Parents and Partners Connect - August 9, 2023

Parenting can be challenging, especially when parents are members of different households. The Child Support Program at the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is here to help with a series of  Parents and Partners Connect" events. These online sessions are an opportunity for Tennessee parents to get answers about Child Support topics including:

•  Services offered by the TDHS
• Case classifications
• The parties involved in child support
• The application processes
• Problem-solving
• The Impact of Dating Violence Among Teens

If you’re new to child support in Tennessee or have questions about related services, this is a great opportunity to ask questions with experts.

More About Child Support Services in Tennessee

The TDHS Child Support Program Offers the following Services:

• Locating parents for the purpose of obtaining support
• Establishing the parentage of a child
• Establishing a child support order
• Enforcement of a child support order
• Working across state lines for intergovernmental cooperation
• Review and adjustment of child support orders

Who is Involved in Child Support Services and Programming?

Courts typically have final authority for deciding the amount of child support to be paid and who will be responsible for making those payments. In jurisdictions that do not use an administrative process, most child support processes that initiate, establish, enforce and modify actions are filed in the courts.

In Tennessee, child support services and programming may involve a combination of the following parties:

• Custodial parents or guardians
• Non-custodial parents or guardians
• Children under 18
• Private attorneys representing parents, guardians or children
• The local District Attorney’s Office
• Employers
• The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) Child Support Program and/or private agencies under contract with the State. *Note: Tennessee Department of Human Services Child Support Program is not necessarily involved in every child support case. Many cases are handled by private attorneys or by the parents themselves with no governmental involvement.

More information about Child Support in Tennessee can be found on the Child Support Program page.