Parents' roles and responsibilities

Fathers and mothers are important in the lives of their children. Parents are encouraged to be involved with their children's lives whether or not they live with them. Staying involved with your child is important and helps children develop and have better outcomes.

You make a difference in your children's lives. Be there for them.

Financial responsibility for your child
Both parents are responsible for contributing financially to the care of their child. If you are a parent and you do not live with the other parent of your child, you may be asked to pay support. Child support can include:
- Basic support
- Medical support
- Child care support
- Past support for up to two years
Child support orders usually continue until the child is at least 18 or graduates from high school.
Working with your child support office
The more you know about Minnesota's child support program, the better you will be able to exercise your rights and responsibilities under the law. This will help you be more successful in providing support for your children.

Minnesota's child support program helps:
- Parents focus on co-parenting
- Parents establish a financial partnership in support of their children
- Families work toward becoming or remaining self-sufficient through improved child support collections
- Children receive the support they deserve.
As you work with your county child support office, remember that:
- The child support office represents the court order. It does not represent either parent.
- Not all solutions to child support problems are within your control.
- The legal rights of all parties must be protected, and sometimes an action on a case may seem unfair.
Cooperating with the child support office is important. By taking an active role in your case, you improve your chances of successful support establishment and collection. If you apply for services and do not cooperate and do not receive public assistance, the child support office may close your case.
Reporting changes that may affect your case
Help the child support office by reporting changes that affect your case in a timely manner and providing information when requested.

Contact your county child support office if:
- You move
- You get a new phone number
- You lose your job
- You get a new job
- Your child has different living arrangements
- Your child graduates from high school
- Your need for child care ends or changes
- You have new information that might help locate the other parent
- You apply for public assistance
- You are involved in other court actions regarding support payments and there was no child support office involved
- You lose medical or dental insurance for a child on the case
- You change health care providers and have updated insurance for a child on the case
- You become disabled or are unable to work
- You become incarcerated
- You receive support payments directly from the other parent.
If you receive public assistance
The child support office expects parents to participate in their case. If you receive public assistance, know that:
- If the child lives with you and you receive public assistance, the other parent may be ordered to pay child support.
- If parentage needs to be established or the other parent needs to be located, you must cooperate with the child support office by providing complete and correct information.
- If you do not cooperate with the child support office's action to establish parentage or child support, your public assistance benefits may be reduced and your coverage under MinnesotaCare or Medical Assistance may end, unless you claim good cause.