October Events at DCSS!

The CA DCSS Disability Advisory Committee hosted a disability awareness event that showcased guide/service dogs, paratransit services, employment services, and a very special guest group, “The Early Birds” (formerly Southside Ensemble) who performed their latest hits. The group is a collective of both visual and musical artists who have developmental disabilities and who write and perform their own material.

 

CA DCSS staff hosted a Diwali celebration to invite all to join in one of the most popular festivals in India. In Sanskrit, Diwali means “Festival of Lights” and is celebrated all across India and the world. This is a time when people come together to celebrate good conquering evil, light conquering darkness. Staff voluntarily prepared traditional Indian food for all to enjoy as well as hosted a dance session after the meal.

The Information Security Office at CA DCSS hosted its annual Cyber Security Fair in big league fashion. The baseball-themed event encouraged attendees to visit each information table to learn tips on how to secure information, as well as identifying cyber threats and how to avoid them. Each table included a collector’s edition baseball card featuring several CA DCSS executives. Attendees were able to collect the cards for a chance to win raffle prizes.

Director's Message on Recent Fires

By: Alisha Griffin, CA DCSS Director

Over the last several weeks many in our child support family have experienced devastating loss after more than a dozen wildfires spread across several counties. As an organization our mission is to help serve the families and children of California, but it is also our mission to take care of our work families and come together as a community. During these times of crisis we are given an opportunity to witness how closely connected we are and the bonds we build as we work together day in and day out.

Sadly, dozens and dozens of our child support family were evacuated from their homes, many with hardly any notice. There were many moving and unknown parts involved in this multi-front disaster, but county directors and their staff remained resilient and showed great dedication to each other and the program. Directors and staff from unaffected counties overwhelming offered whatever assistance they could. Nearby counties opened their doors to staff from affected counties so as to minimize the hardships families faced if they were unable to work. Other counties stepped in to take over workload and keep the program running without interruption.

The fires have left destruction in their wake, but there is also hope that new and better things will arise. We can better prepare ourselves for crisis, we have built new and stronger relationships, and we have the chance to grow together. Thank you to all who stepped in and stepped up during these tragedies. Your courage and strength are to be commended.

San Diego Hosts Federal Health and Human Services Appointee to Showcase Unique Services for Veterans

By: Bryanna Fornerod, Supervising Child Support Officer/Military & Veterans Liaison, San Diego DCSS

In an effort to learn how the San Diego Department of Child Support Services (San Diego DCSS) approached creating the role of Military & Veteran Liaison for the child support program, Tina McIntosh, the newly appointed Veteran Liaison to the United States Health and Human Services Department (US HHS), visited San Diego DCSS for two days in September.

On September 12th and 13th, several representatives from the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) and California DCSS joined San Diego DCSS in welcoming Ms. McIntosh for a tour of the department’s efforts to meet the needs of veterans. 

USHHS Military & Veteran liaison Tina McIntosh (3rd from right)
 joins SD DCSS on tour of Veteran's program.

On September 12th, guests visited the Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Mission Valley Counseling Center where San Diego DCSS provides on-site child support case management every month, providing veterans a safe space to access services without barriers related to the invisible wounds of war. There, they heard from three social workers from the Veteran Justice Outreach, Healthcare for Homeless Veterans and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Veteran’s Affairs Supportive Housing programs, about how San Diego DCSS & the VA work together to assist veterans, and what is most important to keep in mind when working with the most vulnerable veterans.

On September 13th, at the 2-1-1 San Diego Connections Center, our guests were able to hear from partners including; the San Diego Veteran’s Coalition, California Veteran’s Legal Task Force, 2-1-1 San Diego, SDUnited, and Courage to Call about how the collective impact model drives the success for all veteran-serving agencies throughout San Diego. The visit concluded with a tour of the North Inland Live Well Center (NILWC) where San Diego DCSS is co-located with HHSA/Office of Military and Veteran Affairs, Public Health, Child Welfare Services, and other county agencies to create a one-stop-shop for serving families. At the NILWC, guests were able to learn about San Diego DCSS’s partnership with Office of Military and Veteran’s Affairs as well as Intel & Recon, the San Diego County collaborative group comprised of representatives from county agencies that meet regularly to identify and meet veteran needs countywide.

Ms. McIntosh and state DCSS Director Alisha Griffin both expressed being incredibly impressed by all they learned in just two days. Ms. McIntosh shared the following shortly after her visit:

“…San Diego is a model of family focused services to be commended nationwide. Your commitment to our service members, veterans, and families is greatly appreciated.”

The Tulare County Department of Child Support Attended the Eagle Mountain Casino Employee Health Fair

By: Jorlinis Centeno, CA DCSS & James Bonafe, Tulare DCSS


Maria Nino and James Bonafe of Tulare DCSS

On Thursday September 24th, 2017, the Tulare County Department of Child Support Services attended the Eagle Mountain Casino Employee Health Fair. The theme of the event was “Super Heroes." Everyone participating in the event were encouraged to be creative and display their inner super hero, so James Bonafe, (Community Liason, Public Information Officer) and Maria Nino, (Child Support Specialist III) stepped it up by dressing as Child Support Man and Child Support Woman. The event was a great success, with James and Maria speaking to more than 100 people about the Tulare County DCSS services and even won second place for the Best Booth competition. Way to save the day Tulare DCSS!

Facts Worth Sharing: The Child Support Program, The Story Behind the Program

By: Kelly Cote, Lassen DCSS

The Lassen County Department of Child Support Services’ (DCSS) “Story Behind the Program” seeks to educate the local community on the history and function of the department. “In my community in order for me to begin to shift the paradigm on how child support is viewed, I felt that education was needed first,” said Kelley Cote, Director of Lassen DCSS. The educational ad series will run in the Lassen County Times through to the end of the year.

Department of Child Support Services Recognizes Kellie Sweeney for Nearly Three Decades of Service

By: Janelle Mora, CA DCSS

Over the last 28 years, Kellie Sweeney, Manager of the Case Management Post Order Division at the Contra Costa County Department of Child Support Services (Contra Costa DCSS) has grown alongside the evolution of California’s child support program. Having worked in the courtroom, intake, enforcement, and training, Kellie has experienced the program changes from a unique perspective.

Desiring to help her community and help people create a better life, Kellie began working for child support in 1989 as a family support officer. When the child support program separated from the district attorney’s office in 1999, Kellie states, “there was a whole different view on how we were going to do things. The switch was awesome.”

Along with physically changing her location, Kellie experienced a lot of technology changes at Contra Costa DCSS as a result of her innovative director, from using multiple monitors before most counties adopted the practice, to system access using thumb readers in place of passwords. All were major changes for Kellie. When she first started, staff did not have personal computers, only a shared computer terminal that required lead permission to use.

Although Kellie readily adjusted to the massive changes, her passion sparked changes that resulted in the use of MoneyGram in the California child support program statewide. While strolling through a grocery market, Kellie spotted customers inserting coins into a machine to receive bills in exchange and noticed there was an option to donate to charity. Kellie thought, “what an awesome idea!”

Realizing the potential of the machine for child support payments, Kellie contacted the company who owned the machine.

She knew the Oklahoma Department of Child Support Services used MoneyGram already and was able to get the ball rolling from there. In late Summer of 2014, Contra Costa DCSS piloted the MoneyGram project, accepting child support payments in retail locations for the first time. After proven success, MoneyGram payment collection became available throughout California at various retail locations.

“I really feel like that’s one of the biggest things that I was involved in and it’s had a significant impact,” Kellie said. “I love the idea that people who live in the cash economy do want to take care of their kids. They may not be able to have a bank account, so it’s really awesome that we are able to serve them now.”

On October 31st, Kellie is parting from Contra Costa DCSS and will be filling a newly created position at Solano County DCSS as a Child Support Program Manager on November 6th. Her two daughters are nearing college, and her new career path will have her working closer to home to support her children’s educational aspirations.

North Coast Regional DCSS responds to the Helena and Fork Fires

By: Janelle Mora, CA DCSS

The North Coast Regional Department of Child Support Services (North Coast DCSS), comprised of Trinity and Humboldt counties, is in the process of recovering from the Helena and Fork Fires that occurred in September. The Helena Fire was located near Junction City and Weaverville in Humboldt County and the Fork Fire was located north of Monument Peak and southwest of East Fork Lakes in the Trinity Alps. The wildfires began August 30th and lasted for approximately a month, damaging more than 21,000 acres.

Trinity County DCSS employees Diane Darrah and Tina Duong manned the department’s clean air stations during the fires, providing staff in their facility with non-polluted air. Communications remained strong throughout the fires; those who chose not to evacuate provided updates through Facebook.

“This emergency drew our county together, and each time we go through one of these emergencies we get better and quicker with our response,” says Diane Darrah, Trinity County DCSS Senior Account Technician.



Trinity DCSS staff and family show support on Patriot's Day

As a gesture of gratitude, employees of Trinity County DCSS lined the streets of Weaverville on Patriots Day to thank the firefighters and emergency responders for their help putting out the local wildfires. The department also hung a “Thank You Firefighters” banner next to the Trinity County DCSS building to show their appreciation.

Humboldt DCSS put together a raffle basket including
 a handmade apron benefitting Fire Victims Fund 

Trinity County DCSS employees also gathered donations to deliver to their local collection center, monitoring what was needed through Facebook pages created specifically for county emergencies. Humboldt County DCSS put together a raffle basket, donating the proceeds to the Fire Victims fund.

Trinity County DCSS has their own Emergency Action Plan that every employee receives training in upon hire. The plan provides employees and visitors with proper procedures in the event of an emergency. Along with fire and evacuation procedures, the plan provides response actions for other emergencies such as earthquakes, explosions, hazardous materials, etc. The department also holds an annual surprise emergency evacuation of the building for safety training.

Thankful that all of her employees are safe, Diane says “The rebuilding process is beginning, and we continue to support each other as a united community.”

Our hearts go out to all that have been affected by the recent fire tragedies across California. We will continue to write updates on the recovery process.

Heart Walk in Honor of Gary Cannon Raises Over $30,000

By: Jorlinis Centeno, CA DCSS

Since November 2016, the California Department of Child Support Services (CA DCSS) has been working with the Ventura County DCSS and the company DocuSign on a pilot for the use of “e-signature” technology, which allows parents and DCSS staff to sign documents electronically. However, during the pilot project the team suddenly lost an integral member, CA DCSS Systems Architecture Services Section Manager, Gary Cannon.

Gary was in charge of exploring the DocuSign solution from a CA DCSS technical perspective. As Ventura DCSS was actively using DocuSign for their support cases, Gary was focused on exploring the capability of using the technology statewide. The DocuSign team had grown to respect and enjoy working with Gary, and the loss deeply affected many on the team.

After Gary’s death, Jennifer Baker, the Enterprise Account Executive at DocuSign, reached out to DocuSign IMPACT Foundation to see how they could support and honor Gary through their company’s charitable programs. She discovered that the Foundation has a strategic relationship with the American Heart Association (AHA) whose annual Heart Walk was included in the schedule of events. DocuSign decided to join 300 other Bay Area companies in raising funds and awareness for heart disease, dedicating their effort to Gary’s memory and donating the funds raised in Gary’s name. The decision to walk in Gary’s honor was one of the main reasons that so many people at DocuSign opted to participate.

The Heart Walk provided a unique opportunity for DocuSign employees and their friends and families to come together to benefit not only heart disease research, but to honor loved ones or colleagues that were and are affected by the tragedy of heart disease, such as Gary. The DocuSign team raised $30,000 in Gary’s name for the American Heart Association and had more than 100 employees walking at the San Francisco event on September 15th, 2017. The project team said one of their favorite memories of Gary is that he always had a smile on his face and always had fun remarks and analogies to keep the meetings interesting—even when the content may not have been that exciting. Gary was not afraid of the hard questions and complicated topics that needed to be discussed in technical review meetings. He had a great grasp of the DCSS systems and made sure that the teams were getting through the details to ensure success with the e-signature project.

Gary always treated his colleagues like family, and his CA DCSS “family” would like to thank the DocuSign team for their wonderful tribute to Gary with their well-attended and inspirational Heart Walk effort.

We Got ServiceNow!

By: Bob Yoachum, CA DCSS & Dana Simas, CA DCSS

On October 24th, ServiceNow was unveiled for employees at the California Department of Child Support Services (CA DCSS)! This means that reporting IT incidents and requesting Facilities services are now at your fingertips, with the option to be able to track the request as it moves along in the fulfillment process.

 The first phase of ServiceNow is now available for CA DCSS staff with a desktop link automatically installed on all computers. Local child support agency (LCSA) employees will receive access to the current ServiceNow portal in approximately one month, but there is more to come.

“In January, there will be a second release that will include IT change and release management, as well as asset management,” said Enterprise Service Desk Manager and ServiceNow Project Manager Bob Yoachum. Asset management will fulfill the asset reporting needs for LCSAs.

The cloud-based tool allows a more streamlined process for requests that better fosters communication between employees and those tasked with responding to requests. Yoachum has made this product a priority after joining CA DCSS approximately a year and a half ago.

Change Management Summary

By: Jeannie Benoist, Consultant & Michael Yahner, CA DCSS

1.What is the Organizational Change Management (OCM) Project?

The OCM Project was initiated to implement a change management strategy within DCSS. Organizational Change Management (OCM) is an approach with a structured process and set of tools to support people through changes. The changes can be technical or non-technical. For example, OCM supports people moving from one office to another, and system or process changes.

2.Give us a little background on your  experience/expertise in this area.

The OCM Project Team includes Michael Yahner as the project manager. Michael is a senior manager with extensive experience in leading teams to accomplish organizational goals. Jeannie Benoist and Rick Lytle of Business Advantage Consulting were brought on as the OCM consultants. Together, Jeannie and Rick have over 40 years’ experience leading OCM initiatives in public, private and non-profit organizations. Mary Ann Miller, Assistant Director of the Office of Executive Programs is the OCM Project Sponsor.

3.What got us here and why are we doing this?

We are facing faster, more complex and more cross-functional change than ever before. To be successful in this ever-changing environment we need tools and methodologies to support us. We need to be more intentional about how we handle change, which includes looking at who is impacted sooner in the process and ensuring they are engaged throughout the change. No one wants to get to the end of a change effort and say “whoops, we totally forgot about this unit and they are critical to this effort.”
4.What can everyone expect?

We are in the process of figuring out what the OCM structure will look like at DCSS and our goal is that you actually don’t “notice it.” We hope the approach becomes ingrained in how we do things and when we look back a year from now we say, “wow, things seem calmer. We are still working hard and things are still changing constantly, but we are connecting with the right people earlier in the process, they are helping us see all angles, which helps us better plan for the changes. Folks are feeling less frustrated and more informed about what is going on and how it impacts them.”

We will soon have a contest to pick the office OCM tagline/slogan, so be on the lookout!

We are also building the framework, tools and templates to size, scope and support change efforts. Once we know what the structure, we will identify change advocates and facilitators and train them on the tools and methodology.

Finally, we will pilot the OCM model on three DCSS change initiatives. We don’t know which initiatives yet, but hope to have those selected by December so we can start the pilot in January.

5. How will everyone be involved?

We are grateful for the support we have experienced so far. Our first task was to get a sense of what current OCM practices are already in place here in DCSS. We did this through an OCM Baseline Assessment which included gathering feedback from a total of 266 DCSS employees and LCSA Director volunteers during 17 sessions held over 13 days and resulted in over 1200 pieces of feedback being collected.

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who participated!

Here’s what we learned:

• Training overall is done well, but there is a need for more documentation, cross-training and post-training support.
• There is a lot of communication, but there is a need for more targeted, effective communication and an understanding of the ‘big picture’ or vision.
• Stakeholder engagement is happening, but it is not being started early enough or consistently maintained.
• Transition readiness (analysis of the current and future states and impacts) is not routinely practiced.
• Go live support is done well for technical efforts, but not seen as much for non-technical.

We are working with management to determine the best way to share additional results of the assessment with anyone else who is interested. In the meantime, for more information please contact Michael Yahner, Project Manager.

If you have any questions regarding the OCM project, e-mail the OCM mailbox at OCM@dcss.ca.gov.