The Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) is a national location system
operated by the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, to assist
in locating non-custodial parents, putative fathers, and custodial parties
to: Establish paternity; Establish, modify or enforce child support
orders; Make or enforce child custody or parenting time (visitation)
determinations; Enforce federal or state laws regarding unlawful taking
or restraint of a child.
 Frequently Asked Questions:
Form(s)
FPLS Contact
Sharrice Pendergraft, Branch Manager
Oregon Child Support Program
4600 25th Avenue NE, Suite 180
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-2537
sharrice.pendergraft@doj.state.or.us
Oregon Administrative Rules that pertain to the Federal Parent
Locator Service:
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Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the Federal Parent Locator Service? 
The Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) is a national location system
operated by the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, to assist
in locating non-custodial parents, putative fathers, and custodial parties
to:
- Establish paternity;
- Establish, modify or enforce child support orders;
- Make or enforce child custody or parenting time (visitation) determinations;
- Enforce federal or state laws regarding unlawful taking or restraint
of a child;
- Help state agencies administering child welfare or foster care to
determine who has or may have parental rights regarding a child.
What are the Sources of Information?
Developed in cooperation with the states, employers, and federal agencies,
the FPLS obtains information from several sources, including:
- Department of Defense
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Federal Case Registry (a national database containing information
on individuals in child support cases and child support orders)
- Internal Revenue Service
- National Directory of New Hires (a central repository of employment,
unemployment insurance, and wage data from State Directories of New
Hires, State Employment Security agencies, and federal agencies)
- Social Security Administration
Who may request information from the FPLS?
Authorization to request information from FPLS is limited to:
- State child support agencies;
- Certain courts or agents of the court;
- The resident parent, legal guardian, attorney, or agent of a child
not receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; and
- State agencies that administer child welfare or foster care programs.
In parental kidnapping, child custody, or parenting time (visitation)
cases, only certain agents and attorneys of the state or the court may
request information from FPLS.
All requests for information from FPLS must go through the Division
of Child Support (DCS) as the State Parent Locator Service.
May a parent request information from FPLS?
The resident parent (the parent with physical custody) may request
FPLS information in order to help locate the other parent to establish
paternity, or establish, modify or enforce a child support order, without
applying for full child support services, by working with DCS.
In issues of parental kidnapping, custody or parenting time (visitation),
all requests must be made by the court.
How does a parent request FPLS information?
If the purpose of the information is to establish paternity, or establish,
modify or enforce a child support order, FPLS information may be requested
through the DCS.
An individual requesting information from DCS must complete the Request
for Information from the Federal Parent Locator Service Form (available
on this web page or through any Oregon child support office) and provide
the following information:
- Reason for the request
- Information about him/herself: name, social security number, date
of birth, and relationship to the person being sought
- Information about the person being sought: full name, social security
number, and date of birth
Due to strict confidentiality laws, each request must go through a
determination process and meet certain criteria before DCS will submit
the request for information to FPLS.
Once DCS submits the request, it may take FPLS up to 90 days (or more)
to send the response.
What locate information will be provided by FPLS?
If the purpose of the information is regarding a parental kidnapping
case, or is to make or enforce a child custody or parenting time (visitation)
determination, the following information may be provided:
- Most recent address and place of employment of the parent or child
If the purpose of the information is to establish paternity, or establish,
modify or enforce a child support order, the following information may
be provided:
- Most recent address and place of employment of the parent
- Information on income and benefits from employment
Can I locate a person other than for establishing
or enforcing a child support order?
The Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) can only be used to locate
parents to establish or enforce a child support order and to assist
authorized persons to resolve parental kidnapping and child custody
and visitation determination cases. However, the IRS and Social Security
Administration (SSA) both have letter forwarding services to help a
person contact an individual whose address is unknown. Neither IRS nor
SSA can disclose if the letter was delivered or the person's address.
The only response you may receive will be from the person you are trying
to locate.
Information on the SSA service can be found at:
http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa/faq
(Select category 'Miscellaneous : Locating Friends/Relatives').
Information on the IRS service is available at:
http://www.irs.gov/taxpros
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