Family Violence (FV) Resources

Family Violence (FV) Resources

The child support program (the Office of Child Support, Prosecuting Attorney, and Friend of the Court) will add FV protection to your child support case:

  • When you make a sworn statement that you or your child is at risk of experiencing family violence (domestic violence or child abuse). You can submit a sworn statement here on MiChildSupport.
  • When the child support program's computer system (MiCSES) receives information from other state agencies that you or your child is at risk of experiencing family violence. Those agencies include the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan State Police, or other states' child support programs.

FV protection:

  • Applies to all of your child support cases.
  • Does not apply to information on file with the court.

Once you add FV protection, the child support program will not share your identifying information with the other party on your case. That information includes, but is not limited to:

  • Addresses (except an alternative address).
  • Phone numbers.
  • Driver's license number.
  • Social Security number.
  • Employer information.
FV protection applies to all child support cases you have.

No. Adding FV protection and providing an alternative address through MiChildSupport does not protect or update your address with the court. FV protection only protects your identifying information with the child support program.

To make your address confidential with the court, you must file a motion with the court and provide the court an alternative address. If you do not make your address confidential with the court and provide the court an alternative address, there is a risk:

  • Your confidential address will appear on documents the court sends to the other party.
  • You will not receive important court documents in a timely manner. The court could make child support, custody, or parenting time decisions without your input.
  • The court may require you to say your confidential address out loud in a hearing.

You may want FV protection if the other parent on your case:

  • Has physically, emotionally, or psychologically abused you or your child.
  • Has threatened, harassed, or stalked you.
  • Has acted in a way that makes you fear for your or your child's safety.
Always trust your instincts. You can add FV protection to your child support case at any time using the Request an FV Protected Account page.

Your FV protection status is not viewable by any other MiChildSupport user or the other party on your child support case. Only you can see it.

FV protection will remove your identifying information from documents the child support program uses for your case and sends to the other party. The other party may notice your information is missing from those documents.

An alternative address is a non-confidential address for people who have FV protection. An alternative address helps protect you and your child by giving the child support program a safe address to send your mail. Providing an alternative address is strongly encouraged.

  • The child support program will use your alternative address to send you important documents.
  • Your alternative address will be visible on documents the child support program sends to the other party on your child support case.
  • Your alternative address will be visible on documents the child support program files with the court.

Your alternative address should be an address you feel safe the other party knowing, such as a PO box or a trusted family member's home.

You can add or update your alternative address on the Personal Information Update page. Please remember an alternative address is non-confidential and will be shared with the other party on your case. If you have other child support cases, your alternative address will be used in those cases, too.

If you have FV protection but do not have an alternative address, the child support program will not share your identifying information with the other party on your case and will continue to mail you important documents. However, the other party might ask why your address is missing from documents, and there is a risk that your confidential address could appear on documents sent by the court to the other party. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to provide an alternative address as soon as possible to best protect you and your child. Remember, you can always add or change an alternative address on the Personal Information Update page.

Your MiChildSupport account will show if your case has FV protection in the upper right-hand corner of your user profile dropdown. In the dropdown view, you will see "FV Protected Account" below your username (as shown below). If you do not see "FV Protected Account" below your username, your case does not have FV protection.

FV Protected indicator in header dropdown

There are two possible reasons. First, the FV protection could be on your case because you were a child or grandchild on a previous child support case with FV protection. Second, the Michigan child support program may have applied the FV protection due to information the child support computer system receives from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan State Police, or another state's child support program.

If you want to remove the FV protection, go to the Request Removal of FV from an FV Protected Account page.

Yes. If you have safety concerns with your child support case, you should speak with your child support caseworker.

There are also national, state, and local services that can help:

National Domestic Violence Hotline
Supporting survivors 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in an emergency situation, call 911. You can also check with domestic violence/intimate partner violence programs and shelters in your area for assistance.

Anyone affected by abuse and needing support can call 800-799-7233. If you are unable to speak safely, go to the National Domestic Violence Hotline website or text LOVEIS to 866-331-9474.

Find Services in Your Area
The MDHHS Domestic Violence Resource Directory provides information on local domestic violence services. These services may include shelter, legal and other kinds of advocacy, counseling, support groups, transitional housing, and other services.

The Address Confidentiality Program
The Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) is a statewide confidentiality program through the Michigan Department of Attorney General. ACP shields a person's actual physical address by providing them an official substitute address and free mail forwarding service. This program is available to survivors of domestic violence in the process of moving to a new location.