Commissioner Tanguler Gray

I’m a big believer in professional development and continuous improvement. After I attend trainings or conferences, I try to find ways to incorporate the new ideas and skills into my work. I know many child support professionals are the same and like to start off the new year by setting goals, including ways to develop their professional skills. This can include attending conferences, completing certifications, enrolling in a webinar series, and more. These are all great ways to enhance your skills, although they might not always fit your schedule or budget. But did you know there are many low-cost professional development opportunities accessible to you right now? The shift to virtual training has made it easier than ever to learn at your convenience.

Here are a few low-cost ways you can level up your skill set in 2023:

• Ask your supervisor: Does your workplace have a professional development budget or pay for a service that offers online trainings? Ask your boss! Be sure you’re taking advantage of all work benefits that can help you improve your skill set. Also, find out if there are opportunities to support other departments in your workplace to learn new skills. 
   
• Learn plain language: Communicating clearly is an important skill for government employees who help the public access services and benefits. The Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) is a group of government employees from different agencies and specialties who support the use of clear communication. You can access online resources and training videos on its website. You can also subscribe to the federal plain language community mailing list to learn about upcoming webinars and participate in discussions about plain language topics.
   
• Study best practices for improving user experience: Digital.gov is a great resource to increase your digital literacy and learn how to improve your customer’s online experience. This website has a customer experience toolkit and communities of practice where you can learn from other government professionals about social media, web analytics, language access, and more.
   
• Attend the free NextGen Virtual Summit: GovLoop is a platform with free resources and trainings for federal, state, and local government workers. Every year, GovLoop hosts the NextGen conference that includes trainings to inspire and prepare the next generation of government leaders. 
   
• Take a university class: Visit edX.org to join millions of people worldwide who take free classes from higher education institutions like Harvard, Georgetown, University of Texas, Caltech, and more. You can choose from over 2,800 courses in business administration, communication, ethics, health and safety, data analysis, and other topics.
   
• Volunteer to expand your experience: The Combined Federal Campaign website has a database of organizations and nonprofits that are worthy of your support. You can type in your ZIP code to see what is available in your community and check the box “Volunteer Opportunities Available” if you want to donate your time. This can be a great way to learn a new skill or build experience with something you’re already good at doing.
   
• Start a community of practice: Share knowledge by starting your own community of practice at your workplace. Consider organizing a webinar series with subject matter experts on different topics. You can also create a shared folder where coworkers can add tips and resources they learn at other webinars. No one has enough time to participate in every training, so summarizing important points can help everyone learn. 

I hope you’re able to take advantage of these great opportunities this year. If you know about other low-cost professional development resources, we’d love to hear about them! Email your suggestions to CSR.Editor@acf.hhs.gov. 

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Division of Federal Systems, OCSE

Starting a new year is a great time to reflect on your resolutions and goals. The new year is also a good time to refresh our knowledge of privacy practices and protecting child support data. Child support staff have access to many types of sensitive and personally identifiable information (PII), and safeguarding this information is becoming more challenging. Advances in technology, communications, and exchange methods have added ways to compromise child support data.

Data Privacy Day is an international event every January 28 to raise awareness, promote privacy, and encourage data protection best practices. In honor of this day, let’s focus on laws that govern the child support program. State child support agencies agree to comply with security requirements established by the Social Security Act, the federal Privacy Act of 1974, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement. 

Here are some easy ways to comply with requirements and protect data:

• Place case files in locked containers and lock your computers when you’re away from your work area. Log off completely at the end of the day.
• Verify fax numbers and contact the recipient before faxing documents.
• Review documents before mailing them to make sure you haven’t included another client’s information.
• Use encryption when emailing PII or other sensitive information, using FIPS 140-3 standards.
• Destroy documents using a crosscut shredder.
• Avoid taking case files with client information into public places.
• Store client information and PII on government furnished equipment with full disk encryption.
• Ensure your computers and laptops are scanned regularly for viruses, spyware, and other threats.
• Open email attachments with caution, and don’t click on suspicious links.
• Report any suspicious emails or activity to your IT security office immediately.

You can use this short data security video as an orientation or annual training for child support staff.

Remember, you must report any suspected or confirmed data breaches involving Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) data to OCSEsecurity@acf.hhs.gov within one hour of discovery.

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Armon Perry, Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work & Family Science, University of Louisville, Kentucky

In August 2020, OCSE awarded funding to eight state child support agencies through the Economic Mobility and Responsible Parenting Demonstration Grant. In July 2021, OCSE awarded funding to an additional cohort of seven states and two tribal programs. This article is part of a series that features awardees’ efforts to leverage the child support program's responsible parenting expertise. For more information, email michael.hayes@acf.hhs.gov or donna.steele@acf.hhs.gov.

Empower You is a community-based program administered through a partnership between the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the University of Louisville’s Kent School of Social Work and Family Science. We created Empower You to provide youth ages 16 to 24 with the skills and tools to make informed decisions about their romantic relationships, sexual health, and career exploration. The program’s goal is to help participants learn to delay parenthood until they complete their education and begin a healthy and committed relationship. 

Participants have peer mentors and attend group-based workshops featuring content, exercises, and activities from evidence-informed Parenting and Paternity Awareness (PAPA) and Re:MIX curricula. Topics for these workshops include healthy relationships, consent, recognizing relationship danger signs, communication, conflict resolution, paternity establishment, legal fatherhood, and child support calculation. The participants are also responsible for creating content on our social media accounts. 

Success coaching reinforces the content and serves to support individual participants in their efforts to reach their goals. The success coaching varies based on a participant’s needs and interests. However, it most often focuses on money management, career planning, and post-secondary education. 

Program outcomes

To test the effectiveness of these services, Empower You also includes a mixed methods evaluation plan. To date, over 60 participants have enrolled in Empower You. Preliminary data analysis indicates favorable ratings and improvements in healthy relationships and child support knowledge from pre- to post-intervention. Qualitative interview data reveal several emergent themes, including:

• Family role in socializing and serving as role models for youth regarding their relationship attitudes and behavior
• Impact of early relationship experiences on how they approach current relationships
• Importance of formal and informal social support networks in helping youth develop positive visions for their future 

You can learn more about Empower You by emailing ul.empoweryou@gmail.com or checking out the program website and social media account . 

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Download an outreach flyer that highlights core services provided by tribal programs and some flexibilities they offer, with space where tribes can add their logo and contact information. 

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