SUPPORT SERVICES The San Joaquin County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) helps parents fulfill their responsibilities to their children by providing a variety of services Establishing paternity Locating a parent to establish paternity and/or child support and enforcing payment of support Establishing, modifying and enforcing a court order to pay child support Collecting and distributing child and spousal support payments Establishing and enforcing medical support (including dental and vision care) and family support orders DCSS Does NOT: Handle custody or visitation matters Handle divorces Obtain or enforce restraining orders Establish spousal support orders Applying for Child Support Services Any parent or guardian can apply for child support services by visiting our office or by calling the San Joaquin County DCSS at (866) 901-3212. There is no application fee or charge for child support services in California. Parents who receive public assistance are automatically referred to DCSS by the Human Services Agency. Your Legal Relationship With DCSS DCSS does not represent either parent or the child(ren). DCSS attorneys are not your attorneys; therefore the information you provide is not confidential under the attorney/client privilege. The information in your case may be discussed or disclosed to other public agencies or persons authorized by law to receive such information. Legal Assistance Alternatives Parents have the right to seek legal advice from a private attorney or legal aid group at their own expense at any time. A private attorney will charge for the time required for personal interviews, telephone calls, legal research, court appearances, and the preparation of pleadings. Services offered by a legal clinic may cost less than those provided by a private attorney. Legal clinics may charge for services based on the actual time spent on a case or on a contingency fee basis.

Opening a Child Support Case

Either parent, or the caretaker/guardian of a child who has a child support and/or medical support order, or wants to establish one, can apply for child support enforcement services by completing an application form. After the application form is signed, the child support process begins. The Human Services Agency (HSA) will automatically refer parents who receive public assistance, including Medi-Cal, to DCSS. There are three ways to apply for services: First, you may contact our office at (866) 901-3212 or visit our office at 826 N. California Street, Stockton, CA. You may request an application for services from one of our receptionists or have an applicaton mailed to your home; Second, to download a printable copy of an application, click on the Forms link on the left-hand side of the page under the Important Links heading. You will need to complete the application by hand and either mail it or personally deliver it to our office; or Third, for your convenience, you may also choose to apply using an online tool provided by TurboCourt by clicking on their logo on the left side of this page, under Important Links. TurboCourt charges a $30.00 fee for this service. After receiving the completed forms, our office will schedule an intake interview. The interview will expedite the processing of your case in our office. You will be notified of your assigned case number and intake worker. At this appointment, you must bring the following documents: A copy of your child(ren)'s birth certificate(s) Verification of your child care expenditures Paternity declaration if this form was signed by the father in the hospital at the time of birth Three of your most recent pay stubs A copy of your last year's tax return (State and Federal) A copy of the original order and all subsequent modifications (if applicable) A completed Support Payment Record together with any documentation you may have substantiating your outstanding balance Be prepared to provide the other parent's and your: Full legal name, address and phone number Date of birth and most current physical description or photograph of the noncustodial parent Social Security number (You can find this by reviewing old pay stubs, income tax returns, credit or loan applications, bank checking or savings accounts, insurance or health records, or military or union records. If you don't have one of these documents, but your name was also on the form, you can usually obtain a copy by writing to the appropriate agency.) Name and address of current or most recent employer Names of friends and relatives and organizations to which the noncustodial parent might belong Information pertaining to income and other assets (pay slips, tax returns, bank accounts, cars, boats, R.V.s, investments or property holdings) Your marriage license or certificate, if you have one Your divorce decree or separation agreement, if you have one Any other information the Child Support Officer requests Complete, reliable and accurate information makes it easier to enforce your order for child support.

Locating the Parent

To obtain an order for support, establish paternity or enforce a child support order, DCSS must know where the noncustodial parent lives or works. DCSS will make every effort to locate the noncustodial parent. If the noncustodial parent cannot be found locally, his/her Social Security number will be checked against the records of other state agencies including the Department of Health Services, Department of Motor Vehicles, Employment Development Department, Franchise Tax Board, Board of Equalization, credit reporting agencies, and law enforcement agencies. If the search reveals that the parent has moved to another state, the other state and the Federal Parent Locator Service will be asked to search for the parent.

Establishing Paternity

Establishing paternity is the legal process of determining the biological father of a child. When parents are married, in most cases, paternity is established without legal action. If parents are unmarried, paternity establishment may require genetic testing and a court order. Paternity must be established before the court can order child and medical support.

How Your Children Benefit from Paternity Establishment Establishing paternity gives a child born to unmarried parents the legal rights and privileges of a child born within a marriage. Those rights and privileges include: Support from both parents Legal documentation of who his or her parents are Access to family medical records (many diseases, illnesses, birth defects and other health problems are passed to children by their parents.) Medical and life insurance coverage from either parent, if available Inheritance rights Social Security and veterans' benefits, if available The emotional benefits of knowing who both parents are Paternity Establishment When the Alleged Father Does Not Cooperate DCSS may ask the custodial parent for information about the alleged father including: Facts about the mother's relationship with the non custodial parent, the mother’s pregnancy and the child's birth; Whether or not the alleged father ever provided any money for the child; Whether or not the alleged father ever admitted in any way that the child was his (for example: through letters or gifts); A picture of the alleged father with the child, if available; Any information from others who could confirm the mother and alleged father's relationship; His home and business address; Names and addresses of previous employers; Whether or not the child was conceived in California, and if the child ever lived in California

Paternity Opportunity Program (POP) In an effort to create a legal "link" between unmarried fathers and their children, the California Department of Social Services joined other states, in a partnership with licensed hospitals and clinics with birthing facilities, to establish the Paternity Opportunity Program (POP). This voluntary in-hospital paternity acknowledgment program, implemented in January of 1995, involves approximately 360 of California's licensed hospitals and clinics. The program has since been expanded to prenatal clinics, county welfare offices, local vital records offices, and courts. Unmarried new parents may sign a Declaration of Paternity form at the hospital immediately following the birth of their child. Signing this form will make the process of legally establishing paternity easier and faster in most cases. Parents may also sign a Declaration of Paternity after they leave the hospital. As a result of federal welfare reform legislation, if the parents of a child are not legally married, the father's name will NOT be added to the birth certificate unless they: Sign a Declaration of Paternity in the hospital, or Sign the form later or legally establish paternity through the courts and pay a fee ($19.00) to amend the birth certificate A signed Declaration of Paternity states that the man is the father and has the same effect as a court order establishing paternity for the child. By signing this declaration, you are, by your choice, waiving the following rights: The right to a trial in court to decide the issue of paternity To notice on any hearing on the issue of paternity The right to present your case to the court, including the right to present and cross examine witnesses The right to have an attorney represent you, or to have an attorney appointed to represent you if you cannot afford one in an action filed by DCSS If either of you later change your mind about signing the Declaration of Paternity, you must complete a form to rescind or cancel the Declaration of Paternity and file it with the State Office of Vital Records within 60 days from the date you sign this form. You can get a rescission form from your local DCSS or local office of vital statistics. This form may be challenged in court within the first two years after the child's birth or by genetic tests that prove the man is not the biological father. It also may be overturned if the father or mother is able to prove that she/he signed the form because of fraud, duress, or material mistake of fact. If either or both of you are under the age of 18, a Declaration of Paternity will not establish paternity until 60 days after both of you are age 18 or are emancipated. If you wish to legally establish paternity before both of you become adults, you should consult an attorney or your local DCSS. The Declaration of Paternity is a legal document that will establish paternity. You do not have to complete or sign this form. If any part of this form does not make sense to you, talk to your local DCSS or a lawyer before signing the form. For more information about the establishment of paternity or child support, please contact the local DCSS or legal services organization.

Establishing a Support Order If a court order for child support does not already exist, and the noncustodial parent is located, an order for support will be sought by DCSS. Orders for support are based upon both parent's income, the amount of time the child spends with each parent, and allowable deductions. DCSS will also request that the court require the noncustodial parent to provide health insurance for the child if it is available at a reasonable cost.

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