In 2012, Susan asked her Staff Services Analyst, Christi Silva, to identify a way to improve the Placer DCSS performance by making data requests more nimble and specific. Christi developed a user-friendly database that could be personalized to each case manager’s needs. If a case manager wished to improve the amount of cases with a court order or increase payments on arrears, all they had to do was ask. Christi could import the exact cases or tasks they were looking for and present it to each case manager through an easy-to-use dashboard interface.
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| Susan Dunlap, Program Manager for Placer County DCSS holds WICSEC Award for Outstanding Manager 2016 |
The database, later known as the Placer Performance Tool (PPT), improved upon existing databases by delivering targeted tasks and reports to each individual case manager based on the specific goals they wanted to achieve in their caseload.
Expanding on this success, Susan began constructing the foundation for a new department-wide performance model. Most child support agencies in California rely on one of two performance models, functional or cradle-to-grave. The statewide system encourages these two systems by designating every case into four broad categorizes, Intake; Establishment; Enforcement; and Interstate. The PPT enabled Susan to discard these old models and create one that specifically targeted the Federal Performance Measures.
This was the beginning of the Placer County Stratification model. Instead of a single Enforcement Team, Placer County instituted multiple teams designed to address the specific needs of a case. A newly obtained order would land a case with the Early Intervention Team. If 65 percent or more of the current support obligation was being met, the case transferred to the Maintenance Team. If current support ended, the case moved to the Arrears Only Team. As performance improved, the thresholds for reassignment were altered to accentuate the strengths of each team and keep the numbers moving upward.
All this was made possible by the PPT database. Without it, a case with a court order would merely be labeled as “Enforcement.” Now each specialized team in Placer County knows their exact caseload with its unique characteristics. This has resulted in targeted performance campaigns designed to meet the specific needs of each case. This foresight on Susan’s part, as well as her promotion of this newly developed technology developed by her talented staff, has been instrumental in Placer County’s current success. The new performance model resulted in Placer DCSS improving their overall performance from 41st statewide in 2012 to 18th in 2016. All this while staffing levels within the department were reduced from over 100 down to 44 in 2014.
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