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Office of Child Support Enforcement › Child Support Portal

Office of Child Support Enforcement — Division of Federal Systems
Portal User Rules of Behavior

Purpose and Applicability

The Rules of Behavior provide specific guidance for Child Support Portal users on the appropriate use of Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) information. Users include federal employees, state employees, tribal employees, contractors, subcontractors, and interns. These Rules of Behavior are based on the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Department of Health and Human Services Policy for Security and Privacy Protection (IS2P), dated November 18, 2021. Additional requirements come from the Social Security Act, the IRS, and Division of Federal Systems guidelines specifically governing FPLS information.

You must read and comply with these rules while accessing FPLS information on the Portal.

Rules of Behavior

You may:

  • Access, use, or disclose FPLS information on the Child Support Portal, including information from other agencies, only in response to a request from an authorized person for an authorized purpose, and limit the scope of information in accordance with the Social Security Act, sections 453(a)(2) and (a)(3), 453(c)(1), 453I(1), 459A(c)(2) and 463(a), (e) and (f), and 453(i)(3) and 453(j)(1) through (j)(11).
  • Access approved Social Security Administration or IRS query screens based on a request from an approved and authorized requestor only, for an authorized purpose, in accordance with sections 6103(l)(6), (8), and (10) of the Internal Revenue Code.
  • Print screens of FPLS information only when essential to perform a job function. Secure the print screens in a locked drawer or file cabinet when away from your work area.
  • Destroy print screens of FPLS information when no longer needed by using a crosscut shredder or by placing the documents in a secure shredding container.
  • Lock workstation when unattended, even if unattended only for a few minutes.

You may NOT:

  • Access, or attempt to access, FPLS information — including your own information — in a production environment not essential to perform a job function.
  • Use personal equipment to access, transmit, or store FPLS information.
  • Print FPLS information from any location other than agency premises.
  • Store documents on the local hard drive of any workstation, laptop, or other device that is not government furnished equipment with whole disk encryption.
  • Share Portal account credentials with others.
  • Upload into User Acceptance Testing environments any personally identifiable information or sensitive documents such as court orders.
  • Allow unauthorized individuals to view FPLS or other sensitive information on the Portal.

I have read the OCSE Portal User Rules of Behavior, and I understand and agree to comply with them. I understand that violation of these rules may lead to loss of Portal access.