A Family Resource Day in Springfield this week will help mark Child Support Awareness Month. The goal is to bring attention to the issue and help connect Illinois families to the range of child support services available to them.
The state’s Child Support program is administered by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services’ Division of Child Support Services.
This is the second annual Family Resource Day event in Springfield. It is set for Friday, August 11, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Salvation Army Community Center, 1600 E. Clear Lake Ave.
There is no cost to attend, but advance registration is encouraged.Register here.
Also, another event is scheduled in eastern Illinois and named in honor of a late state senator. The Scott Bennett Child Support Resource Day is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25. It will be held at Brookens Gym, 1776 E. Washington, Pod 400, Urbana. There is no cost to attend, but advance registration is encouraged.Register here.
DCSS representatives will be on-site to provide attendees with expert assistance on child support case-specific customer service and other critical family support including enrollment, paternity, child support orders and enforcement, order modification, and income withholding.
In addition, legal services representatives will have a presence at the event including the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, State’s Attorneys’ offices, and Legal Aid. HFS’ Medical Division and partner Medicaid Managed Care Organizations will have representatives on-site to provide information and assist families with renewing their Medicaid coverage or enrolling in the Illinois Medicaid program.
“If people need assistance establishing financial or medical support orders on behalf of their children, we want them to know that our team is here as a resource and at no cost to families,” said HFS Director Theresa Eagleson.
“This year, we are pleased to be continuing and expanding our Family Resource Day event, which gives us the opportunity to connect more Illinois families with child support services,” said Bryan Tribble, Administrator of the Division of Child Support Services at HFS. “We want to be sure that families across the state know about the free services that exist for parents and children in families where they are not living with their parents, and we encourage families to come out to learn more at our events in Springfield and Urbana.”
In addition to the Resource Day events, the division is also marking Child Support Awareness Month with service projects. Each Child Support regional office has chosen a local charity to partner with and raise funds for throughout the month of August. The chosen organizations include Parent Place, Sarah’s Inn, Fatherhood Encouragement Project, Peoria Rescue Ministries, House of Hope, Diaper Ministries – Got You Covered, Joliet Boys and Girls Club, Crisis Nursery, Collinsville Food Pantry and Mutual Ground.
In Illinois, DCSS provides child support services to approximately 346,000 families. Services include helping parents establish paternity, establishing fair child support orders, and enforcing them when necessary. These services are available to anyone who needs them, regardless of economic status. Annually, HFS collects approximately $1.2 billion in child support for Illinois families.
HFS has regional Child Support offices in Aurora, Champaign, Chicago, Collinsville, Joliet, Marion, Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield.
August is the designated Child Support Awareness Month because it is the anniversary of the establishment of the Child Support Enforcement Program in the Social Security Act of 1975.
