Can I still enforce Child Support payments from a former spouse who has become unemployed recently? We really rely on it.

There are basically two routes to child support enforcement – the public and the private route.  The private route involves hiring an attorney to take your ex-husband back to court for an enforcement action.  The end result of this tactic is usually that the monthly amount of child support he owes is increased to account for the past due amount.  While this way may be more expensive than the “public” route, it usually moves faster than the alternative.  On the other hand, you can go to the Attorney General’s Office for your state and inquire whether they conduct child support enforcement.  Some states, such as Texas, have exemplary child support enforcement laws that make is easier for those people without the means to hire an attorney still be able to collect child support.