Public Disclosure
- Can DCS provide income information about the other party when I want to enter or modify a child support order on my own?
- How can I authorize DCS to release information on my DCS case to a third party?
- How can I get my child's address for visitation purposes?
- How can I protect my child's address from being released by DCS?
- How can I request information from DCS case record?
- Where can I find the DCS laws about privacy?
How can I authorize DCS to release information on my DCS case to a third party?
If you want DCS to discuss your case with another person, such as a spouse, or an attorney not on record as representing you, you must send DCS an authorization in writing.
You may print a copy of the Authorization to Disclose Information, fill it out, and send it to your DCS field office. Or you can send us a letter with the following:
- The name of the person you are allowing to receive information.
- A description of the information contained in your file that you want DCS to release or discuss.
- How long you want the authorization to be valid.
- Your signature and the DCS case number containing the releasable information.
If you have more than one case, each case requires an authorization.
How can I get my child's address for visitation purposes?
The Division of Child Support (DCS) may give you the last-known home address of your dependent children or the home or work address of the other party to your child support case if you meet the following conditions:
You must give us a written statement telling us why you want the address. The reason must be to enforce custody, visitation, parenting time, or contact rights, or to establish, enforce, or modify your child support order.
If your reason for wanting the address is to enforce custody, visitation, parenting time, or contact rights, and you have not already done so, you must give us a certified copy of the court order that grants you the rights.
The court order must name your children.
You must give us a statement that a court has not changed your order to deny custody, or restrict your visitation, parenting time, or contact rights.
You or your attorney must return an Address Disclosure Request to our field office listed below.
You must appear at our field office listed below and show us suitable identification. If your attorney sends us the request, you do not have to appear.
If you live outside Washington State or submit the request by mail, you must have the form notarized. If your attorney sends us the form, your attorney does not have to get the form notarized.
- Get a court order that stops us from giving you the address.
- Get a court order that limits your right to visit or contact the other party or your children.
- Request an adjudicative proceeding (hearing) to contest release of the address.
If the other party to your child support case does not ask for a hearing, we will answer your request within 45 days.
We will tell you if the other party asks for a hearing. You may attend and take part in the hearing. If we have reason to believe that release of the address will result in physical or emotional harm to the other party to your child support order or your children, we will not give you the address. Even if we decide not to release the address, we will still tell the other party to your child support order about your request.
You may print the Address Disclosure Request to request the address. Complete the form, sign it before a notary public, and mail it to the field office that handles your child support case.
How can I protect my child's address from being released by DCS?
DCS will let you know if someone requests the address of your child. You have the right to request a hearing if you do not want the child's address released. You must take the following action to prevent DCS from releasing the address:
- Get a court or tribal order preventing release of the address, or provide a copy of an existing order.
- Request an administrative hearing to show why DCS should not release the address. DCS must follow the instructions of a final administrative order resulting from the hearing. DCS will not release the address until all appeal rights are exhausted.
- If you receive a TANF grant, contact your public assistance caseworker and ask about claiming "Good Cause".
- DCS will not release the residential address of a person enrolled in the Address Confidentiality Program through the Secretary of State's Office.
Learn more about Domestic Violence and Victim Services Programs. More information is available at the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
How can I request information from my DCS case record?
DCS may release information from your DCS case for purposes of establishment, modification, or enforcement of a support order.
First contact your Support Enforcement Officer. Many records, such as a payment history, are immediately releasable.
To make a written request, print a Request for Disclosure of DSHS Records, fill it out, and send it to the field office handling your case.
You must indicate on the form exactly what information you seek and the reason for your request. DCS will respond to your request within 5 working days. When copies exceed 20 pages, DCS may ask you to pay for the cost of the copies.
If DCS cannot release the information we will send you a denial. You have the right to petition a review of the denial.
PRIVACY NOTICE
A. Introduction
Thank you for visiting the Division of Child Support web site and reviewing our Privacy Notice. This statement addresses how the Division of Child Support collects, uses and secures the information we obtain through your use of this web site. This notice covers the following topics:
- Information Collected and How We Use It
- Personal Information and Choice
- Public Access to Information
- Nondisclosure of Certain Personal Information
- Review and Correction of Personally Identifiable Information
- Security
- Disclaimer
- How You Can Contact Us
B. Information Collected and How We Use it
What information we collect if you only browse this site.
If you only browse the Division of Child Support web site, read pages, or download information, we will gather and store certain information. This information does not identify you personally. We automatically collect and store the following information about each visit:
- The Internet Protocol Address and domain name used. The Internet Protocol address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer. We use the Internet Protocol Address to direct Internet traffic to you. This address can often be translated to determine the domain name of your service provider (e.g. xcompany.com or yourschool.edu);
- The type of browser and operating system you used;
- The date and time you visited this site;
- The web pages or services you accessed at this site; and
- The web site you visited prior to coming to this web site.
The information we automatically collect or store is logged and used by the Division of Child Support to help us understand how people are using our services. We analyze this information to determine how the Division of Child Support web site is being used, so we may continually improve the site's usefulness to the public.
What information we collect if you volunteer it.
If during your visit to our web site you send us an e-mail, we collect the contents of your e-mail message (including audio, video and graphics information) along with your return e-mail address. We use this information to respond directly to you, address the issues you identify in your e-mail, forward your message to another agency for appropriate action, or further improve our web site.
If you participate in a survey, the information we collect is used to make improvements to the web site and collect demographic information on site use.
If you perform some other transaction on-line, information we collect is used solely for the purpose outlined on the form.
C. Personal Information and Choice
You may choose whether you provide personal information on-line.
Personal information is information about a person that readily identifies that specific individual. Personal information includes such things as an individual's name, address, and phone number. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal information.
We do not collect personal information about you unless you voluntarily provide it to us by sending us e-mail, participate in a survey, or complete an on-line form. You have the option of contacting the Division of Child Support without contacting us by e-mail, participating in a survey or providing any personal information using an on-line form. Your choice to not participate in these activities does not affect your ability to browse the Division of Child Support web site or to read or download any information provided on the site.
State law and the federal Privacy Act of 1974 protect personal information requested on the web site or volunteered by the user. However, this information becomes a public record once you provide it, and the public may inspect or copy it if state or federal law does not protect it.
If you believe that we are using your personal information for a purpose other than what you intended when you submitted it, you may contact the Public Disclosure Coordinator for the Division of Child Support as shown in the Contact Information Section of this statement.
It is not the intent of this site to collect information from children. However, any information collected from or voluntarily given to us by children either on-line or by e-mail will be treated the same as information given by an adult, and may be subject to public access.
D. Nondisclosure of Certain Personal Information and Public Access to Information
The Division of Child Support may request that you provide certain personal information in order to establish and enforce child support obligations as described in Title IV-D of the Social Security Act. If you choose not to provide such information via this web site, you may provide the information either in person, by mail or by telephone.
Division of Child Support records are confidential. At the same time, they are public records and the Division of Child Support must disclose them under certain, limited circumstances. See the following laws and rules covering this issue:
- RCW 42.17.250 - 340 - Washington State Public Records Disclosure Act
- RCW 26.23.120 - Division of Child Support disclosure law
- WAC 388-14A-2105; 388-14A-2110; 388-14A-2115; 388-14A-2120 388-14A-2125; 388-14A-2150; 388-14A-2155; 388-14A-2160; - Division of Child Support disclosure rules
E. Review and Correction of Personally Identifiable Information
You can review any personally identifiable information we collect about you by contacting us. (See the information at the end of this notice for how to contact us.) You may recommend changes to personally identifiable information we have about you if you believe it to be inaccurate. Submit an e-mail request that credibly shows the inaccuracy. We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections. (RCW 43.105.310)
F. Security
The Division of Child Support, as developer and manager of the Division of Child Support web site, has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its data and prevent unauthorized access to information maintained by the Division of Child Support. These measures are designed and intended to prevent corruption of data, block unknown or unauthorized access to our systems and information, and to provide reasonable protection of private information in our possession.
This information should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other advice.
Please be advised that, given the inherent nature of technology and the Internet, no security measures can ever be assumed to be 100% failsafe.
G. Disclaimer
The Division of Child Support provides Internet links to sites of public and private organizations. When you link to this new site, you are no longer on the Division of Child Support site and this Privacy Notice will not apply. When you link to another web site, you are subject to the privacy policy of that new site.
Please be aware that we do not create and maintain those other sites and therefore, we are not responsible for the accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of the information presented at sites outside of DSHS.
H. Division of Child Support Contact Information
How to contact the Division of Child Support:
To review or request correction of your personal information:
Public Disclosure Coordinator
Division of Child Support
P.O. Box 9162
Olympia, WA 98507-9162
FAX: (360) 664-5340
Tel: 1-800-457-6202 or (360) 664-5293
sfulton1@dshs.wa.gov
DSHS maintains this web site to enhance public access to information about the department’s services. While we make every effort to keep this information as timely and current as possible, errors can occur. To correct errors or offer comments about the Division of Child Support web site, contact DCS: at:
dcs-cru@dshs.wa.gov
To offer comments about this Privacy Notice or present a privacy issue you may e-mail your comments or concerns to:
dshsprivacyofficer@dshs.wa.gov.
Or you may contact the privacy officer by writing, faxing or calling as noted below:
DSHS Privacy Officer
PO Box 45823
Olympia WA 98504-5823
FAX: (360) 664-6184
Tel: (360) 664-6162
