Release of the National Child Support Strategic Plan for FFY 2015-2019

DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER

DCL-16-06

DATE: April 8, 2016

TO: ALL STATE AND TRIBAL IV-D DIRECTORS

RE: Release of the National Child Support Strategic Plan for FFY 2015-2019

ATTACHMENT: National Child Support Strategic Plan 2015-2019.pdf (PDF)

Dear Colleague:

Every five years, the child support community develops a new national strategic plan.  I am pleased to release the National Child Support Strategic Plan for FFY 2015-2019, which embodies the program’s commitment to innovation, continuous improvement, and performance measurement. 

The national plan highlights the importance of child support income to child and family well-being.  It supports the goals of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families to promote economic, health, and social well-being; to promote the healthy development and safety of children; and to support underserved and underrepresented populations.  Incorporating a range of family-centered strategies into conventional enforcement practices, the plan recognizes approaches that will help the child support program serve all families more effectively. 

This plan reflects the collaborative efforts and diverse perspectives of the state, tribal, and county child support agencies that — along with the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement — make up the national program.  It lays out the program’s principles and goals and identifies strategies that states, tribes, and counties are already putting into practice.  The national plan highlights the relationship among resources, technology, and performance and includes strategies to address aging systems, tribal technology, and resource limitations.

Modern families, the labor market, and customer needs have changed in the last 40 years.  To ensure the continued effectiveness of the program, this national strategic plan focuses on a range of evidence-based and locally tested strategies to collect more child support by strengthening both the ability and willingness to pay. 

If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Lacina at Barbara.Lacina@acf.hhs.gov.

Sincerely,

Vicki Turetsky
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement