	Introduction

Enforcement of child support often results in custodial parents and noncustodial parentsbeing in an adversarial relationship. Thus, the custodial parent has access to a network offederal and state resources that are not available to the noncustodial parent. 240 and S. 667 , 109th Congress) that would provide funding formarriage promotion and responsible fatherhood programs. The pending welfare reauthorization legislation (mentioned above) contains incentives forstates to send more of the child support collected on behalf of custodial parents to the family itself,additional CSE enforcement tools, funding for programs designed to promote marriage amonglow-income persons as a way to improve the economic well-being and development of children, andfunding for programs designed to help noncustodial fathers meet both their financial and emotionalresponsibilities to their children. Supporters of the welfare reauthorization legislation claim that itspassage will result in more noncustodial parents paying child support. They contend thatnoncustodial parents who can afford to pay child support but who do not want to pay will not be ableto escape their duty because of the strong enforcement apparatus, and that noncustodial parents whocannot afford to pay will be offered services that may improve their financial ability to pay as wellas their willingness to pay. Although noncustodial parents often find themselves at loggerheads with custodial parentsand the CSE system with respect to paternity and child support, the situation is usually morecomplicated than deadbeat dad vs. dependent mom. Supportersof this approach maintain that providing legal services to noncustodial parents may result in childsupport payments becoming a more reliable source of income for custodial parents becausenoncustodial parents would have had greater access to the legal system and be more satisfied that"they had their day in court" and thereby be more amenable to fulfilling their child supportobligations. Child Support Issues Faced by Noncustodial Parents

The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program (Title IV-D of the Social Security Act) wasenacted in January 1975 ( P.L. As mentioned earlier, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is a private, non-profit, federallyfunded corporation established in 1974 by Congress. In FY2004, the LSC distributed $316.6million of its $335.3 million appropriation in the form of grants to 143 local legal services programs. Rather, it funds local legalservices providers, which are referred to by the LSC as "grantees." These local programs providelegal assistance to individuals based on locally determined priorities that meet local communityconditions and needs. Thus, to a certain extent, it is up to noncustodial parents to advocate on their own behalf andto make the communities in which they live aware of the problems that they face with regard tocountering unjustified allegations of paternity, obtaining fair child support orders, meeting their childsupport obligations, getting child supports orders modified when they have a change in financialcircumstances, seeking custody or visitation rights, and re-establishing family and community ties. With only an estimated 20% of eligible recipients receiving legal services (when they need suchservices), low-income noncustodial parents must compete to be included as customers in a programthat does not have the resources to serve all who are eligible for its services.
Enforcement of child support often results in custodial parents and noncustodial parentsbeing in an adversarial relationship. Noncustodial parents often view it as an unbalancedrelationship, because custodial parents have access to a network of federal and state resources (e.g.,the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agency and the welfare agency) that are not available to thenoncustodial parent.
Pending welfare reauthorization legislation ( H.R. 240 and S. 667 )includes incentives for states to send more of the child support collected on behalf of custodialparents to the family itself, additional CSE enforcement tools, funding for marriage promotionprograms for low-income persons, and funding for programs designed to help noncustodial fathersmeet both their financial and emotional responsibilities to their children. Supporters of the welfarereauthorization legislation claim that its passage will result in more noncustodial parents paying childsupport. They contend that noncustodial parents who can afford to, but do not, pay child support willnot be able to escape their duty because of the strong enforcement apparatus, and that noncustodialparents who cannot afford to pay will be offered services that may improve their financial ability topay, as well as their willingness to pay.
In situations in which noncustodial parents find themselves at loggerheads with custodialparents and the CSE system with respect to paternity and child support, some have encouraged legalservices providers to play a more "balanced" role. They maintain that providing legal services tononcustodial parents could result in child support payments becoming a more reliable source ofincome for custodial parents if noncustodial parents were provided better access to the legal systemand were satisfied that "they had their day in court" and thereby more amenable to paying childsupport. This report describes some of the child support issues faced by noncustodial parents anddiscusses areas in which legal services providers funded by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC)are authorized to support poor noncustodial parents.
The LSC is a private, non-profit, federally funded corporation established by Congress toprovide financial support for civil legal assistance for persons unable to afford legal help. InFY2004, the LSC distributed $316.6 million of its $335.3 million appropriation in the form of grantsto 143 local legal services programs. Local programs provide legal assistance to individuals basedon locally determined priorities that meet local community conditions and needs. Thus, to a certainextent, it is necessary for noncustodial parents to advocate on their own behalf, that is, to make thecommunities in which they live aware of the problems that they face with regard to counteringunjustified allegations of paternity, obtaining fair child support orders, meeting their child supportobligations, getting child support orders modified when they have a change in financialcircumstances, seeking custody or visitation rights, and re-establishing family and community tiesafter incarceration. With only an estimated 20% of eligible clients receiving legal services (whenthey need such services), low-income noncustodial parents must now compete to be included asclients in a program that does not have the resources to serve all who are eligible for its services. This report will not be updated.