Is a costs award enforced the same way as a support order, through the Family Responsibility Office?

Generally, no. The Family Responsibility Office is specifically focused on enforcing child and spousal support obligations under court orders and filed support agreements; a standalone costs award, which isn't itself a support obligation, is generally enforced through ordinary civil enforcement tools rather than through the Family Responsibility Office's support-specific system. That means a party owed costs typically needs to pursue enforcement directly, such as registering the costs order against the debtor's property, garnishing bank accounts or wages, or using a writ of seizure and sale, rather than relying on the same enforcement mechanism used for missed support payments.

Because these are genuinely different enforcement pathways with different tools, someone owed a costs award shouldn't assume it will be collected automatically the way ongoing support arrears often are once support is in default. Anyone with an unpaid costs order should get legal advice on the enforcement options that actually apply, since choosing the right approach based on what assets or income the other party has can make a real practical difference to whether the costs are ever actually collected.