SUPPORT

This indicator reports the Distributed Net Collections divided by the average monthly caseload for the Federal Fiscal Year. Improvements in collections per case reflects an increase in income to parents to provide for the basic needs of their children.

The number of Orange County children living in poverty has risen by 24.3% since 2010 (120,188 in 2016).1 Research shows that child support payments help to lift more than one million Americans above the poverty line each year and assist families with incomes above the poverty line to make ends meet.2 Orange County Child Support Services (CSS) builds partnerships with parents, develops community linkages, and cultivates existing relationships with other county agencies. Expected results are increased collections and improved performance, which yield increased financial support to meet the needs of children and families. Child support collections pay for essentials such as food, shelter, child care, and medical support. CSS has implemented a family-centered approach that connects customers to local resources for family essentials (e.g., clothing and food), parental success (e.g., parenting classes and financial workshops) and individual services (e.g., adult education and job training). In the last 10 years, the number of Orange County CSS cases has decreased while services to customers have increased, along with the collections per case.

Findings

• Total Orange County child support cases decreased by 36.0% from 103,598 in 2008/09 to 66,296 in 2017/18. Over the same period, net collections increased slightly by 2.2% from $180.3 million in 2008/09 to $184.3 million in 2017/18, with an average of $180.1 million annually.

• Most (92.8%) Orange County cases have a court order established, in comparison to California’s rate of 91.1%. Since March 2008, the Orange County CSS rate has increased 19.3%.3

• The percent of current support distributed among Orange County cases during 2017/18 was 68.3%, which is higher than the California rate of 66.3%, and represents a continuous improvement since 2008/09 when the rate was 53.7% (a 27.2% increase).4