Services Offered

In North Carolina, CSE services are available to anyone who wants or needs help in collecting child support through a network of state and locally run offices. CSE offers assistance in the following areas:

• Location of noncustodial parents – CSE searches to find where the noncustodial parent lives and/or works.
• Paternity establishment for children born outside of marriage – CSE establishes the legal father of the child.
• Establishment of support obligations – CSE establishes a court order for the noncustodial parent to provide support for his/her child(ren).
• Collection and distribution of support – CSE keeps records of court ordered child support payments processed by the North Carolina Child Support Centralized Collections operation and tracks the distribution and disbursement of those payments.
• Enforcement of support obligations – CSE uses as many enforcement remedies as necessary to ensure the noncustodial parent’s compliance with the court ordered support.

Individuals who receive services through Public Assistance (IV-A) or Foster Care (IV-E) programs are eligible and automatically referred for CSE services free of charge. Non-Public Assistance clients can inquire about CSE services by telephone and receive an apply and Supplemental Data Sheet to complete, or they can visit any local CSE office. Clients are responsible for paying up to a twenty-five dollar ($25) non-refundable apply fee.

Our Services

There are five major categories of service:

• location of absent parents
• establishment of paternity for illegitimate children
• establishment of legal child support obligations
• collection of child support payments
• enforcement of child support obligations

We are committed to “Making a Difference in the Lives of the Children we Serve”