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Making Magic Around the World

By: J. Richard Sternowski

Dr. Sherri Z. Heller, Commissioner of the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, opened the National Child Support Enforcement Association's (NCSEA) 52nd Annual Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida, by praising child support enforcement workers across the country for the strides they have made since they were given new tools to do their job in the welfare reform law of 1996. The conference's theme "Making Magic Around the World" was threaded throughout her presentation.

She noted that collections in FY 2002 were over $20 billion, a 40% increase since 1998. In the last 5 years there has been a 74% increase in the likelihood that if a parent asks for child support, that family is going to actually get it. Most interestingly, Dr Heller noted, was that welfare recipients now make up only 17% of the caseload; the largest group now is families who used to receive public assistance. As the number of welfare cases continue to fall, Dr Heller stressed the importance of making child support a reliable source of income for families.

Dr. Heller regaled the attendees with a story of her visit to Disneyland with her young daughter. Each day when she returned to her hotel room, her daughter discovered her various Disney character dolls were magically now watching television or playing in the sink. She never knew that the hotel housekeeper had placed the dolls in those positions while she was out. The Magic Kingdom had become real because the housekeeper took the time to do something that mattered to one specific little girl. Similarly, Dr. Heller emphasized that all of the improvements in the child support system are only magical if they make a difference to individual families.

Although she recognized that many workers may have reached systems overload, Dr. Heller emphasized that it is through systems-generated data and actions that magic can be worked for individual families. She discussed state efforts in data mining and the benefits of data mining in improving performance and their relation to performance, accountability and outcomes.

In a look at future activities, Commissioner Heller discussed the need for improving the interstate process and plans for an Interstate Case Reconciliation Project among other initiatives. A collaborative effort between OCSE and the states, the Project would reconcile inconsistencies in case data by establishing accountability for case processing, improving electronic communications between states and helping states identify cases which need a controlling order determination and arrears calculation.

Before closing, Dr. Heller described efforts by OCSE, NCSEA and the Department of State to improve child support across international borders. (See related story on page two of this issue.) She noted the challenge from the global economy -- that the number of cases involving one parent living in a different county than the other parent and children can be expected to increase. All partners are working together to ensure that, whether through a bi-lateral agreement between the U.S. and one other country, or through a multilateral agreement with many other nations, we are guided by two principles: that children must be able to rely on their parents and parents must support their children, and that any agreement must produce better results, outcomes and performance.

Commissioner Heller closed by reinforcing the need to make the child support program into a reliable source of income for all families who need it.

Meeting of the Americas on International Child Support Enforcement

By: Stephen Grant

On August 7, 2003, OCSE Commissioner Sherri Z. Heller and Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty welcomed representatives from throughout the Western Hemisphere to a two day "Meeting of the Americas on International Child Support Enforcement."

The Meeting of the Americas was held in Orlando Florida directly following the annual National Child Support Enforcement Association conference and was jointly hosted by the Department of State, the Office of Child Support Enforcement of the Department of Health and Human Services (OCSE), the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA), and the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade (NLCIFT).

The meeting focused on exchanging information and best practices on how countries could work with U.S. child support agencies to provide services for international child support cases on a reciprocal basis. There were also opportunities for bilateral discussions between the U.S. and various countries in the region about bilateral child support agreements. It is expected that Costa Rica will soon be the first Latin American nation to conclude a federal reciprocity agreement with the U.S. and that agreements with additional nations will follow.

Officials attended from North America, South America, and the Caribbean, as well The Hague Permanent Bureau, IIN (Interamerican Children's Institute), UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), CARICOM (Caribbean Community Secretariat), and OECS (Organization of Eastern Caribbean States). Representatives participated from the governments of Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

International judicial cooperation between the U.S. and other nations, especially ensuring that every child receives the support of both parents, is a U.S. priority. Collecting child support across international boundaries raises special challenges. With the ever-increasing number of people crossing and recrossing international boundaries in this global economy, it is increasingly important that nations cooperate to meet those challenges. There are an increasing number of U.S. child support cases involving a parent in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central or South America

The U.S. is especially interested in developing arrangements with neighbor countries so it can routinely enforce child support obligations owed between U.S. residents and residents of other countries in the region. Absent a bilateral agreement or some similar arrangement it is often difficult and costly (if not impossible) to enforce child support obligations in another country.

In recent years, the U.S. has undertaken an initiative to enter into federal reciprocal child support enforcement agreements, as directed by the Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act, with other countries so that child support obligations owed to U.S. residents by residents of other countries can be enforced in those countries and vice- versa. The U.S. has federal-level reciprocal arrangements with 8 countries (Australia, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland, Poland and Portugal) and most Canadian provinces/territories but not with any of our Latin American neighbors.

In Spring 2003, the Department of State directed U.S. embassies throughout the Americas to hold discussions on the U.S. international child support initiative, to obtain information from host governments concerning their child support systems and their interest in discussing a federal level reciprocity agreement with the U.S., and to invite host governments to send one or two officials knowledgeable about the country's child support system to the Meeting of the Americas.

California Major League Baseball Players to Serve as Fatherhood Role Models

The California State Department of Child Support Services and Major League Baseball are teaming up for a "responsible fatherhood" campaign. Players from all five of California's Major League Baseball (MLB) teams will participate in the California Department of Child Support Services' (DCSS) eighth annual "Major League Dads Responsible Fatherhood" campaign to encourage parents to take active roles in their children's lives.

Curtis L. Child, Director of DCSS, announced that the players participating in this year's campaign are: Oakland Athletics pitcher Tim Hudson, Anaheim Angels right fielder Tim Salmon, Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Dave Roberts, San Francisco Giants right fielder Jose Cruz, Jr., and former San Diego Padres pitcher Jesse Orosco, who was recently traded to the New York Yankees.

"These major league dads are accomplished athletes who also serve as positive role models for young fathers," said Child. "We're excited to have their involvement and their teams' commitment to help us increase public awareness about the importance of dads being involved in the lives of their children."

Specially designed "Responsible Fatherhood" trading cards and posters featuring the players will be distributed to fans during home baseball games in July and August. All players will be honored with a commemorative plaque recognizing their commitment to their families.

For more information about California's Child Support Services Program or the "Responsible Fatherhood" campaign, log on to the DCSS Web site at http://www.childsup.ca.gov/.

Excerpted from California Department of Child Support Services News Release dated July 29, 2003

National Tribal Child Support Association Hosts Annual Tribal Child Support Enforcement Conference

The National Tribal Child Support Association (NTCSA) comprised of the nine current Tribal Child Support Enforcement (CSE) grantees, hosted their third annual national meeting of tribal leaders on July 21-24, 2003 in Seattle, Washington. Those attending were presented with the "nuts and bolts" of how a Child Support Enforcement Program (CSE) operates.

The three and a half-day conference was filled with plenary sessions about program development, best practices, case management, training, and systems development. New and ongoing issues facing the Tribal Child Support Enforcement program were presented. The conference's theme, "Sheltering Our Children into the Future" focused on how Tribes can participate in the national Child Support Enforcement Program, while maintaining Tribal culture and values for their children.

Other highlights of the conference included a Mock Tribal Court presided over by Judge Phil Lujan (Kiowa-taso tribe) of Oklahoma; an elders panel consisting of Judge Phil Lujan, Jan White (Puyallup tribe), and Wes Martin, Jr. (Menominee tribe) which discussed the cultural aspects of being raised on an Indian reservation; and a lecture given by John Navarro on Cultural Synergy.

The keynote address given by OCSE Commissioner Sherri Z. Heller, Ed.D. Commissioner Heller emphasized to the attendees that, "The Tribal Child Support Program is a Federal, Tribal, and State partnership to collect child support. The Program's principal goal is to ensure that children in general and American Indian children in particular, have the financial support of both parents." Commissioner Heller went on to say that, "OCSE fosters positive relationships and equitable partnerships between the Federal Government, States, and Indian Tribes in order to better serve children and families in Indian Country."

Commissioner Heller reiterated her belief that tribes and states require a necessary partnership of cooperation for success at a national level, and the over-riding principle in the decision-making process, is a commitment to respect for the sovereignty of Tribes and Alaskan Villages.

The Federal application process and administrative/judicial requirements necessary to operate a Federally funded Child Support Enforcement Program were outlined. All of the attending Tribes indicated great interest in the publication of the Final Rule on Tribal Child Support Enforcement. Upon publication of the Final Rule, many tribes indicated that they would submit their applications for Federal funding.

Linda Tresaugue, Child Support Director of the Puyallup Tribe, said "Commissioner Heller's speech was very well received. Tribal participants expressed an appreciation that she participated in the NTCSA conference. It demonstrated commitment on her part."

For additional information about the national Tribal Child Support Association, please visit their website at: www.supporttribalchilden.org

Customer Service Not Just a Frill in Fairfield County Ohio

By: Carri Brown

In order to better meet and anticipate the needs of child support customers, the Fairfield County Ohio Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) established a project of Setting Customer Service Standards with Follow-up. Once public input was sought on the standards to be set, the management team took action to empower the staff to meet those standards. Performance was then monitored for quality assurance.

The Fairfield County CSEA is committed to excellence in public service. While the CSEA could not afford technological updates to the County's telephone system, the agency was determined to ensure timely responses to customer inquiries.

Public input confirmed that CSEA customers desired:

• Voice mail to be used less than 25% of the time.
• All calls returned within one business day.
• Walk-ins addressed without an appointment, and
• Walk-ins, with or without an appointment, to be seen within ten minutes.

The CSEA took the following actions to achieve customer service standards:

• The entire staff agreed upon the importance of setting the customer service standards and made achieving them a top priority.
• Staffing schedules were staggered and rotated so that the phone lines were staffed at all times, even by staff not traditionally responsible for telephone inquiries, including supervisors.
• The importance of customer service was communicated from the top down. The mission statement was updated to include the importance of it, and teams embraced the concept of customer service as the first priority. The staff began to cover for each other so that addressing the customer at the first point of contact - whether that contact was by phone or in person - was the first order of business.
• The CSEA developed monitoring tools to evaluate customer service standards. Simple reception logs were created to monitor how teams were meeting the standards. In addition, the agency performance evaluation tool was updated to include a category for customer service.
• A notice was placed in the reception area indicating the agency policy of seeing walk-ins within ten minutes. The notice prompted those waiting to approach the receptionist if the policy was not met.

With no additional expense, the results have been outstanding:

• Less than 15% of calls now go to voice mail - a 40% decrease.
• The average response time to a voice mail is less than an hour, with most calls being returned within 15 minutes. 100% of calls are returned within one business da.
• Walk-ins are seen within 3 minutes on average.
• Increased teamwork has had a positive side effect: all teams work together to achieve the customer service standards.
• There are fewer reports of dissatisfied customers. Without a long wait for service - by phone or in person - the customers are more trusting of the CSEA.
• There is increased confidence in the agency records and in the agency mission.
• Information has been communicated more clearly, as the full team is involved in serving the customer. Customer service is not a responsibility of just a few.
• In a recent survey, 77% of the customer base indicated that the CSEA "responds in a timely manner."

Accessibility of the CSEA is a prime concern of customers. The Fairfield County CSEA has proven that timely responses are possible without additional expenditures.

2nd National Judicial Symposium Identifies areas for collaboration

2nd National Symposium on Children, Courts, and the Federal Child Support Enforcement Program identifies areas for collaboration

In their letter to Commissioner Heller, dated August 21st, 2003, the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) identified four primary areas for collaboration with OCSE and our state child support partners. The subjects identified as "most intriguing and ripe for collaborative work" were:

• Uncollectible arrears
• Default orders
• Medical support and
• Interstate case processing

The Conferences called upon their respective members to take leadership on dealing with these issues. More details, including suggested strategies for dealing with them, are expected in the near future when a final report is submitted.

What's New on OCSE Website

http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cse/poldoc.htm

DCL-03-29 Modernization of the Federal Parent Locator Service 8/20/03

DCL-03-28 Are your local IV-A and IV-D offices working together to serve families on TANF? 7/11/03

DCL-03-27 OCSE Interstate Initiatives: the Determination of Controlling Order/Reconciliation of Arrears (DCO/ROA) Guide and the Arrears Reconciliation Calculator. 8/1403

DCL-03-26 Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) Release 03-01 Minor 7/31/03

DCL-03-25 Interstate Initiatives: Workgroup on Interstate and Interagency Data Access 8/1/03

DCL03-23 Expanded Federal Parent Locator Service Safeguarding Certification 8/1/03

DCL-03-22 Update on Federal Agency Payments for Child Support 6/29/03

Faith-Based and Community Initiative Section - http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/fbci/