Program Overview
Background
The Child Support Commissioner and Family Law Facilitator Program provides a quick way for parents to navigate the child support system. The laws that created the program are Family Code sections 4250–4253 and 10000–10015. Each court is required to have a child support commissioner who is a judicial officer that is a subject matter expert in child support and required to hear cases where a local child support agency is providing services. Each court is also required to have a family law facilitator, who is a lawyer, to help the public navigate the child support system by providing educational materials, distributing, providing assistance in completing court forms and providing information about the child support process, and making referrals to other resources. Facilitators do not represent the parents the help with their child support maters so can provided services to both sides of the case. To find your local family law facilitator’s office, click here. For a printable version of family law facilitator contact information, click here
History
Assembly Bill 1058 created the Child Support Commissioner and Family Law Facilitator Program in 1996 to implement an expedited process in the courts that allows for the establishment and enforcement of child support orders quickly and efficiently. The process was designed to be simple, speedy, conflict-reducing and accessible to families to resolve issues of parentage, child support and health insurance. The program is funded by a combination of federal and state funds, with the federal government paying two-thirds and one-third provided by the state. Title IV-D of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. section 601 et seq.) requires every state to have a program to provides services to establish and enforce child support orders when public assistance is provided for a child. Title IV-D also requires the states to provide services to establish and enforce support orders when requested by a parent.