June/July 2023 Child Support Report
COMMISSIONER'S VOICE: Resources to Support Fathers
Commissioner Tanguler Gray
Earlier this month, we changed our name to the Office of Child Support Services to reflect our program’s commitment to serve and support the whole family. Since the program was established in 1975, it’s evolved from recovering state public assistance costs to focusing on family support. In addition to services funded directly by the child support program, we also support states and tribes by funding services like employment programs, fatherhood initiatives, demonstration grants, reentry partnerships, and other family-centered efforts.
One of my 3Ps in my engagement framework is People—always prioritizing those we serve to promote their economic and social well-being. Serving the whole family aligns with this priority, and June gives us a special time to celebrate fathers and father figures. Our office has created a fact sheet (PDF) to help you engage fathers and connect them to services that can help them succeed. Feel free to link this fact sheet on your website, promote on social media, or share through your newsletter. Here are the resources we compiled:
Fatherhood
- Fatherhood Information : Check out educational resources and tips to help dads be their best.
- Fatherhood Programs : Learn about local programs that teach parenting skills and make connections with other dads in your community.
Child Support Services
- Local Child Support Resources: Apply for child support or get help with your case.
- Changing a Child Support Order (PDF): Learn how to ask to have your child support order changed because of a change in your financial situation.
- Debt Compromise: See if your state has debt compromise options for child support arrears to be partially or completely forgiven.
- Parenting Visitation: Look for programs to help with access to and time with your children.
Health Insurance & Medical Services
- Medicaid : Learn about Medicaid and if you’re eligible based on your household income, family size, age, disability, or other factors.
- Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) : Take a quick screening about eligibility for CHIP or other health insurance options for low‑income children under 18 years old.
Mental Health
- Behavioral Health Information for Parents and Caregivers: Learn about mental health and substance use disorders.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Programs : Get help with mental health and substance use challenges for you or your family.
Higher Education
- Title IV Federal Student Financial Aid (FAFSA) : Look for grants, loans, and work-study programs to help pay for education.
Employment
- Child Support Employment Programs: Find out if your state has training and employment services to help noncustodial parents find stable employment.
- Responsible Fatherhood Programs : See if there is a fatherhood program near you with connections to employment and economic stability opportunities.
Housing
- Public Housing Program : Find information about affordable housing for eligible low-income families and individuals.
- Housing Choice Voucher Program : Learn about the housing voucher program to help low-income families and individuals pay rent.
Nutrition
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) : See if you qualify for aid so that you can buy healthy food for your family.
Visit www.benefits.gov to learn about eligibility for other supports and how to apply.
Leech Lake Transfers First Child Support Case
Tami Masuca, Program Specialist, OCSS and Sue Robinson, Manager, Leech Lake Tribal Child Support Program
After years of advocacy, a Minnesota bill was signed into law in 2021 that allows a circuit court to transfer a post-order child support case to a tribal child support program. This monumental change strengthens tribal sovereignty and gives tribal families access to child support services in a manner that is consistent with tribal values and cultures.
After this legislative victory came the next step: establishing the transfer process. The four Minnesota tribal child support programs worked with the state and county child support agencies and circuit courts to develop the process to transfer the cases.
Now, the Leech Lake Child Support Program is leading the way by successfully completing its first transfer. They identified a case they’d been enforcing for the state where both parents were members of the tribe. The caseworker contacted the parents and informed them of their intent to transfer the case from circuit court to tribal court. The parents agreed to the transfer and signed a consent form. Leech Lake staff filed a motion in Beltrami County Circuit Court to relinquish jurisdiction to the Leech Lake Tribal Court.
The process was smooth and after the 20-day waiting period to allow the parties to object, the circuit court issued an order transferring the case to the tribal court. The Leech Lake Tribal Court issued an order accepting the transfer, and the case moved under the full jurisdiction of the tribal court.
Child support staff did encounter a couple challenges along the way and are tweaking their process moving forward. With one successful transfer down, they intend to begin the process with more cases. This transfer has also inspired the other tribal child support programs in Minnesota to work on transfers in their caseload.
For more information, email sue.robinson@llojibwe.net.
Helping Justice-Involved Parents Succeed
Sarah Aguirre, San Diego Department of Child Support
In January 2022, the San Diego Department of Child Support established the Justice Involved Parents and Children (JIPC) team to help parents reenter the community after serving a jail or prison sentence. This group of specially trained employees works to reduce barriers for justice-involved families by providing access and opportunity to resources that go beyond child support.
Prior to establishing JIPC, our Business Intelligence team reviewed caseload data and found high amounts of child support debt among justice-involved parents. We know this population is underserved and faces many barriers related to employment, housing, and basic needs, which ultimately contributes to higher amounts of child support debt. We acted to address these cases and provide additional resources that fit the unique needs of these parents to secure their well-being, reduce recidivism, and provide support to their children and families.
We established innovative partnerships with employment agencies, fatherhood programs, re-entry services, and other community organizations and worked with other county departments, such as the Probation Department, Public Defender, and the Sheriff. Through such partnerships, the JIPC team provides referrals and resources to connect parents with these services. Administrative staff monitor referrals and collaborate with partner organizations to track each participant’s progress to ensure that they’re getting the tools they need for empowerment and self-sufficiency.
Outcomes
Our Business Intelligence Team and administrative staff constantly monitor JIPC caseload data to understand the team’s performance and identify opportunities for improvement. Since establishing the JIPC team, we’ve seen many positive outcomes for justice-involved families. For example, reports show that before the JIPC team was launched, 911 justice-involved cases did not pay arrears and/or ongoing support. After these cases were assigned to the team, all 911 cases began actively making payments and engaging with their case managers. We collected about $2.7 million from these 911 cases—$2.1 million in arrears and $600,000 in ongoing support.
We also consider personal testimonies when evaluating outcomes for families. For example, two weeks after one outreach referral for an employment program, the parent ordered to pay support started their new job and called their case manager to thank them for the referral.
By approaching participants in a more empathetic and holistic way, the JIPC team is seeing justice-involved parents:
- Establish sustainable relationships with their families
- Improve outcomes for their life
- Create more proactive relationships with their case managers, which results in better engagement with the department and more collections for their children
The JIPC model is an innovative and unique way to help case participants who are justice-involved and facing unique challenges beyond their time in incarceration. It’s become a core part of our approach, providing equity and inclusion for an underserved population. We’ve moved away from negative enforcement stereotypes to approach all child support participants with compassion, empathy, and resources that go beyond child support.
To learn more, visit our Justice Involved Parent and Children landing page or email jipc@sdcounty.ca.gov.
New Mexico Collaborates with Child Welfare Agency on Foster Care Referrals
Betina Gonzales McCracken, Acting Director, New Mexico Child Support
The foster care referral process has been a hot topic for years, if not decades. Prior to July 2022, when children were placed in state foster care, the parents were referred to the state child support program to establish parentage and/or an order for maintenance payments to the foster care agency. This often resulted in an obligation that parents couldn’t pay, leading to enforcement actions that hindered reunifying the child with the parent(s).
We’ve been discussing this issue with our state foster care agency since 2016, with many meetings, lots of suggestions, and only one agreement—establishing parentage for children is of utmost importance. We also wanted to ensure foster care maintenance payments didn’t hinder family reunification. However, since our office is required to use the child support guidelines when establishing a monthly obligation and determine the parents’ ability to pay, we were unable to deviate and establish lower monthly obligations.
Once the pandemic hit, meetings about this issue were put on hold. In 2021, National Public Radio aired an in-depth story highlighting the fact that New Mexico hadn’t reported any foster care maintenance payments. They thought New Mexico had solved the issue, but the truth was the referrals had stopped.
Collaborative solution
When we restarted meetings amid the pandemic, the same question emerged: how do we process foster care referrals? One new idea quickly gained traction. What if the foster care referral recommended a zero-dollar support obligation? Our office drafted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the child welfare agency that outlined the details of a new referral system, one that would allow us to establish parentage without establishing a child support obligation that would hinder reunification. The MOU includes: the referral process; the recommendation of a zero-dollar court order while the child is in state custody; and the case closure process when the child is no longer in state custody.
The MOU was signed just a few months before the July 2022 guidance from the Children’s Bureau, which provided more flexibility in referrals from the foster care agency and was highlighted in a joint letter (PDF) with OCSS. The new guidance was reassuring because it echoed our goals and efforts to remove barriers to family reunification.
For more information, email betina.mccracken@hsd.nm.gov.
Get Email Notifications for OCSS Jobs
Division of Business and Resource Management, OCSS
One of the reasons the child support program is strong is because of hardworking state and tribal professionals across the country. Whether it’s through a site visit, a national conference panel, or a new best practice or innovative program, it’s inspiring to see their dedication and experience in helping children and families.
We want to make sure we’re leveraging this talent, so we’re expanding outreach and recruitment activities by sharing OCSS job postings via Chirps, the OCSS homepage, the ACF website, and ACF’s Diversity Outreach Committee. The committee connects with professional development offices and different schools and organizations that help underrepresented populations find jobs. We’re committed to ensuring diverse candidates with child support experience are aware of federal job opportunities and know how to apply.
You must apply for OCSS jobs through the USAJobs portal where they’re posted. We encourage those interested in working for OCSS to set up an email notification to receive alerts as soon as positions post. Here are the steps to set up a notification alert once you’ve created a USAJobs account:
- Login to USAJobs.gov .
- Type “Office of Child Support Services” in the Keyword field.
- Use the “Location or Remote” field if you’d like to narrow results or leave it blank.
- Click Search.
- Use the filters on the right if you’d like to narrow results further.
- Click the “Save this search” link above the list of filtered job vacancies.
- Give this search a name and select how frequently you’d like to be emailed about new positions.
- Click Save.
We hope you’ll consider OCSS job opportunities and apply to join our team.
Resource Alert: Toolkit to Help Families Renew Medicaid or CHIP
You can help families renew their Medicaid or CHIP health coverage or find other coverage options by using this communications toolkit . It’s available in English and Spanish, and some of the materials, including drop-in articles, a fact sheet, and a post card, are also available in Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
Policy Recap
OCSS issued recent guidance to help states and tribes develop and operate their child support programs according to federal laws and regulations:
- Report from Consultation — April 6, 2023 (06/15/23)
- FY 2022 Preliminary Data Report and Tables (06/15/23)
- Tribal Budget and Narrative Justification Templates — expire May 2026 (06/15/23)
- Security and Privacy Program — OCSS Security Agreement (06/07/23)
- State Plan Material — Expires May 31, 2026 (06/06/23)
- Name Change to Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) (06/05/23)
About Child Support Report
Child Support Report is published monthly by the Office of Child Support Services. We welcome articles and high-quality digital photos to consider for publication. We reserve the right to edit for style, content and length, or not accept an article. OCSS does not endorse the practices or individuals in this newsletter. You may reprint an article in its entirety (or contact the author or editor for permission to excerpt); please identify Child Support Report as the source.
| January Contreras Assistant Secretary for Children and Families | Tanguler Gray Commissioner, OCSS |
| Crystal Peeler Director, Division of Customer Communications | Andrew Phifer Editor, CSR.Editor@acf.hhs.gov |