This book provides the basic steps to follow in obtaining child support payments and what enforcement methods get the best results. It is organized so that parents can refer directly to the sections needed. The Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984 require States to use proven enforcement methods and to use new ways to improve their effectiveness in handling the cases of all families who apply for child support enforcement services. The State's Child Support Enforcement program can help find the absent parent, establish legal fatherhood for children, establish the legal support order, and collect child support payments, but it does not handle property settlement, visitation, and custody problems. Custodial parents are urged to keep a written account of the actions taken and the outcomes of those actions. Appendix.