HFS celebrates Child Support Awareness Month with continued improvements to serving Illinois families

Child Support Services provides critical assistance to help families create a stable financial future

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is recognizing August as Child Support Awareness Month, marking continued improvement on key performance metrics that correlate to the state's ongoing efforts to support Illinois families more holistically. The mission of the program is to improve the lives of the many children it serves annually, and create a more stable and successful future for families in the state of Illinois.

HFS' Division of Child Support Services (CSS) serves more than 310,000 Illinois families and nearly 500,000 children throughout the state of Illinois. More than $1.1 billion is collected annually on behalf of families served.

Since 2019, HFS' Division of Child Support Services (CSS) has moved up a full 20 places in the national ranking of state programs, from 48 to 28, with consistent year-over-year ranking improvements. For the second year in a row, Illinois ranks among the top 30 states nationally.

For fiscal year 2025, Illinois' paternity establishment percentage was 98%. This metric represents the number of children in the state with paternity established or acknowledged, divided by the number of children born to unmarried parents for the prior year. Additionally, Illinois' support order percentage was 85.7%, calculated based on the number of cases that have an order for child support to be paid compared to the number of active CSS involved cases. This statistic reflects the efficient work of the program in addressing the needs of families.

"Illinois' Child Support program has proudly served families in our state for more than 50 years, and these improvements illustrate the state's commitment to serving the whole family," said HFS Director Elizabeth M. Whitehorn. "We look forward to building on these improvements for years to come."

CSS is also working on a major system modernization effort with the forthcoming transition to a new, modernized child support technology system with a goal of improving the user experience and making it easier to find information. This new customer portal will give those served by CSS more real-time information about their cases, with the goal of improving case management for all parties involved. It will also improve internal data and processes, allowing CSS to better serve customers.

"CSS modernization efforts will only further support our progress in connecting with Illinois families and helping them meet their needs," said HFS Division of Child Support Services Administrator Bryan Tribble. "The Department remains focused on a holistic approach to serving families and is poised to become a national leader in this model for child support services across the country."