Parenting Time Opportunities for Children

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Children thrive when both parents are involved in their lives and provide them emotional and financial support. This is especially true when parents are separated and share custody of their children. The San Diego Department of Child Support Services (SDDCSS) assists in facilitating the financial support by establishing and collecting child support for children. SDDCSS received a grant from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement to begin establishment of a custody or visitation order, also known as a parenting time order, at the same time as the child support order was established. Historically, these two functions were handled at separate times by different processes and government agencies. SDDCSS recognized the need to join these two functions in order to engage fathers and mothers to not only provide financial support, but come up with a shared agreement for parenting time. Establishing the child support and parenting time orders at the same time strives to aid in the communication between the mother and father and potentially improve child “well-being”.