Shasta County Department of Child Support Services Takes the Red Carpet

Every year in October, Shasta County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) celebrates all of the hard work staff completed over the past year. Shasta DCSS’s Staff Morale Inspiration Laughter & Encouragement Society, or “SMILES,” committee organizes the event and creates a theme, this year the event was similar to the Academy Awards.

Each team supervisor presented one person from his/her team an “Oscar trophy” and read a short statement about the work and dedication that person displayed in the past year. Shasta DCSS Director Terri Morelock gave a Directors Excellence award to an employee who she thought had went over and above in teamwork, dedication and customer service.

In addition to the awards and recognition, Shasta DCSS hosts a game of friendly team competition with “Child Support Feud,” set up similar to the popular television game show Family Feud. The questions are based on child support services or local government.


“We all enjoy a nice lunch and a lot of laughter,” Morelock said. “We also reveal our end of the (FFY) performance stats. This year we were especially proud of our increase in current support to 71.14 percent! We talk about the families that depend on our services and how we positively impact those we serve,” she added.

This year, the celebration was attended by Shasta County Executive Officer Larry Lees, California State DCSS Director Alisha Griffin, Chief Deputy Director Mark Beckley and Regional Administrator Lesley Bell who also participated in the Child Support Feud.

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California Department of Child Support Services Plugs Into Cyber Security

In recognition of Cyber Security Awareness Month, the California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) Information Security Office held its First Annual DCSS Cyber Security & Awareness Fair on October 20 at DCSS headquarters.

The event showcased various information booths and activities that provided education and entertainment to staff emphasizing the importance of cyber security.

“We have information of over 11 million participants entrusted to us,” said John Cleveland, DCSS Chief Information Security Officer. “A breach of that data could limit the ability of families to feed their children.”

During the fair, staff were given “passports” as they entered the world of cyber space and were invited to take a tour around five different stations with games and quizzes to learn about ways to protect not only the information assets of DCSS, but to stay safe at home as well.

Attendees would receive a stamp on their passport for visiting each information station. After visiting all of the stations the cyber space travelers would then turn in their passport and be entered into a drawing for gifts and gift cards from local businesses.

“We want to let everyone know that information security is a part of what you do every day”, said John Lozano, Security Analyst in the Information Security Office. “Really, it’s about raising awareness of security as a whole.”

Check out a video recap of the event here: http://bit.ly/2eUr0OD

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Ava DeLara, Associate Governmental Program Analyst
California Department of Child Support Services

Central Sierra Regional Child Support Agency Joins in Community Treat Street Event

The Central Sierra Child Support Agency (CSCSA) was celebrating with the local City of Sonora community over the weekend by engaging with prospective child support customers and sharing information about the services it provides.

“Trick or Treat Street” is a community-wide event put on by the City of Sonora and the Downtown Sonora Merchants. Little “boos” and “ghouls” were invited to trick or treat in Historic Downtown Sonora on Saturday, October 22, 2016.

CSCSA staff enjoyed meeting close to 1,000 children along with their parents and/or grandparents.

Downtown Sonora was bustling with all sorts of ghosts, goblins, and lots of princesses and heroes. Merchants along historic Highway 49, also known as Washington Street, greeted trick-or-treaters with candy and assorted other goodies.

“The Sonora Treat Street Saturday was a very fun event,” said Joy Hopkins, Account Clerk II with CSCSA. “We handed out 760 coloring sheets and even ran out!”

The children were provided a coloring page with a cute Halloween design and the CSCSA logo while three staff from two of the CSCSA offices provided parents and grandparents with brochures and information about child support services.

Pictured are Joy Hopkins, Account Clerk II and Brandi Carpo, Child Support Specialist II from the CSCSA Sonora office; and Crissie Loogman, Child Support Specialist II from the CSCSA Jackson office. 

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Dalaine Heagle
Program Manager, CSCSA

Learning Knows No Bounds as DCSS Celebrates Disability Awareness in the Workplace

The California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) held its 3rd Annual Disability Awareness Month event on Thursday, October 13th to celebrate inclusion in the workplace. The event, organized by the DCSS Disability Advisory Committee, helps promote disability awareness in the workplace and showcase all of the benefits that those who may have disabilities can contribute to innovation and work production.

The event featured a wide range of activities for attendees to enjoy including an electrifying performance by Southside Art Ensemble throughout the event. The group characterizes themselves as a “dedicated and diverse group of musicians, conquering our disabilities one song at a time.” The group was a hit at the event.

“This has been a great opportunity for us to engage the community and provide services and complete everyone’s awareness,” said Alisha Griffin, Director of DCSS. “We appreciate everyone coming out to be a part of this and really supporting disability awareness.”

Attendees experienced a very entertaining and informative presentation by Pam Kitani, an employee with DCSS who is also a designated puppy trainer for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a non-profit organization that provides highly trained assistance dogs to persons with disabilities. Employees at DCSS headquarters likely recognized Kitani and her puppy, but many don’t know that she is actually a volunteer for CCI and trains assistance dogs before they are placed with a participant.

Nancy Sawhney, a National Board Member as well as a participant of Canine Companions for Independence also presented the ways in which her assistance dog, “Battier” or “Baddy” for short, helps her live a full life. Baddy helps Sawhney pick up items she may have dropped, hold items while she pushes her wheelchair or turn lights on/off on command.

“I really want to express deep gratitude for puppy trainers like (Kitani) who work so hard and do so much to train these dogs,” Sawhney said. “I also thank employers who allow these training dogs in the workplace.”

Disability Awareness Month has its roots as far back as 1945 when Congress recognized the first week in October as “Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.”

Also present at the event were representatives from Sacramento Employment Training Academy, Department of Veterans Affairs- NorCal Healthcare System, Southside Arts Center, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Department of Rehabilitation, California Highway Patrol, Futures Explored, Inc. and NorCal Services for the Deaf who provided sign language interpretation.

A video recap of the event can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL0Jt_p4Nlk

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Dana Simas, Director of Communications

California Department of Child Support Services

2016 Our Promise Campaign and the Spirit of Giving Kicks Off!

The annual Our Promise Campaign for 2016 kicked off recently as representatives from all of the departments under the Health and Human Services Agency gathered to celebrate the massive spirit of giving California state employees are known for.

HHS Secretary Diana Dooley speaks at Our Promise kickoff

Last year, the Our Promise Campaign raised more than $6 million from all California state employees that were donated to non-profits throughout the state.

“It really makes a huge difference for the non-profits in the state,” Executive Representative for the 2016 Our Promise Campaign Pilar Williams said.

Angels for Hearts charity representative

The campaign, which began in 1957, allows California state employees to donate to any charity of their choice through payroll deductions as little as $5 a month to any registered 510(c)(3) non-profit.

“It’s one of my favorite events,” Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Diana Dooley said. "The people we serve are the most vulnerable in California and it has been so clear to me that giving spirit is not only in our everyday jobs and the work that we do to improve the lives of so many Californians, but in this particular event we all come together and give yet again.”

DCSS employees represent at the Our Promise kickoff

This year, the Department of Child Support Services is supporting Angels for Hearts, a local non-profit organization serving pediatric heart patients and their families. DCSS has a fundraising goal of $1,000. Check out more information on Angels for Hearts: http://angelsforhearts.org/
For more information on the campaign, visit http://www.ourpromiseca.org/. DCSS employees with questions should contact their designated division committee members or the DCSS Our Promise Campaign Chair Ken Wohl.

A video of the kickoff event can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/2e4AF4q

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California Department of Child Support Services Participates in Heart Walk

The California Department of Child Support Services recently participated in the 2016 DCSS Heart Walk event to support the effort of saving lives from heart disease and stroke—the number one and number five causes of death in the United States according to the American Heart Association.

For the fourth year in a row more than 100 DCSS staff participated in the 1.2 mile walk around the neighborhood surrounding DCSS headquarters in Rancho Cordova. The participants walked in groups and chatted along the way while also enjoying water and almonds donated by Blue Diamond growers.

“I feel connect (to the event) because I was actually born with a hole in my heart and spent my fifth birthday in open-heart surgery,” said Tim Carr-Lovato. “(The support) really hits close to home.”

Check out a video of the heart walkers: http://bit.ly/2dGbUdK