What exactly IS Child Support Services? The Child Support Rebranding Effort Update

Nicole Darracq, CA DCSS

All of us have shared the experience of interacting with a member of the public that has simply no idea what we do in child support services. To address this knowledge gap, in May of 2017 a contract was executed with Ogilvy Public Relations to assist the California Department of Child Support Services (CA DCSS) as well as the 49 county and regional local child support agencies (LCSAs), to create new branding so that the name “Department of Child Support Services” is associated accurately with what we do, and evokes images of trust, compassion, fairness and respect.

Ogilvy Public Relations, a firm with offices worldwide and a portfolio of success that includes First Five Los Angeles and Covered California, has already kicked off several meetings with CA DCSS Executives and the Communications Workgroup, composed of LCSA representatives. At these meetings “branding exercises” were conducted, and the results have helped Ogilvy begin to define the strengths and weaknesses of current and former child support messaging and public perceptions.

More focus groups are planned, in urban, rural, northern, central and southern California counties, in both English and Spanish, with customers, community partners and LCSA employees. The tentative schedule includes:

Los Angeles County	October 10 and 11	Partners, Employees, and Consumers
San Diego County	October 12	Urban Consumers (Spanish)
Shasta/Tehama	October 17 and 18	Employees, Consumers
Alameda/Contra Costa	October 19	Consumers
Fresno County	October 24 and 25	Partners, Rural Consumers (Spanish)
Alameda County	November 15	Employees
Stanislaus/San Joaquin	December 5	Employees
Sacramento County	November 6	Legislative and Agency Partners

These focus groups will gather data that will be analyzed and compared to the vast pool of existing market research, in order to inform the development of a message that will resonate with our target audiences. Once the direction and content of the necessary messaging is known, that will provide the basis for the creation of a comprehensive outreach plan, including a new logo.

Everyone involved in this process has been energized by their contact with the Ogilvy team, whose track record and expertise inspire tremendous confidence and the feeling that we are indeed on the brink of a new era. Stay tuned!