Child Support
Child Support
The Ohio child support program provides services that focus on ensuring children receive the financial and medical
support they are legally entitled to and deserve. More than one million children in Ohio are involved in the program.
By working with both parents, the program seeks to establish support orders and maintain reliable and consistent
support payments. Research has shown that when support payments are ongoing, non-custodial parents are more
involved in the lives of their children. Having both parents involved in a child’s life results in a healthier and more
responsible child.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Child Support establishes policies and guidelines for the
program based on the rules and requirements of federal and state laws. The Office provides leadership and guidance
to county child support enforcement agencies as well as processing all collections and disbursements of support
payments. Ohio’s child support program consistently ranks as one of the best in the nation. This achievement reflects
a joint, dedicated effort involving federal, state, and county agencies.
The county child support enforcement agencies provide the program’s services directly to the public. In some counties,
child support is a division within the county department of job and family services but it can also be associated
with a county prosecutor’s office, a court of common pleas, or a county commissioners office. Services available
at county child support enforcement agencies include: location of non-custodial parents, paternity establishment,
the establishment and enforcement of support and medical support orders and review and modification of support
orders.
The child support program is available to any family that needs support services. If an unmarried individual with a
child receives public assistance, he or she is automatically referred to the county child support office to establish a
support case. If a participant is not on public assistance and