child support enforcement policy. ACES offers "how to" instructions and educational information about child support enforcement, visitation rights and paternity determination. The organization also provides a telephone "hot-line" for members, providing information, support, and referrals to resources.

The CRC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the idea that both parents should be involved in their children's lives; the CRC provides free drop-off/pick-up centers for custody transfers.

NACC, members are individuals who provide legal and social work help in the areas of divorce, custody, abuse, neglect, termination of parental rights, foster care, adoption, and delinquency.

NCSEA serves child support professionals, agencies, and strategic partners worldwide through professional development, communications, public awareness, and advocacy to enhance the financial, medical, and emotional support that parents provide for their children.

To assure that assistance in obtaining support (both financial and medical) is available to children through locating parents, establishing paternity and support obligations, and enforcing those obligations. The Child Support Enforcement Program is authorized and defined by statute, Title IV-D of the Social Security Act. The purpose and the mission of the Program are derived from the Act.

Access forms, reports, handbooks and other publications.

Articles written by attorneys and experts worldwide discussing legal aspects related to Family Law including: adoption, alimony, child support and custody, child visitation, collaborative law, divorce, domestic violence, elder law, juvenile crime, juvenile law, juvenile probation, paternity, pre-nuptial agreement, separation.