However, sometimes the services of the support enforcement agency are not sufficient to collect the support due your child. If that happens, it usually is necessary to seek the assistance of the court in collecting the support. That is done by filing a motion or petition alleging that the payor parent has failed to pay support and asking the court to assist in the collection of support. In most jurisdictions, the support enforcement agency will help you file such a petition. Talking about such issues with an attorney prior to filing a petition with the court will help you be sure you know the rules in your state and have considered the costs and benefits of the procedure in question.
Many states have a parent locator service.
Call your state's support enforcement agency and ask about the parent locator service. If they are not able to help you, you can often locate a missing parent if you know what state he or she resides in simply by asking for a search of the motor vehicle records for that state. If you have a computer, you can purchase one of the software packages with nation-wide telephone and address listings and search for the payor parent by name. Also, don't forget to ask friends or relatives of the payor parent, since many people will give up information about a missing parent because the missing parent has failed to pay child support. If all else fails, a private detective can be asked to conduct a search.