SANTA FE – The New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) is thrilled to announce the launch of a new public service campaign designed to get the word out about the modernized Child Support Services Program and the important services families with children can benefit from by participating.
The campaign features a testimonial from a real-life customer who has navigated the child support system successfully. The testimonial highlights the program’s positive impact on both custodial and non-custodial parents and most importantly on the child’s well-being.
“Our mission is to transform lives. By sharing real stories, we hope to inspire more families to utilize the myriad services offered by the Child Support Services Division, thereby ensuring that their children grow up in a nurturing environment,” said Kathy Slater-Huff, HSD Acting Deputy Secretary.
The purpose of the Child Support Services Program is to ensure assistance in obtaining support, both financial and medical, is available to the children of New Mexico. It accomplishes this by establishing parentage, establishing and modifying support court orders, and enforcing those orders.
“Our recent name change to the Child Support Services Division was a concerted effort to inform the public of the services we provide, and that we are not just an enforcement agency, “said Betina Gonzales McCracken, Child Support Services Division Director. “Recent studies have shown that the general public are unaware of what’s available to them through child support programs nationwide, and how better to find out than directly from a satisfied customer, which is what this public service campaign does.”
The campaign, available in English, Spanish, and Diné (For Radio), will be broadcast on TV and radio stations across New Mexico. This public service campaign is part of a collaboration with the New Mexico Broadcasters Association (NMBA) and will run through next August.
The new campaign succeeds last year’s STEPUp! initiative, which focused on aiding non-custodial parents in fulfilling their child support obligations through employment opportunities.
During the last fiscal year, the CSSD collected $121.1 million in child support collections, with 64 percent of those payments made through employer wage withholdings.
The Child Support Services Program Public Service Campaign can be found here on the HSD website.
Parents are encouraged to learn more about the child support program and apply for services by visiting YES.NM.GOV website or contacting HSD at 1-800-283-4465.
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We talk, interpret and smile in all languages. We provide written information to our customers in both English and Spanish and interpretation services are available in 58 languages through our provider, CTS Language Link. For our hearing, and speech impaired customers, we utilize Relay New Mexico, a free 24-hour service that ensures equal communication access via the telephone to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled.
The Human Services Department provides services and benefits to 1,018,012 New Mexicans through several programs including: the Medicaid Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Support Program, and several Behavioral Health Services.