[1] In 1935 a program was created as a result of the Social Security Act called the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).
As opposed to helping children who had lost one parent to death or abandonment, the majority of the needed aid increased because couples were divorcing, separating, or never had been married.
AFDC was abolished by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, and replaced by a much stricter legal standard known today as TANF—Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
[3] OCSS is an office within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF),[4] which is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
For parents, the service provides referrals to employment, support for responsible fatherhood, and coparenting, and takes efforts to prevent and reduce family violence.
OCSS collaborates with grantees and many public and private partners to develop evidence-based research initiatives to produce the best outcomes for children and families.
The data is used to develop an annual report to Congress, highlighting program achievements and statistics about caseload, collections and expenses.
They also provide guidance and training to help states and tribes develop and operate their individual programs according to federal law.
[12] Child support programs work with district or state attorneys, law enforcement agencies and officials of family or domestic relations courts to deliver services at the local level.
OCSS works with many public and private partners to increase child support collections and help parents meet the financial needs of their children.
Some courts will determine that a person who agrees to start a family with a same-sex partner, with plans to raise children together, is a parent and, therefore, is responsible for child support.
Working with various public and private partners OCSS and their state affiliates collect billions of dollars in needed[peacock prose] support for dependent children across the country.