What We Do

Every county has a Child Support Department that provides child support services on behalf of the State of California. The Kern County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) provides a variety of child support services to custodial and noncustodial parents and helps parents fulfill their responsibilities to their children.

Services DCSS Provides:

• Establishing paternity.
• Locating a parent to establish paternity and/or child support and enforcing payment of support.
• Establishing, modifying and enforcing a court order to pay child support and family support.
• Collecting and distributing child and spousal support payments.
• Establishing and enforcing medical support (including dental and vision care).

Services DCSS Does Not Provide:

• Handling of custody or visitation matters.
• Handling of divorces.
• Obtaining or enforcing restraining orders.
• Establishment of spousal support orders.