Section 17434 Of Article 1. Support Obligations From California Family Law Code >> Division 17. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 1.
17434
. (a) The department shall publish a booklet describing the
proper procedures and processes for the collection and payment of
child and spousal support. The booklet shall be written in language
understandable to the lay person and shall direct the reader to
obtain the assistance of the local child support agency, the family
law facilitator, or legal counsel where appropriate. The department
may contract on a competitive basis with an organization or
individual to write the booklet.
(b) The department shall have primary responsibility for the
design and development of the contents of the booklet. The department
shall solicit comment regarding the content of the booklet from the
Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. The department
shall verify the appropriateness and accuracy of the contents of the
booklet with at least one representative of each of the following
organizations:
(1) A local child support agency.
(2) The State Attorney General's office.
(3) The California Family Support Council.
(4) A community organization that advocates for the rights of
custodial parents.
(5) A community organization that advocates for the rights of
supporting parents.
(c) Upon receipt of booklets on support collection, each county
welfare department shall provide a copy to each head of household
whose application for public assistance under Division 9 (commencing
with Section 10000) of the Welfare and Institutions Code has been
approved and for whom support rights have been assigned pursuant to
Section 11477 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. The department
shall provide copies of the booklet to local child support agencies
for distribution, and to any person upon request. The department
shall also distribute the booklets to all superior courts. Upon
receipt of those booklets, each clerk of the court shall provide two
copies of the booklet to the petitioner or plaintiff in any action
involving the support of a minor child. The moving party shall serve
a copy of the booklet on the responding party.
(d) The department shall expand the information provided under its
toll-free information hotline in response to inquiries regarding the
process and procedures for collection and payment of child and
spousal support. This toll-free number shall be advertised as
providing information on child and spousal support. The hotline
personnel shall not provide legal consultation or advice, but shall
provide only referral services.
(e) The department shall maintain a file of referral sources to
provide callers to the telephone hotline with the following
information specific to the county in which the caller resides:
(1) The location and telephone number of the local child support
agency, the county welfare office, the family law facilitator, and
any other government agency that handles child and spousal support
matters.
(2) The telephone number of the local bar association for referral
to attorneys in family law practice.
(3) The name and telephone number of at least one organization
that advocates the payment of child and spousal support or the name
and telephone number of at least one organization that advocates the
rights of supporting parents, if these organizations exist in the
county.