In the fall of 2024, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) mailed letters to parents who once had an open dependency and/or severance case.
Did you receive a letter? Visit the DCS letter page for more information.
Family Law
Glossaries
| Term | Main definition |
|---|---|
| Wage Assignment | A court order directing an employer or other payor to withhold money (e.g., wages, earnings, interest or trust funds, unemployment insurance benefits, etc.) owed to a support obligor for payment toward a child support obligation. |
| Wage Withholding | A method of paying child support. Under court order, money is withheld from the wages of a non-custodial parent, sent to the Office of Child Support Registry and then sent to the custodial parent. |
| Waiver | The intentional and voluntary relinquishment of a known legal right. |
| Warrant | A warrant is an order from the court to law enforcement to take someone or something into custody. Some warrant information is forwarded to law enforcement agencies throughout Arizona. For example, the court may order a “bench” warrant for law enforcement to arrest someone who failed to appear in court, or the court may issue a search warrant for law enforcement to seize and remove property from a person, place, or thing. |
| Witness | Person who gives testimony regarding what he/she saw or heard. |
| Writ | A document issued by a court which compels a sheriff or other officer to do something. |