In Illinois there are many laws in place that are available to the Judges, attorneys and individuals to use for effective enforcement.  However it is my experience and that of others who have contacted me over the years that these laws are not used by the court system to assist the many individuals who need it.  In my opinion the main reason the court system does not effectively help is based around the one thing many people are there for, MONEY.

    Take for instance simple traffic court, nearly every case ends up with the court system getting money.  Every fine that one pays is divided amongst the state, circuit court, and the municipality/city that issued the ticket. Therefore each county court has an financial incentive to make sure these cases are processed effectively.  Whereas in child support case any money that is paid goes to one of the parties, not the state or it's sub agencies. With this in mind it does not take a brain surgeon to figure out why child support court is not as effective as could be.

    Thus with this assumption you need to be proactive.  Your best approach will always be to have a good child support attorney.  There are many details to handling a child support case, including but not limited to the fact that child support cases go on for many years.  A good child support attorney will make sure all the details are handled properly and know how to fix things that occur outside the courtroom.

    To find a good attorney you will need to ask questions in a consultation.  A test question to use to weed out an attorney who may miss the details of your case is to ask her or him what is a F.I.P.S. code and how is it used in a child support case. (Answer is on the bottom of the Legal Representation page).

    If you are not going to have an attorney or if you are going to rely on the free state services remember the following. It is your responsibility to make sure a written order is entered, called an Uniform Order for Support and that the noncustodial parent's employer is served with the proper documentation so that the child support is withheld so that you can get your money. The law concerning this last step can be read by clicking the following, Income Withholding for Support Act