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Child Support Roles & Responsibilities
Local & State Agencies
The Wisconsin child support program is a combined effort of state, local, and private entities. The overlapping responsibilities of these entities might be confusing. More information is available on these pages:
- Custody
- Customer Service
- Financial Case Management
- Order Enforcement
- Order Establishment
- Paternity Establishment
Child Support Agencies
- 71 Wisconsin local child support agencies provide direct case management services for more than 360,000 child support cases. Child support agencies work with local courts, sheriff’s departments and other local agencies to coordinate child support services. Each child support agency employs or contracts with a child support attorney(s) to provide legal services. Child support attorneys represent the state, not the parents. (tribal child support agencies provide similar services to their members.)
- Serve on local/state workgroups on new initiatives and makes policy recommendations
- Contract with the sheriff and other local officials and agencies to carry out the many functions of the program (e.g., service of process)
Courts - Circuit Courts
- The circuit
courts in Wisconsin conduct
hearings and issue court orders. Courts have the sole authority for
ordering child support, medical support, and changing
support orders. The courts also impose civil and criminal enforcement
remedies.
Trust Fund
- The Wisconsin Support Collections Trust Fund: The
Trust Fund is a centralized operation responsible for processing all
child support collections and performing activities related to posting,
adjusting and issuing payments.
Bureau of Child Support
- The Bureau of Child Support is the state agency that oversees and manages the Wisconsin child support program. This agency sets statewide policy and provides technical assistance to local child support agencies. The Bureau operates the KIDS child support computer system and the Wisconsin Support Collections Trust Fund.
- Contracts with local county and tribal agencies to provide child support services and the Children First program (Not all counties and tribes have a Children First program.)
- Maintains the KIDS child support computer system
- Writes training curriculum and provides child support training for child support agencies
- Maintains policies and procedures and publishes brochures and other informational materials
- Maintains the Wisconsin Child Support Program website (childsupport.wisconsin.gov)
- Provides statistical information about the child support program to the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement
- Oversees the contract with private vendors to operate Trust Fund
- Oversees the contract with private vendors to operate the Wisconsin Support Collections Debit Card program
Go back to Child Support Services
Updated
October 25, 2011
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