Paternity Establishment 101 Online

Course Description

Child support enforcement (CSE) workers who process actions for support where paternity must be established or where paternity may become an issue.

Paternity establishment is an increasingly important issue in the child support enforcement community. Approximately one-third of all children in the United States are born out of marriage. These children must have paternity legally established before an action for support can be pursued. CSE workers must have a working knowledge of both the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes and Rules of Civil Procedure and how they pertain to paternity establishment.

• Assess if paternity is an issue and its effect on Pennsylvania Child Support Enforcement System (PACSES) case processing.
• Determine if paternity was established administratively.
• Address rescission in administrative paternity establishment.
• Address when the judicial paternity establishment process begins.
• Determine which of the six judicial paths to apply in establishing paternity based upon an assessment of case circumstances.
• Process the case in PACSES to ensure accurate recording of the judicial paternity establishment.
• Assess if paternity is an issue and if it has been, or needs to be, established administratively and/or judicially.
• Recognize if paternity disestablishment is an issue and determine the implications it has for a case.
• Manage cases involving paternity disestablishment according to legal requirements and process appropriately in PACSES.

Course is work at your own pace.

Course Level

PACSETI Online

PACSETI Online contains all courses available to participants by logging into the PACSETI LMS. 

Currently, the following courses are available: 

100-Level Online

These courses provide in-depth instruction on each of the case management processes (i.e. Case Initiation, Locate, Paternity Establishment, Financials, Enforcement, Case Closure, etc.) used in the Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Program. The courses allow the participant to work at their own pace using case studies. The courses are designed for less experienced CSE staff who require additional knowledge and understanding of individual CSE topics. The training is also appropriate for cross-training personnel in more than one CSE area of expertise.

Working With the Military in Child Support Matters

This course focuses on how to work efficiently and effectively with military personnel, using procedures and methods consistent with the Federal and State statutes, regulations, and rules that govern military child support matters and the Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Program