Multicultural Day: Diversity is About Bringning Your Own Ingredients to the Melting Pot

Jorlinis Centeno, CA DCSS

The California Department of Child Support Services (CA DCSS) celebrated Multicultural Day to enjoy, share and learn from all the different cultures that are part of the community. This year, CA DCSS celebrated on Thursday, June 8th, the effort and excitement from the participants and attendees was contagious as attendees learned to appreciate each other’s cultures. The countries represented by CA DCSS volunteers were Mexico, Slovakia, China, Africa and India.

Janessa Rodriguez performed a traditional dance from Veracruz.

At the booth representing Mexico, there were delicious salsas and different juices such as tamarind, Jamaica water, horchata and guava. One of the most significant displays was for the Mexican holiday “Day of the Dead” featuring painted skulls, skeletons, and illustrations showing the meaning of the annual celebration.

One CA DCSS staff member from the Intergovernmental Services Division represented Slovakia. She wore a beautiful flowered dress and displayed postcards, children’s books and handmade dolls from her country. She said that it is very difficult to find people from her country at CA DCSS which inspired her to be part of the event. It also happens that CA DCSS has an intergovernmental agreement with the Republic of Slovakia.

In the booth representing Africa, one CA DCSS employee who is originally from Ghana explained that despite being the only team member born in Africa, he received support from his African American peers. They brought traditional foods from South Africa such as rice, black eyed peas, candied yams and hot water corn bread. The staff wore handmade shirts called “Angelina wear,” which are typical in Africa. There was also a display of West African musical instruments, a thumb piano called animgbo and a percussion instrument resembling a rattle, called shekere.

DCSS volunteers at the booth representing China drew a lot of attention as they taught Chinese calligraphy and its meaning. All the brushes and dry ink they used were originals from China. The dry ink is soaked in water to be used, then allowed to dry again, and can be used over and over. Chinese calligraphy not only communicates ideas, but has an element of focus and meditation for the writer.

CA DCSS Director Alisha Griffin (middle) is dressed in traditional Indian clothing.

Sailing over to the booth representing India, there were many differences among regional traditions. Most of the participants at DCSS hail from North India and the foods they brought were rice-based with vegetables and lemon, milk desserts and nuts. They also had many displays of crafts, and everyone had fun trying on colorful traditional clothing and jewelry and having their picture taken.

To conclude the event there were performances of songs from Africa and India and a dance from Mexican state of Veracruz. Congratulations to all the “cultural teams” who did a great job and made the event fascinating, educational and delicious. Each culture has its own essence and uniqueness, and the way the participants and the guests collaborated and celebrated each moment at the Multicultural Day event demonstrates the value and importance of a united community at CA DCSS.

Program Spotlight: Compromise of Arrears--Improving Performance, Reducing Debt for More Than a Decade

Janelle Mora, CA DCSS

The Compromise of Arrears Program (COAP) made its debut back in 2003, the same year the beloved children’s movie Finding Nemo came out, demonstrating the grand journey a parent will make for their child. COAP was created to help parents who owe child support get to a place where they can pay something towards their support order. In 2004, the program was authorized on a temporary basis and was so successful it became permanent in 2008.

COAP allows parents who are currently making payments, and who owe at least $5,000 in past due child support, to make an offer to pay a portion of the past due amount. Only money owed to the government while the parent with the child was on assistance can be considered. Any child support owed directly to the other parent is not eligible to be settled in this program.
The ability to pay is determined by the parent’s income, assets, and allowable expenses. Depending on the case, approved parents can make their payment in a lump sum or by setting up a payment plan, as long as it’s paid in full within 36 months. Because the required payment is dependent on the applicant’s financial situation, the minimum amount can be different between applicants.

The interest rate on past due child support in California is 10 percent per month, which continues to accrue even if there is a compromise agreement. Reducing the total amount of past due support can also help reduce the amount of accrued interest.

Parents interested in the program fill out a COAP application and submit income, bank account, and asset verification to their local child support agency (LCSA). LCSA directors then approve eligible payment offers made by applicants. Parents who make offers lower than the minimum requirement for their case are given an opportunity to make a counter offer.

There are payment exceptions for parents with verified hardships, such as physical or mental disability, which allow parents to pay less than the standard ten percent minimum, forgiving up to 92.5% of the total amount owed to the state. If an LCSA approves an applicant’s offer to pay less than the minimum, the settlement agreement is submitted to the California Department of Child Support Services (CA DCSS) for review and final approval. Once approved, the agreement is then finalized with signatures from both parents. This past state fiscal year, more than half of the 2,601 applicants seeking a COAP agreement were approved.

“When I joined COAP in 2013, I was delighted,” says CA DCSS COAP unit manager, Michelle Santiago. “I started my post-college career as a local social service case manager and it was truly one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. For me, the rewards in this line of work are found in the practical more so than the theoretical. COAP is a wonderful program and I’m lucky to be a part of it.”

Eager to build on the program’s success, there are important changes coming to the program. To increase the reliability of payments to families, CA DCSS is developing a tool that will better reflect a parent’s ability to pay by using county-specific income thresholds that can account for the gap between income and living costs based on where the participant lives. Additionally, the program is simplifying the application process, reducing the minimum compromise repayment for the most vulnerable and at-risk participants, and creating more flexible payment timeline options.

CA DCSS Staff Celebrate Each Other in All Staff Picnic

Dana Simas, CA DCSS

On Tuesday, May 23rd, the California Department of Child Support Services (CA DCSS) took time to recognize and congratulate each other at the All Staff Picnic. The event, organized by CA DCSS’ Special Events Team (SET), was held to encourage all CA DCSS staff to get together and network as well as recognize those who have done an exceptional job over the last year.

The event included a delicious barbeque for which staff purchased tickets which also included an entry into a raffle for prizes such as gift cards to Starbucks, Target, and Chili’s, as well as free items at Specialty’s bakery—a favorite treat for CA DCSS staff meetings. Staff, dressed in their cool summer best as the temperatures reached the mid-90s, brought pop-up tents and chairs to the community park just a couple of blocks from CA DCSS headquarters. Given how hot it was, many used spray fans and set up lounge chairs underneath the trees to keep cool.

Despite the heat, many staff members challenged each other at volleyball games, bean bag tosses, water balloon throwing and giant Jenga. After everyone had a chance to eat and mingle the staff gathered around the amphitheater for the Employee Recognition Awards.

Awards were handed out to CA DCSS staff who excelled in their missions. The categories included;
• Excellence in Customer Service—awarded to Mike Foglia with the IT Service Desk
• Program Superhero— awarded to Dinesh Joshi with the Financial Management System Test Team
• Performance Superstar—awarded to the Intergovernmental Services Unit
• Outstanding Leadership—awarded to Leo Black with the Accounting Branch
• Positive Impact—awarded to the Organizational Development and Recruitment Unit as well as the Special Events Team
• Innovator of the Year—awarded to Charlie Jones for modernizing the Systems Development Lifecycle
• Special Director’s Award—awarded to Kim Garcia with the Office of Organizational Change Management

Los Angeles County Child Support Services Assists Families By Reaching Out to Employers Countywide

Janelle Mora, CA DCSS

The Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department (LA CSSD) took its award-winning Employer Workshop to the City of Santa Clarita on May 18th. L.A. County’s Employer Workshop, a half-day event covering child support wage withholding and health insurance requirements, was attended by 40 employers from what is called “Canyon Country,” mountainous north Los Angeles County and the Antelope Valley to the east. The Santa Clarita event kick-starts a series of five LA CSSD workshops planned for 2017 to educate employers about their critical role in collecting child support for families by properly handling income withholding orders on child support cases.

Building relationships with employer partners has helped LA CSSD with its $450 million in child support collections last year.

“Any education for payroll or human resources to better serve our employees is always welcome,” said employer attendee, Diana Crovo. “The better I understand the program and its benefits to the employer and employees, the better I can do my job.”

Over the years, LA CSSD has presented the free community service to thousands of employers and their representatives in the county.

“The Employer Workshop is a great forum to exchange information with employers on how we can improve our cooperation and address their questions about the process,” said LA CSSD Director, Dr. Steven Golighty.

Department of Child Support Services Recognizes Robin Jones for 31 Years of Service

Janelle Mora, CA DCSS

Robin Jones, Riverside DCSS

Thirty-one years ago, Robin Jones accepted a temporary position at Riverside County Department of Child Support Services (Riverside DCSS). The position, set to last two weeks, turned into a gig lasting two months, ultimately culminating in a full-time, permanent position. She joined the child support team because it was a stable job, but as she discovered how impactful the department is for parents and children, she had no desire to leave.

Robin held several positions in her time with DCSS, first as an office assistant II, then a supervising office assistant three years later. She then began working as a child support interviewer and in 2001 began her current position as a supervising child support specialist.

Driven by her passion for child support, Robin drove 88 miles one-way from Indio to Riverside for nine years when she was a child support interviewer. Her commute increased when she was offered the supervisor position in the Blythe office - 101 miles in the opposite direction. While supervising staff in Blythe and Indio, she introduced webcams to both offices, connecting staff from different area codes.

In Robin’s 31 years with child support, much has changed. When she first began, there were only 13 employees in her office and a single typewriter. Three decades later, there are 60 employees and some updated gadgets.

“It makes a world of difference as the years have gone by,” Robin said. “From the beginning everything was done on paper.”

In Robin’s supervising position, a request to shift from an establishment team to an enforcement team three years ago resulted in a hesitantly accepted new duty: revamping a department-wide system management process that had been stagnant for two years. Initially fearing taking the reins on such a large project in an area she last worked in 15 years earlier, her confidence grew after realizing her team’s strong abilities and chemistry. Tackling the assignment, Robin and her team drove the pilot project, known as the Results Based Management (RBM) process, to success.

RBM is the process that ended the block-filing, paper case system and introduced a new, efficient electronic filtering process for child support cases. With the implementation of RBM, federal performance measures improved and child support collections increased. Elated, Robin expressed how proud she was of her team breaking record collections in Riverside County as a result of RBM, reaching $156 million in support collections.

Immersed in helping families and viewing co-workers like family, Robin states, “child support is a very blessed job, it takes unique people to do what we do for a living. You’re getting into two of the most private things in people’s lives, their children and their money.”

As Robin nears retirement, she says, “It’s just been a wonderful job; it’s been a wonderful career. You never want to leave. There are so many other agencies that are out there that I probably could have gone to, but knowing we were taking care of kids was all I needed.”

California and Mexico: More Than Just Neighbors

Alisha Griffin, CA DCSS Director

Mexico is California’s direct southern neighbor and many families find themselves divided by the border. California and Mexico share hundreds of intergovernmental child support cases making it imperative to try to establish stronger partnerships and cooperation between the child support services agencies involved.

Over the last few years, California and Mexico courts and agencies have collaborated and strengthened their relationships to help hundreds of families obtain the support they need. These collaborations include developing multiple agreements to clarify and streamline processes, cross training California and Mexico child support staff, and setting up electronic payment cards for international payments to get money to families quicker and easier.

2014: Memorandum of understanding (MOU)

California State Department of Child Support Services (CA DCSS) and Imperial County DCSS signed a memorandum of understanding with Mexico’s Baja Norte California child support agency (Sistema de Desarrollo Integral para la Familia Baja California) so child support applications could pass directly between the two agencies rather than go through the Federal Central Authority in Mexico City. This reduced the average number of days from case opening to order establishment between the two neighbors from 196 days to less than 60 — a significant improvement!

2016: Agreement and training
Imperial County & state DCSS extended the cooperation with Baja Norte by signing an interagency agreement with the supreme court of Baja California (Poder Judicial del Estado de Baja California). It improved direct communication between the Baja California and California child support agencies, and streamlined processes for establishing and enforcing orders, which helped families on both sides of the border. Now, judicial officers and chief justices of several other Mexican states are looking at creating similar agreements.

Later in the year, Imperial County DCSS Director Liza Barraza, Deputy Director Guillermo Fernandez, and I spent three days training judicial officers and state prosecutors for child support agencies from each Mexican state as well as all family court magistrates. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also set up a webcast to broadcast the training to all 50 Mexican consulates in the United States and the 32 regional offices of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We covered the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act 1996 (UIFSA), the UIFSA 2008 alignment, and their alignment with Mexican law. The trainings provided us a great way to share knowledge and build our relationship.

2017: Payment upgrades
In February, California DCSS sent 395 electronic payment cards to families in Mexico. Previously, these families received paper checks, which meant they often had to wait a long time to receive payments and frequently had to pay exorbitant check-cashing fees. CA DCSS worked closely with the Mexican consulates to deliver the cards to the local Mexican government agencies called Delegaciones so they could help families activate their cards.

California and Mexico share a border, but we have the ability to erase the barriers that those borders can create in government processes. We look forward to further cooperation with Mexico, and we will continue to create innovative practices for all intergovernmental cases. Our goal is to help every family in our caseload, regardless of where in the world they reside.

2017 Child Support Awareness Month (CSAM) Unveil: Countdown to CSAM!

By: Nicole Darracq, CA DCSS

Child Support Awareness Month is almost here, and there are lots of new resources to help get the word out. The 2017 theme, “Give them something great to imitate,” includes four poster designs available in seven languages, offering a broader demographic selection than ever before.

This year, the public-facing CA DCSS Child Support Awareness Month webpage (here) includes a media package in addition to the calendar of local child support agency events! The Media page includes a downloadable press kit with logos and background information as well as the press release in both English and Spanish, video, radio public service announcements, poster art and more. Outreach Coordinators should be aware that a particular effort has been made in 2017 to translate materials for Spanish-speaking media.

A lot of hard work goes into Child Support Services programs, and the public needs to be aware of the tremendous benefits to California’s children and families. Make the most of this opportunity to spread the news! Be sure to send along photos and brief recaps of your outreach events, we’ll be putting together a CSAM round-up of all the county activities for the DCSS Today newsletter.