CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT 

 The Colville Tribal Child Support Program will be a comprehensive program for tribal members and families.  Our intent is to use the tribal child support program to enhance the lives of parents and children.  Parents will be provided opportunities to enhance the quality of life through training and skill building.  Our focus with the tribal child support program is well adapted children, who will someday become responsible adults.  These children are the decision makers of tomorrow.

 Recognizing that many parents were not supporting their children, and seeing the consequences of that non-payment in the spiraling costs of public welfare, the federal government founded the Child Support Enforcement programs- also known as the IV-D program- in 1975.  The term IV-D refers to the section of the federal Social Security Act (Title IV, Part D) that provides statutory basis for the Child Support program.

Tribes officially became part of the CSE program with the passage of Welfare reform in 1996.  The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) allowed tribes to join in the IV-D Program and authorized the operation of tribal CSE programs and trial cooperative agreements with state IV-D agencies.

·         All Children have established parentage.

·         All Children have support orders.

·         All Children have medical coverage.

·         All Children receive support from their parents.

·         The Colville Tribal Child Support Program will act in the best interests of the child(ren)

·         Ensure parents who are capable of being in their children’s lives are.

·         Ensure children receive the support they need &  deserve

·         Intervene early to modify orders, correcting mismatches between ordered payments, and ability to pay.

·         Take prompt steps, as soon as a payment is missed, to work with parents to support their children.

·         Provide easy access to genetic testing for parents of children born out of wedlock.

·         Provide information and education to parents about the impact of marriage and single parenting on emotional well-being and financial security of children.

The purpose and the mission of the Colville Tribal Child Support Program is to enhance the well-being and quality of life for  children by assuring that assistance in obtaining support, including financial and medical, is available to children through locating parents, establishing paternity, establishing support obligations, and monitoring and enforcing  obligations parents have to their children

GUIDING PRINCIPLES   

Children Come First.

Parents need to be accountable for their financial and emotional responsibilities to their children.   We will help those who are struggling to do so.

Children who receive positive emotional and financial support are more likely to become well adapted people.  A legal and emotional relationship between parents and their children is essential.

Our prompt, proactive steps ensure appropriate levels of child support are paid timely and consistently to prevent the accrual of unpaid child support.  

Reliable child support and medical coverage are particularly crucial for families striving to achieve self-sufficiency.

Both parents are treated fairly, kept informed, and their concerns are recognized, and their issues addressed.

We will ensure the privacy and security of the personal information so critical to our mission.

Colville Tribal Child Support Program                      Phone 509.634.2290

Post Office Box 150                                                      Toll Free 1.866.202.0471  

Nespelem, WA 99155                                                   Fax 509.634.2742   

Ricard Tupling, Interim IV Director                            Dean Nicholson, Project Manager

ricard.tupling@colvilletribes.com                               dean.nicholson@colvilletribes.com

 509.634.2799                                                                   509.634.2689

© Copyright 2006. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

COLVILLE TRIBAL TANF PROGRAM

For comments or questions please contact: carey.batten@colvilletribes.com