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!

San Bernardino DCSS Earns Kudos from NCSEA

Randy Dancer, Assistant Director, San Bernardino County DCSS

At the 2017 National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) Leadership Symposium, San Bernardino County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) received the collaboration and Innovative Partnership Award for the “Bridges to Employment” Program. Bridges to Employment is a collaborative partnership between San Bernardino DCSS and the county’s Workforce Development Department (WDD) focused on helping customers find jobs.

Bridges to Employment was born out of the concept that if we partner with parents owing child support to address obstacles like unemployment that are preventing them from paying their child support, they can become successful, resulting in reliable payments for their families. To assist with this challenge, San Bernardino DCSS identified WDD and the America’s Job Centers of California (AJCC) as ideal partners. The AJCC offers employment services to unemployed and underemployed customers through grants and partnerships with local employers and vocational training providers.

Staff from both departments participated in strategy sessions that developed a referral process and forms, evaluations for the effectiveness of referrals, a report-back mechanism on customer participation, and a review process to make adjustments to the program, ensuring customers can maximize the benefit of the services offered. San Bernardino DCSS provided internal staff with information on the concept and goals of the Bridges to employment Program, as well as the referral process when a caseworker or attorney identifies a parent who needs employment assistance. When the parent goes into the AJCC, they are offered assistance with an initial assessment, case management services, employment workshops, job development, and placement assistance. Advisors are available for one-on-one assistance, as needed, for resume writing, interview skills, and vocational training opportunities.

As an incentive for participation, there can be a conditional release of any driver’s license suspensions so the parent can actively participate in the program. With the parent’s permission, the AJCC can share information on the parent’s progress.

The Bridges to Employment Program has been a great success. Since October, 149 parents have successfully enrolled for services, and 43% secured employment, which has helped them meet their obligation to help support their families. Other benefits include public assistance cost avoidance, long-term financial independence and self-sufficiency, and improved reliability of family support.

By partnering with the customer and organizations who can provide additional services, San Bernardino DCSS has developed a great model for helping customers achieve long-term success for themselves and their families.

The Makings of a Winning CSAM Campaign—How Los Angeles Hosted More than 60 Events in 31 days

Jorlinis Centeno, CA DCSS

Child Support Services Awareness Month (CSAM) is one of the busiest months of the year for most counties, but especially for the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department (LA CSSD), whose caseload is larger than those in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming combined. To celebrate CSAM, LA CSSD had more than 50 special events planned throughout the month of August. It takes a lot of time, patience and dedication to make sure all of the events are a success, and that’s Jonna Lewis’ job.

Jonna Lewis, Special Assistant to the Director, is the person ensuring all CSAM events are organized, well-planned and run smoothly. Staff members from throughout LA CSSD are encouraged to participate and take part in CSAM activities. Jonna and her team from the Outreach Service Division, which consists of three people, start work on most of the events months before CSAM; for example, she started working with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in May to coordinate the county proclamation and presentation for the meeting in early August.

LA CSSD collaborated with many community partners to help spread the word about CSAM and the programs available through child support services in Los Angeles County. They distributed CSAM posters to all 87 Los Angeles County libraries, and provided them to the five county supervisors and their field offices. They coordinated joint events with other departments and agencies, including the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, the Los Angeles County Office of Education, America’s Job Centers of California, the Pomona Unified School District, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

“We are very fortunate to have long-standing relationships with many of these community partners who are always willing to work with us in coordinating activities for CSAM,” said Jonna.

The Outreach Services Division also works with LA CSSD program staff who volunteer as “Outreach Ambassadors” to help staff the dozens of events held throughout the month, including evenings and weekends. Another challenge LA CSSD faced was that even with pre-registration for many events, sometimes the turnout was much smaller or larger than projected. How to publicize the events - and services – in a way that connects with those who really need them is an ongoing challenge. The benefit of that, however, is that LA County CSSD is constantly exploring new ways of communicating information to the public.

After all the hard work and dedication it took to prepare for the events, there was one moment that made it all worth it for Jonna Lewis and her team. On August 31, LA CSSD held their final CSAM event, a child support workshop for other government agencies and organizations that work with children and families. More than 70 people attended. Afterwards, Jonna received an email from a social worker with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services who thanked her for the “amazing workshop,” calling it, “absolutely insightful and helpful,” adding that she looked forward to establishing an ongoing relationship to work collaboratively to serve parents who need help with child support.

“To me, that’s what CSAM is all about,” Jonna said enthusiastically.

Congratulations to LA CSSD for a spectacular CSAM effort! For any other county that wants to go big on next year’s CSAM events, Jonna recommends trying to find ways to bring the information out to the community in settings where they feel comfortable. Her team noticed that sometimes parents and caregivers are fearful of visiting government offices, so it was important to identify places where parents and caregivers felt safe talking to the staff and asking questions, like at a park or a library. In the end, CSAM is all about awareness, informing the community of the services that DCSS has to offer.

Program Spotlight: Paternity Opportunity Program

Janelle Mora, CA DCSS

For over 22 years, the California Department of Child Support Services’ (CA DCSS) Paternity Opportunity Program (POP) has helped more than 3.1 million parents legally establish the identity of a child’s father. California POP launched a successful three-county pilot phase in 1993, and on January 1, 1995, the program became required by the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement.

“Establishing paternity is crucial because it contributes to a child’s well-being and development,” says CA DCSS POP manager, Kyla Kuryllo. “This legal relationship ensures the child will have access to benefits such as social security, health insurance, survivor’s benefits, military benefits, and inheritance rights; along with knowledge of family medical history.”

There are two ways to establish legal fatherhood: obtain a court order or complete a Declaration of Paternity—also commonly referred to as a “POP form.” Obtaining a court order can be costly and time-consuming since it requires DNA testing and a judicial ruling, but the CA DCSS POP offers their services free of charge..”

The CA DCSS POP unit is small yet mighty, consisting of one manager, two full-time analysts, one “borrowed” analyst, and two student assistants. This handful of staff successfully manage their own customer contact center to assist the public, hospital staff, local child support agencies, and other partners via phone and email. On average, they receive 2,500 to 3,500 POP forms a week…that’s more than 130,000 forms a year!

The POP unit also conducts outreach to the public by participating in health, wellness, and education fairs. They provide training to witnessing agencies, such as notary public, county registrar offices, hospital staff, child care centers, pediatric offices and more so they clearly understand the rights and responsibilities associated with completing the POP form so they can, in turn, better educate parents.

Over the last five years, California has had a total of 970,654 paternities established, with 186,631 occurring in 2016 alone. That’s almost one million children who know who their father is, thanks to the CA DCSS POP team.

San Diego DCSS Recognized by the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA)

Norma Ramirez, Community Relations Coordinator, San Diego DCSS

On August 8th, San Diego County DCSS received the Program Awareness Award for Community Collaboration and Education from the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA). The award was presented at their annual leadership conference, held August 6th-9th in Scottsdale, AZ.

San Diego DCSS took the honor with a unanimous vote from the selection committee for their innovative approach to educating their parents about the child support process. Earlier in the year, their creative and effective outreach program was also honored at the Child Support Directors’ Association annual conference in the same category, and now it is recognized as the year’s best nationwide.

The goal was to reach parents in outlying areas that were difficult to serve from their local child support offices. By using various media platforms and partnering with local DMVs, San Diego County DCSS aired a brief commercial highlighting the available programs to assist parents within the community. The video plays four times an hour in three local DMVs throughout the county, with an animated format that captures audience attention and helps present a softer side of the child support process.

This worked well to help spread the department’s message, but county staff knew transportation was still a barrier for some of their customers, so they took child support services to them. Partnering with local libraries, San Diego County DCSS launched a social media campaign to advertise the availability of caseworkers within their communities outside of standard business hours. This collaboration, titled “In Your Neighborhood,” makes it possible for parents to meet with their case manager at a location and time that is convenient for them with no appointment needed. It is truly a one-stop shop, handling issues from case opening to order modification. This partnership started with two local libraries which were fairly distant from any county child support office, and has now grown to 14 sites including one in southern Riverside County.

San Diego County DCSS is proud to have their efforts recognized, and hope that other states and county offices are inspired to get creative in the way they serve families.

 

Fresno County DCSS Celebrates Jobs Well Done

Kacie Elder, Supervising Child Support Officer Fresno DCSS

On Wednesday, July 26th, the management team at the Fresno County Department of Child Support Services (Fresno DCSS) hosted an appreciation event for their staff. They braved the heat and manned the BBQs, serving polish dogs, hamburgers, cookies, soda, and more, to show staff how much they are truly valued.

The event had a baseball theme, which was reflected in everything from the table decorations to the jerseys and hats sported by staff. The staff appreciation lunch was held after the Employee Recognition Awards, which recognized employees for their years of service to the county. Various awards were presented to individuals and teams who have demonstrated excellence throughout the past year.

Award recipients were nominated by other staff and there were door prizes, including Starbucks and other gift cards, presented to some who took the time to nominate coworkers for the awards and detail their outstanding work.

This year’s winners were:

• Employee of the Year – Delia Pizano, Child Support Officer III, Court Team
• Rookie of the Year – Mai Vang, Office Assistant II, Legal Support
• Excellence in Team Work – The CSO Court Team

Special guests in attendance included Fresno County Administrative Officer Jean Rousseau, Supervisor Nathan Magsig and his staff, and from CA DCSS, Director Alisha Griffin, Communications Director Dana Simas and Regional Administrator Lesley Bell.

Department of Child Support Services recognizes DeAnne Sandoval for Nearly Four Decades of Service

Janelle Mora, CA DCSS

For DeAnne Sandoval, what initially began as a job to support her own child turned into a career of supporting thousands of children over almost four decades. As a single mother of a toddler, seeking a job with benefits and steady pay, DeAnne applied to be a file clerk in the family support division under the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and was hired in August 1979.

With her competent character and eager spirit, DeAnne promoted twice within six months of being hired. She went from filing cases and delivering mail to entering information as a data entry clerk in the input-output unit, then became the unit lead. After two years, at the age of 23, DeAnne became a supervisor. A few years later, she was in charge of all clerical staff, data entry staff, and summer interns. After taking on the responsibility of managing approximately 50 people for five years, she took six months off for maternity leave for her second child.

As her family grew, so did her unit and responsibilities. Receiving yet another promotion, DeAnne was in charge of both files and records and the input-output units for staff in the main office in San Leandro and the office in downtown Oakland. After a decade working for Alameda County, DeAnne opted for a part-time position as a lead caseworker III in the interstate unit to spend more time caring for her daughter and infant son.

After 11 years of bringing up her children, DeAnne returned to her previous supervisor position full-time, but it wasn’t long before she was yet again on the move. After three months, she applied for two promotional opportunities she had eyed throughout her career and was selected for both. At this point DeAnne faced a decision; work in a technical world that was both new and intriguing, or manage staff, something she both enjoyed and was good at. She chose the technical route, assisting the transition of all county child support agencies to a single, statewide system – Child Support Enforcement (CSE).

In 2007, during version one of the statewide CSE conversion effort, DeAnne oversaw the Alameda validation team whose primary role was to ensure legacy data mapped accurately to the new system. One of the greatest highlights of DeAnne’s career was to learn that Alameda was the first county to convert to CSE V1 without a single piece of data falling out as a reject. As Alameda’s Systems Coordinator following conversion to CSE V2, she wore many hats— she was the primary go-to person for questions on the new enforcement system, business processes, and data monitoring. Additionally, she trained Alameda staff on utilizing the federal case registry for parent locate information, cleaned up CSE data, assisted parents who had issues with mistaken identity, and resolved duplicate cases and participants.

In 2012, DeAnne moved to the foothills, commuting from Auburn to Pleasanton every day for work. After 33 years of working for Alameda DCSS, she was deeply attached to the staff.

“They all watched me grow up, they helped me raise my kids,” said DeAnne.

Her co-workers were like family. As the two-hour (each way) commute began to weigh on her, she decided to apply for positions at the State of California. In September 2012, DeAnne began a new chapter with the California Department of Child Support Services as a senior information systems analyst in the Technology Services Division.

Looking to get back into management, DeAnne applied for the staff services manager II position in the Statewide Training Branch and was selected for the job in 2014. After two years, she applied for the branch chief position and was promoted to the position she holds today, overseeing the Training Development & Delivery unit and the Web- Based Learning & Support unit.

“The Statewide Training Branch staff are my family now”, said DeAnne.

DeAnne, now a proud grandmother of two, celebrates her five-year anniversary at CA DCSS this month, but celebrated her 38-year anniversary working for child support in August.