Federal regulations do not allow the Office of the Attorney General to use child support funding to modify or enforce custody or visitation orders. However, the OAG does receive special funding to provide access and visitation services through local organizations.
The Office of the Attorney General’s Access & Visitation program is designed to help noncustodial parents establish and maintain active parental relationships with their children. This service is funded in part through the Federal Parental Access and Visitation (AV) Grant Program.
Grants to local service providers
Currently, the program funds several programs located throughout the state of Texas that provide parenting time assistance to noncustodial parents, custodial parents and their families. The services provided under these contracts include early intervention, co-parenting education, mediation, development of parenting plans and visitation enforcement, including monitoring, supervised visitation and neutral exchange.
Texas Access and Visitation Hotline
The Texas Access and Visitation Hotline is the only service of its kind in the nation that provides noncustodial and custodial parents with free phone access to parenting time specialists who provide legal information related to child custody and visitation issues, as well as paternity and child support information.
The toll-free number 866-292-4636 is answered in English and Spanish, Monday - Friday, 1-5 p.m. The Hotline has a corresponding website, www.txaccess.org, where parents can download sample materials and tools for assistance with child access issues. Additional brief legal coaching or self-help assistance may be available to eligible Hotline callers.
Access and Visitation Directory
The Access and Visitation Directory is an online collection of helpful community services for families who are parenting together but living apart. The directory includes local providers for services including mediation, co-parenting education, counseling, supervised visitation and development of parenting plans.
You can search the directory by services offered or search by location using our interactive map.
View the Access and Visitation Directory
The service providers in the directory are not endorsed by the Office of the Attorney General. The list is for informational purposes only. If you are interested in services or providers listed in the directory, you should determine for yourself if they are a good fit for your family’s needs.
My Sticker Calendar
Parents establishing child support orders or seeking Access and Visitation services receive a My Sticker Calendar: A Kid's Guide to Shared Family Time.
