Back to School, Back to Basics: Why Child Support Knowledge Matters for Domestic Violence Advocates
By: Jillian Young, SAVES Project Director As backpacks are packed, classrooms come alive, and students prepare for a new school…
Back to School, Back to Basics: Why Child Support Knowledge Matters for Domestic Violence Advocates
By: Jillian Young, SAVES Project Director
As backpacks are packed, classrooms come alive, and students prepare for a new school year, August reminds us that learning doesn't stop after graduation. It is also Child Support Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to sharpen an important skill that can strengthen advocacy for survivors of domestic violence, understanding the child support system. Domestic violence advocates are highly skilled at helping survivors navigate safety planning, protective orders, housing, counseling, and other critical resources. This training often doesn’t include child support related training.
Lessons that Impact Safety
For many survivors, child support represents more than a financial resource. It can also intersect with ongoing safety concerns, parenting time arrangements, and continued contact with a person who has used abusive behaviors. Without a basic understanding of how the child support system works, advocates may feel less prepared to help survivors make informed decisions or identify when additional safety considerations should be explored. So, in honor of children heading back to school and Child Support Awareness Month, let’s pack our “professional supplies”. As you prepare for another year of serving survivors, consider adding these essentials to your toolkit:
- Being able to explain to survivors how receiving public benefits may require them to cooperate with their local child support agency.
- Supporting survivors in weighing both the potential benefits and risks of pursuing child support based on their individual circumstances.
- Recognizing when additional safety planning may be needed.
- Building relationships and connecting survivors with child support professionals who can implement safety measures in their case.
Class is Always in Session at the SAVES Center
Increasing safe access to child support for domestic violence survivors is the north star of the Safe Access for Victims’ Economic Security (SAVES) Center. The SAVES Center is a national resource center funded by the Office of Child Support Enforcement. It works to expand safe access to child support, paternity establishment, and parenting time services. The Center supports state, Tribal, and local child support agencies—as well as partner organizations—through training, technical assistance, research, evaluation, and policy information. The SAVES Center is a collaboration among the Colorado Division of Child Support Services, BWJP, the Center for Policy Research (CPR), and the Centre for Public Impact (CPI), and the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement.
In August of 2025, The SAVES Center launched its state of the art “Child Support 101: Building a Framework for Domestic Violence Advocates”. The three-module course is designed to provide community-based domestic violence advocates with the foundational knowledge and tools needed to support survivors of domestic violence as they navigate the child support system.
- The first module introduces child support, its role in promoting financial stability for survivors, and the key processes involved in establishing and calculating child support.
- The second module examines the challenges and risks survivors may face when seeking child support, including safety concerns, financial control tactics by abusers, and systemic barriers.
- The third module explores safety modifications and strategies that can reduce risk and support survivor-defined safety.
What are Advocates Saying About the Course?
“I think the whole course was something new for me. I enjoyed learning about the different ways an advocate or the system can help individuals who have concerns about child support and the many ways they're assured that there will always be a safer option.” - Advocate
“I learned that while child support can provide financial stability for survivors, it may also create safety risks. It is important to assess these risks and use safety planning and survivor-centered strategies when supporting survivors.” - Advocate
“I had no idea how the child support process worked (it's quite complicated), so now I have a much better idea of the step-by-step process.” - Advocate
How Can Advocates Learn More?
- Visit the SAVES Center website.
- Take our Child Support 101: Building a Framework for Domestic Violence Advocates e-learning course!
- Contact us with any questions: Info@savescenter.org
- Follow us on social media!