Paternity must be set before child support can begin. Families can do this through one of the Child Support's 20 District offices, by court order or through the in-hospital Paternity Establishment Project (PEP).
Under the hospital-based Paternity Establishment Project, hospital staff are required to give unmarried couples the opportunity to voluntarily acknowledge the paternity of their child, shortly after the child's birth. This project is distinct from paternities established in child support cases, and applies statewide to all unmarried parents with a hospital birth.
يمنح الخيار داخل المستشفى الآباء طريقة بسيطة وطوعية لتأكيد الأبوة مبكرًا، مما يساعد على إنشاء مسار واضح للدعم والاستقرار.
Operating under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, Child Support handles two types of cases based on a family’s situation:
Automated Program to Enforce Child Support (APECS)