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Dr. Sherri Heller Addresses WICSEC Conference Participants in San Antonio

On October 22, Dr. Sherri Heller, Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Child Support Enforcement, addressed the Western Interstate Child Support Enforcement Council's 18th Annual Training Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

In recent years, she told listeners, the child support program reinvented itself, with an expanded mission beyond service to those on public assistance and a host of bold new enforcement tools. The Welfare Reform legislation put the program on the front page. Still, the public often is confused by such things as our complex distribution rules and feels frustrated despite the program's successes.

"Together, we will build an agenda that will work on aspects of the child support program that cause frustration and that need to be improved." ... Dr. Sherri Heller

Moreover, since 1984 the program's demographics have changed dramatically. By the early 1990s, the program was serving more nonpublic assistance customers than public assistance recipients. Today, the nation's child support caseload is composed of nearly 6.2 million persons who have never been on public assistance, 3.3 million who are currently receiving public assistance through the TANF program, and another 7.9 million former public assistance recipients.

"The public is rooting for us to succeed . . . they want us to do the best job we possibly can on behalf of the nation's children and families . . . Together, we won't let them down." ... Dr. Sherri Heller

These are new days for child support, and "together," she said, "we will build an agenda that will work on aspects of the child support program that cause frustration and that need to be improved."

"The public is rooting for us to succeed," Dr. Heller said. "They have given us permission to gather data on the most intimate aspects of their lives and they want us to do the best job we possibly can on behalf of the nation's children and families."

"Together," she promised, "we won't let them down."

Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award to Leon McCowan

On Monday, October 15, the President recognized Leon McCowan, ACF West-Central Hub Director, as one of the winners of the 2001 Presidential Meritorious Rank Executive Award. Mr. McCowan is the ACF lead Hub director for the child support enforcement program.

The Meritorious Executive Rank Award is conferred on no more than five percent of career SES government-wide.

Since 1978, Presidents have conferred the Presidential Rank Award, the highest government award for career SES members, to a select group of executives who have demonstrated exceptional performance over an extended period of time. The Meritorious Executive Rank Award is conferred on no more than five percent of career SES government-wide.

Leon received the award for his extraordinary executive leadership and accomplishments in developing breakthrough strategies that have led ACF to streamlined services, reduced inefficiencies, and enhanced cost-effectiveness. His innovative use of technology, coupled with his use of a results-oriented framework, has transformed ACF from an agency focused on traditional methods of operation to a highly flexible, technologically competitive, and streamlined one.

Lac du Flambeau Tribe Receives Direct Federal Funding for Child Support Program

The Lac du Flambeau Tribe, located on a 144 square mile reservation in north central Wisconsin, has been awarded a direct federal grant to operate a Tribal Child Support Enforcement Program. They are the first Wisconsin Tribe and the first in the Midwest Hub region and one of only four Tribes nationally to receive direct federal funding for child support services.

They are the first Wisconsin Tribe and the first in the Midwest Hub region and one of only four Tribes nationally to receive direct federal funding for child support services.

To receive direct funding, Tribes must be able to demonstrate that they have the capacity to operate child support enforcement programs meeting the objectives of title IV-D of the Social Security Act, including: establishing paternity; establishing, modifying, and enforcing support orders; and locating absent parents.

Dr. Sherri Heller, Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Child Support Enforcement, participated in the special luncheon and grant award signing ceremony honoring the Lac du Flambeau Tribe, held November 6 at the Lake of the Torches Convention Center in north central Wisconsin.

Research Findings on Customer Cooperation in Hennepin County, Minnesota

By: Esther Ann Griswold

The Minnesota Division of Child Support Enforcement (CSE) and the Hennepin County CSE agency recently completed an OCSE-funded three-year demonstration project that focused on examining the incidence of customer cooperation with the child support program. The "Hennepin County Video Interviewing and Client Referral Services" project was designed to develop, test, and evaluate the benefits of a coordinated child support/TANF process that included effective interviewing procedures and arrangements, screening and assessments of applicants regarding barriers to cooperation, and referrals to community resources.

Three child support assumptions were tested by the project.

1. When child support offices and public assistance offices are separated geographically, it is sometimes thought that a stand-alone interactive video system can be easily and inexpensively substituted for other interview formats.

   To overcome the distance between the child support and TANF agencies in Minneapolis, Hennepin County tested the use of an interactive video system. The project compared the performance of three child support interview formats: telephone, video, and in-person interviews.

   Analysis of data from the project shows that the three formats perform similarly when eliciting information to locate noncustodial parents, and differences are modest. In-person interviews, however, are most effective in obtaining disclosures of domestic violence and in gathering information leading to the establishment of paternity.

   The reactions of customers exposed to the video, telephone, and in-person interview formats also are similar, with more than 80 percent of each format group responding positively. Child support workers, however, prefer the telephone format for its convenience and effectiveness in most cases.

   In some cases, the low-cost equipment and early video technology used for this project produced poor quality video images, and delays between the visual and auditory tracks, leading some child support workers to conduct video interviews without turning on the screen. Also, workers felt that video interviews, which were not conducted at their desks but in special private rooms, interrupted the flow of their regular work patterns.

   In-person interviews [were found to be] most effective in obtaining disclosures of domestic violence and in gathering information leading to the establishment of paternity.

2. Most custodial parents receiving public assistance do not want to cooperate with child support requirements.

   This notion is not supported by results in Hennepin County. Approximately 95 percent of the public assistance applicants who underwent a child support interview provided a name for the noncustodial parent during the project's first phase, and roughly two-thirds provided the date of birth.

   The monthly rate of new sanctions imposed by CSE on customers receiving public assistance was consistently low, ranging from .3 percent to 1.4 percent. Approximately 57 percent of sanctioned customers responded within the month to avoid a financial penalty.

3. Custodial parents choose not to cooperate with child support because they are protecting the noncustodial parent.

   While some individuals appear to be willing to disregard agency requirements and accept sanctions, in many instances, other forces may be at work. For example, interviews with sanctioned custodial parents indicated a lack of understanding of the regulations, sometimes as a result of language and cultural differences. Although Hispanic/Latino individuals comprise only 2 percent of the public assistance caseload in Hennepin County, they account for 25 percent of the sanctioned CSE cases.

   One-quarter of Hennepin County's sanctioned caseload showed patterns of moving in and out of a sanctioned status in both welfare and child support programs.

   Additionally, one-quarter of Hennepin County's sanctioned caseload showed patterns of moving in and out of a sanctioned status in both welfare and child support programs. This suggests a need for intensive management of these cases in order to move them to a state of compliance.

   Since the beginning of this demonstration project, Hennepin County CSE has developed new procedures and programs to address the issues of collecting information and serving customers with low English skills, including hiring bilingual workers. To learn more about this project, contact Barry Bloomgren, Division Manager, Hennepin County Division of Child Support Enforcement at (612) 348-3939.

Mobilization of Reservists for Military Operation Enduring Freedom

OCSE IM-01-09 -- Review and Adjustment, dated November 13, 2001

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Congress authorized the President to activate up to 50,000 U.S. reserve troops for duty. For some persons, being called to active duty can mean a reduction of total monthly income.

Those reservists who are currently making child support payments based on higher monthly income may find that arrears will begin to accumulate when monthly child support payments are not met. Additionally, custodial parents who are activated may also be affected in their ability to meet their children's needs.

Reservists experiencing a reduction in monthly income may wish to contact their child support office to request a review and modification of their child support orders. The information a child support agency needs to accomplish an adjustment can vary from state to state. However, basic information needed to process a request should include the reason for the request (provide a copy of your orders), current military pay information (such as pay grade and time in service, or the latest leave and earnings statement), and child support order information.

We encourage all state child support agencies, courts, and legal associations to give these requests for adjustment of a child support order the highest priority and flexibility allowable under state law. We ask that military family community support centers and legal assistance offices provide support when needed. We further urge the appropriate Department of Defense offices to make this information available to activated reservists.

For more information, contact the ACF Regional Office or local child support office in your area.

Arizona and Utah Promote Marriage

Of interest to the nation's child support community, Arizona and Utah are using TANF funds for projects aimed at promoting healthy marriages. The projects build on the Welfare Reform legislation's requirement to "encourage the formation and maintenance of two parent families."

In Phoenix, Arizona, eleven community organizations are participating in the State's $1,000,000 program to help couples prepare for and sustain healthy marriages. Projects will offer marriage and communication skills workshops for couples who are either planning to marry or have recently married. These workshops also will cover such topics as family law and family budgeting. A marriage handbook will be published and given without charge to marriage license applicants.

We thought it was time to invest on the front end, in an effort to prevent, or at least reduce, some of the problems that couples encounter in marriage." ... Arizona Representative Mark Anderson

According to Representative Mark Anderson, Chairman of Arizona's House Committee on Human Services, the State's decision is a recognition of the importance of prevention. "We thought it was time to invest on the front end," he said, "in an effort to prevent, or at least reduce, some of the problems that couples encounter in marriage."

In Utah, $600,000 from TANF funds have been provided to the Governor's Commission on Marriage to fund four projects to increase healthy marriages. One project will produce a video for couples anticipating marriage or re-marriage. The video will be produced in both English and Spanish and distributed through the offices of the county clerks when couples apply for a marriage license.

The "Promote Marriage and Support `Fragile Families' Pilot Program" [in Utah], is directed at low-income families, newlyweds, second marriages, co-habitating couples, and prisoner families.

A second project-the "Promote Marriage and Support 'Fragile Families' Pilot Program"--is directed at low-income families, newlyweds, second marriages, co-habitating couples, and prisoner families. Vouchers will be provided for counseling and mediation services, and to underwrite the expenses of families' attendance at workshops or conferences.

A third project involves Utah State University, which will develop and maintain a web site that includes healthy marriage enrichment information and links to other sites, as well as resources for services.

The fourth project will conduct yearly conferences on marriage, part of which will be a celebration of Marriage Week, including public recognition of successful long-term marriages in the State.

Five States Award Access and Visitation Grants to Faith-Based Organizations

By: Tom Starnes

Faith-based organizations are serving families through Access and Visitation Program grants in five States: Hawaii, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The Access and Visitation Grant Program was created under section 469B of Title IV-D of the Social Security Act as amended by Title III of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.

The purpose of the program is to enable states to establish and administer programs to support and facilitate noncustodial parents' access to and visitation of their children. A total of $10 million per year has been granted to states since 1997. Funds are granted to states based on the number of children in single family households, with a minimum per state grant of $100,000.

Hawaii

Hawaii has employed the services of The Island of Hawaii YMCA. This project focuses on supervised and unsupervised visitation and modeling of appropriate parental behaviors, and addresses a variety of child developmental and adjustment issues. According to Maureen Kiehm, the State's Access and Visitation Program coordinator, The Island of Hawaii YMCA was selected to provide these services because it is the only agency in the jurisdiction with the necessary expertise and qualifications. In addition, it has a seventy year "history of commitment to the community in encouraging responsible life style choices."

Iowa

From the beginning of the Access and Visitation Grant Program, Iowa has involved the faith community in the development of its fatherhood pilot projects. In the first year, one of their three grants went to Lutheran Social Services of Iowa. In the second year, two of the three grantees had active participation of the faith community on their planning boards and one used churches as neutral exchange sites. In the third year, all three of the grantees have active participation of the faith community on their planning boards. Polk County, through its Fostering Male Involvement Project, relies on the faith community as a provider of mentors.

New York

New York State is working with three faith-based organizations: Catholic Charities of Buffalo, the YWCA of Duchess County in the mid-Hudson area, and St. Catherine's Center for Children in Albany. Each of these faith-based groups was initially selected for an access and visitation grant in 1998 and their contracts have been renewed each year since. Judith Smith, the State's Access and Visitation Program coordinator, says: "These groups bring to the table a wealth of opportunity for cross-programming due to their broad base of programming. They are well-networked within their respective service areas and enjoy the respect of area public officials at local, county, state and federal regional levels."

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has funded two faith-based organizations for access and visitation services: the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, and the Salvation Army of Philadelphia. The Harrisburg YWCA project focuses on visitation by offering services at three convenient sites within the Harrisburg area. Services include monitored exchanges, semi-supervised visitation, and therapeutic visitation. The Salvation Army project in Philadelphia targets low-income nonresidential parents and their children (ages 5 to 16) from North and West Philadelphia. The project is designed to facilitate nonresidential parents' access to and visitation of their children by offering transportation assistance, structured parent/child visitation, counseling, referral and case management services, and parent education.

West Virginia

West Virginia funded the Charleston Family YMCA to deliver access and visitation services. This project focuses on families dealing with divorce and features a course for children entitled, "Children in the Middle," which helps children to cope with this transitional time in their lives. A course also is offered to parents to fulfill the State's legal requirement for parent education before divorce papers become final. If you would like more information about faith-based activities in OCSE, contact Tom Starnes at (202) 401-5536.

More on OCSE Training Needs Assessment

The Child Support Report previously reported on the state training needs assessment that was developed by the National CSE Training Work Group and Technical Assistance Work Group and disseminated to state child support programs by the National Council of Child Support Directors.

To gain further information about how states view their training needs, OCSE established Follow-Up Teams consisting of state and federal CSE staff to clarify and follow up on specific state training and technical needs that OCSE could assist with through its training and technical assistance activities.

The Follow-Up Teams have found state interest in the following topics and activities.

Medical Support, including implementation and use of the National Medical Support Notice; establishment of a national database of employers and the medical insurance they offer; development of outreach materials for CHIP participants to encourage their use of child support services; and outreach to employers by providing them with information regarding medical support, specifically on the use of the National Medical Support Order.

Collections on Arrears, including guidance concerning reconciliation of arrears in interstate cases, as well as in determining controlling orders.

Collections on Current Support, including additional investigation into the efforts required by child support agencies to establish and maintain collaborations with welfare-to-work agencies for the purpose of referring noncustodial parents to these programs.

Cost Effectiveness, including OCSE-provided technical assistance to states on developing RFPs and managing privatization contracts; and sponsoring a conference on cost effectiveness that would address issues such as the effective use of automation, sharing best practices, and privatization.

Support Order Establishment, including developing a template that states could adapt that would show how other states do their guideline calculations; developing outreach materials for noncustodial parents on the downward modification process; and publishing examples of model support orders that are clearly written and easy to understand.

Paternity Establishment, including improving collaboration between child support agencies and vital statistics offices; and outreach to national hospital and medical associations and accreditation organizations to promote paternity programs.

In response to the states' requests, OCSE is reviewing its training and technical assistance activities under four headings: Existing Initiatives that have already been done; Initiatives Already Under Development, such as a requested customer service training course that is nearing completion; Complex Issues, such as medical support enforcement; and Areas Outside OCSE Control, such as new legislation.

More information will be available in the near future as OCSE completes development of a coordinated training and technical assistance response to the findings of the State Assessment Follow-Up Teams.

If you have questions, contact Yvette Riddick, Chief of OCSE's National Training Center, at (202) 401-4885.

Ohio Receives Certification

Ohio has received certification of its computer system for meeting the requirements of the Family Support Act. Congratulations to the State for this achievement.

Alabama, D.C., and Michigan Awarded Bonuses for Reductions in Out-of-Wedlock Births

On September 21, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced the award of $75 million in bonuses to Alabama, the District of Columbia, and Michigan for achieving the nation's largest decreases in out-of-wedlock births between 1996 and 1999.

This is the third award of bonuses for reductions in out-of-wedlock births, as provided for in the welfare reform law of 1996. The full press release is available on the Internet at /news/press/2001/wedlock.html.