Child Support Enforcement and Collection Investigation
Enforcement of a child support order can be difficult. Every state has a child support enforcement agency whose job it is to enforce court child support orders and collect payments. The problem is that most of these agencies are underfunded and understaffed, making it impossible to ensure parents meet their financial obligations regarding their children or update agencies on the child’s circumstances.
As a result, delinquent parents (often known as “deadbeats”) are ignoring their support obligations, creating an undue burden on custodial parents and – most importantly – depriving children of the financial support they deserve.
A private investigator for a child support and collection investigation can get the evidence needed to collect payments. Investigators in Tridentity Services have successfully handled numerous child support and collection cases by locating parents in financial default and forcing them to attend to their obligations or increase their payments.
What is a Child Support Enforcement and Collection Investigation?
The purpose of a child support enforcement and collection investigation by a private investigator is to find the delinquent parent and collect as much information on the parent’s current living conditions as possible, including:
- Home address, phone number, social media presence, email addresses, etc.
- Employment information including job title, employer address and contact information, etc.
- Property ownership and other assets.
- New relationships (cohabitation, romantic interests, etc.)
Information acquired can then be shared with the appropriate government agency charged with child support cases and collection enforcement or used for legal action against the payer.
Who Hires a Private Investigator for a Child Support Enforcement and Collection Investigation?
In most cases, it is the custodial parent seeking payment or an attorney working on the custodial parent’s behalf that initiates a child support enforcement and collection investigation. In some cases, a relative (parent, grandparent, sibling) or close friend of the custodial parent or child involved may seek out the help of a private investigator on behalf of the custodial parent.
Starting a Child Support Enforcement and Collection Investigation
Hiring a private child support investigator and support investigation with Trustify is quick and simple. Here’s how the process works:
- Request a Consultation: Submit your case online or by phone to schedule your consultation. We’ll ask for the details we need to get your case matched with an investigator and provide cost estimates.
- Consultation with a Private Investigator: A licensed private investigator will contact you to talk to you about the purpose and goals of the investigation, and to collect any relevant information about your case. As the client, you’ll be asked to identify the subject of the investigation and provide as much information as possible about their background and current whereabouts. Questions your investigator might ask you include:
- Are you currently in possession of a divorce decree or court order awarding you child support payments?
- Have you received any child support payments in accordance with a divorce decree or court order?
- What is your current relationship to the subject of the investigation?
- Are you seeking an adjustment to the child support amount?
- When and how did you last have contact with the person required to make the child support payments?
- Do you have reason to believe that that the investigation subject may have left the country?
- Is the subject a non-U.S. citizen?
- What does the investigation subject do for a living?
- Do you know where he/she was last employed?
- Has the investigation subject ever been represented by an attorney and if so, who?
- Investigation in Progress: After your consultation, your investigator will get to work to locate the parent in question. Methods and techniques employed vary by investigator and are subject to federal, state and local laws, and often include:
- Background investigations and public records searches (criminal, civil, court, marriage/divorce, business and employment, etc.)
- Locating the subject’s current whereabouts
- Hidden assets searchesPhysical surveillance and covert operations
- Case Updates & Final Report: Your investigator will keep you informed of all developments in real-time. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, a full report will be provided along with any court-admissible evidence. In addition, your private investigator may be available to testify on your behalf in court, if necessary and agreed-upon before the start of the investigation.
What Investigators Will Not Do
At no time during the course of the investigation will an investigator break the law or violate ethical standards. For example, an investigator will never attempt to access legally protected records in pursuit of information. However, investigators will use every legal means necessary to find a delinquent parent and compel them to make financial restitution.