When we hear the words "domestic violence," most people think of physical violence, but abuse can take many forms. Those who cause harm use many methods to gain control over the other, from emotional abuse to monitoring to controlling finances. Child support could be one way that a person tries to harm or maintain control over another.
If you have experienced domestic violence, help is available to navigate the advantages and disadvantages of using the child support system and your options within it.
For information and resources related to domestic violence, see the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence website. You can also see all statewide domestic violence programs listed by county or city. For anonymous, confidential help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
Paths for Protection
Good Cause
If you have experienced domestic violence and believe receiving child support services could put you or your child in danger, you may have a good reason to not want child support services. DSHS calls this reason "good cause" or "good cause not to cooperate with the Division of Child Support."
If it is ever unsafe to collect child support, you can claim good cause through the Community Services Division. Call your local Community Services Office and they will guide you through the process of filing a claim. If the CSO grants your good cause, one of two things will happen:
- DCS will close your case without taking any further action (this is called Good Cause Level A).
- DCS will continue to work on your case, but will not require you to help in any way and you cannot get into trouble or lose any benefits for not cooperating (this is called Good Cause Level B).
If the CSO denies your good cause claim, DCS will not take any establishment or enforcement actions for at least 90 days in case you decide to appeal the CSO decision. If you appeal, DCS will not work your case until a final decision is made.
As long as you get cash or medical assistance, the CSO will contact you every six months to review your good cause claim. If your circumstances change, you might decide that it is relatively safe to collect child support. You can withdraw your good cause claim and DCS can begin collecting support. Talk to your CSO if you want to withdraw your good cause claim.
Address Protections
Parents can use any address to communicate with DCS. If you don’t feel safe using your home address, you can use a relative’s, a friend’s or another.
Either party to a child support order can ask DCS to release the address of the other party. This request must be in writing and must be for a reason specified by law. DCS will deny requests if we have information that suggests the address release could be harmful to the parent or child.
If our records do not have information that would make us deny the request, we handle it based on the status of the person whose address is requested.
- When the noncustodial parent asks for the address of the custodial parent, DCS sends a notice to the custodial parent about the request. The custodial parent has 30 days to:
- Allow release of the address.
- Ask for an administrative hearing to stop the release of the address.
- Give DCS a court order stopping DCS from releasing the address.
Sometimes the evidence given during the hearing request allows DCS to deny the request for disclosure. If DCS does not get a response from the custodial parent, we release the address after the 30 days expires.
When the custodial parent asks for the noncustodial parent's address, DCS releases the address without notice to the noncustodial parent unless the noncustodial parent previously asked DCS to send them a notice before releasing their address information.
- If the noncustodial parent told DCS they have concerns about releasing their address information, DCS follows the same notice procedure it does for a request for the custodial parent's address.
Resources
Many resources are available for victims and survivors of domestic violence. If you have questions about domestic violence and how it might relate to your child support case, contact DCS Domestic Violence Liaison Tom Atkinson. The DCS Community Relations Team can also answer questions about good cause, address protections and other topics about domestic violence and child support.