Statewide Child Support Registry

Division 17, Chapter 1, Article 4 deals with the Statewide Registry for Child Support under the Department of Child Support Services.

Section 17390 contains a legislative finding and declaration that there is no single statewide database containing statistical data regarding child support orders. The California Child Support Enforcement System or its replacement may be utilized to provide a single statewide registry of all child support orders in California.

Section 17391 required the department to develop an implementation plan for the Statewide Child Support Registry. The Statewide Child Support Registry is operated by the agency responsible for operation of the California Child Support Enforcement System or its replacement. The Statewide Child Support Registry includes storage and data retrieval of the data elements specified for all California child support orders.

Each clerk of the court is required to provide the information specified within 20 days to the department or the Statewide Child Support Registry from each new or modified child support order, including child support arrearage orders. Also, the department must maintain a system for compiling the child support data received from the clerks of the court, ensure that all child support data received from the clerks of the court are entered into the Statewide Child Support Registry within five business days of receipt in the Statewide Child Support Registry, and ensure that the Statewide Child Support Registry is fully implemented statewide.

In addition, the department is required to provide aggregate data on a periodic basis on the data maintained by the Statewide Child Support Registry to the Judicial Council, the appropriate agencies of the executive branch, and the Legislature for statistical analysis and review.

Section 17392 required the Judicial Council to develop any forms that may be necessary to implement the Statewide Child Support Registry. The forms may be in electronic form or in hardcopy, as appropriate. Also, the information transmitted from the clerks of the court to the Statewide Child Support Registry must include two specified items.