Child Support & Children's Programs

Protecting children is our top priority. Our office is dedicated to developing children’s programs that help improve and protect our youth. Read more about our programs and divisions and how we believe these programs help improve the overall quality of life in Madison County.

CHILD SUPPORT DIVISION

Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office represents and works with Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) (www.ilchildsupport.com) to provide and assist custodial parents with the establishment, modification and enforcement of child support orders in Madison County, Illinois. Through our partnership with HFS, we assist more than 12,000 custodial parents to obtain and collect the child support that is owed for the benefit of their children.

Through the Child Support Enforcement Program, our office also assists custodial parents to establish paternity for their children. Establishment of paternity is the first step to establishing a child support order.

Custodial parents seeking to establish paternity, child support or to enforce child support orders may contact Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (www.ilchildsupport.com) at (800) 447-4278.

Read Illinois’ Child Support Guidelines

Child support collections in Illinois are handled by the Illinois State Disbursements Unit (www.ilsdu.com). The ILSDU handles the collection and distribution of child support payments for cases in the State of Illinois. Custodial parents having questions regarding payments can contact the SDU by calling (877) 225-7077.

For additional information about how the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office can assist you with issues pertaining to the support of your child(ren), please contact Christine (Chris) Kovach at (618) 692-6280 or cskovach@co.madison.il.us.

CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER

The Madison County Child Advocacy Center (CAC) opened in January 2003 and continues to play a vital role in the prosecution of those perpetrators who commit crimes against the children of Madison County. Since its opening, more than 1,000 children have benefited from the comfortable and compassionate environment the Center provides to children.

The Child Advocacy Center provides a safe, child-friendly setting for abused children, developed to minimize their trauma. By offering a neutral setting where a coordinated team of professionals can meet to observe the child being interviewed, the CAC helps reduce the need for multiple interviews and contact with the child. The CAC provides a setting where law enforcement, Department of Child and Family Services, State's Attorney's Office, medical and mental health professionals, can all observe the child at once so that it makes the interview process more effective and less strenuous on the child victim. As a result, the State's Attorney's Office has filed criminal charges in over 90% of these cases, which nearly triples the state-wide average.

The Center is made possible thanks to the generous funding and resources provided by Madison County government, State’s Attorney William A. Mudge and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Grants make up part of the Center’s budget but are not guaranteed from year to year. To help offset financial needs, the Center relies on donations to pay for many of its other costs. Please consider making a tax deductible donation to the Friends of the Child Advocacy Center. Every dollar received goes directly towards efforts to help children of abuse. For more information, contact Carrie Cohan, Executive Director, at (618) 296-5390 or childadvocacy@co.madison.il.us For more information about the Child Advocacy Center, please visit www.madco-cac.org