On behalf of Cooper & Tanis, P.C. posted in divorce on Tuesday, December 27, 2016.

When a noncustodial parent fails to pay child support to the custodial parent who is entitled to receive it, the delinquent parent may have to be located before the child support order can be enforced. In some situations, a noncustodial parent in Colorado or elsewhere may become elusive in an attempt to avoid a financial obligation to provide for the kids following a divorce.

This may be a critical issue for many parents who have custody. States are responsible for child support enforcement, but the various enforcement procedures that are used by individual states may not be effective at locating parents who have no intent to pay and no desire to be found. States are required to enforce a child support order from another state in the event that the unresponsive parent has crossed a state line, but again, a valid court order may be difficult to enforce unless the precise whereabouts of the delinquent parent are first known.

There are things that custodial parents who are faced with this situation might do that could possibly lead to a satisfactory resolution. Parents could hire a private investigator or conduct an investigation themselves through online sources. Supplying the deadbeat’s personal information, work history and list of previous known addresses to authorities and to caseworkers could ultimately help the unresponsive parent be more easily located.

Data compiled by the Federal Parent Locator Service may also be used by state agencies to track down parents who are on-the-run or in hiding. Custodial parents in Colorado who may be experiencing hardship due to the noncustodial parent’s failure to pay court-ordered child support may find it beneficial to seek help from a family law attorney who could ensure that their rights are protected both inside and out of the courtroom.