is there anything you can do about a parent misusing child support and not putting it towards my needs?

This is a frequently asked question and the general answer is "no", there is nothing you can do about it, which I know probably doesn't make any sense to you and is very frustrating. Child support is designed to support the "basic needs" of a child, clothing, housing and food. I don't know how you would prove in court that they aren't using the money for that purpose, and even if you could prove it, the law allows no consideration for deviating from the percentgage guidelines, because you don't believe your money is being put to good use. If the other parent is neglecting the child's needs, it may become more of an issue of asking the court to transfer placement of the child to you, than it is a money issue.