March 2024 Child Support Report

OCSS Joins NCSEA On Location

Microphone with text reading ON LOCATION NCSEA

Raghavan Varadachari, OCSS Director of State and Tribal Systems, was a guest on the NCSEA On Location podcast with Tim Lightner and Joe Mamlin to talk about system modernization, trends in technology, and the future of state systems. Listen to the episode here or wherever you get your podcasts.

We also created a checklist of tasks to help states modernize their system (PDF)

Washington’s Tips for Building Partnerships

Emily Conner, Grants Project Manager, WA State Division of Child Support, Economic Services Administration

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

Graphic of someone teaching a group with a white board of bulleted writing with checkmarks

The Washington State Division of Child Support was excited about growth opportunities when it was awarded a Charting a Course for Economic Mobility and Responsible Parenting grant. While we had a robust outreach program before 2020, the pandemic brought many of these efforts to a grinding halt. This grant was a perfect chance to get them moving again. 

Our initial outreach efforts in 2021 were not as successful as we hoped because we hit a series of roadblocks. Organizations may not want or be able to participate in new partnerships for a variety of reasons, which can be disheartening. After months of slow progress, we gathered and strategized as a team to successfully overhaul our outreach methods. Below are some of the lessons we learned.
 

Keys to Outreach

  • Be clear about your program requirements, but be open to redefining your scope. Over time, you may have to change your requirements and expand your pool of partners.
     
  • Have a backup plan for organizations that can’t meet your program requirements. You may be able to redirect them to other opportunities that better match their program needs or capacity. Don’t forget to ask if they have recommendations for other potential partnerships.
     
  • Prepare. Develop an outreach plan and supporting materials before contacting potential partners. This includes email templates, elevator speeches, fact sheets, and a tracking tool. 
     
  • Account for school breaks in your planning, especially for youth programs. Some programs work exclusively over the summer or during the school year. Others have varying schedules based on seasons.
     
  • Cast a wide net and broaden your ideas outside of traditional settings. Think about who would benefit most from your program and find ways to make the program work for them. The more places you first reach out to, the better. If you can drum up interest, it will lead to larger conversations about details and commitments.
     
  • Set clear expectations and roles. Make sure all partners have a good understanding of your asks and goals, and how they fit in with their goals. This is the best way to build enthusiastic support and a true partnership.
     
  • Be persistent and patient. Many organizations plan several months or semesters in advance.  Give potential partners plenty of lead time to discuss internally and fit your project into their ongoing work plan.

It can feel extremely difficult to get programs on board, especially if you have lofty implementation goals. We’re here to tell you to stick with it and the partnerships will come. Preparation, persistence, and patience are the key concepts to remember. The hardest part is getting the ball rolling—once that momentum is built, it all gets easier. You’ve got this!

For more information, email thomas.smith@dshs.wa.gov.

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Bringing Social Work Principles to Child Support

Dana Huckabee, OCSS

Graphic with hearts and text that reads March is National Social Work Month

March is National Social Work Month and a great time to highlight the social workers in our program. Social workers are guided by core values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. These core values include ethical principles that set the foundation for their work in supporting individuals and organizations, including child support.

I recently met with a fellow social worker, Bora Sunseri. Ms. Sunseri is a licensed clinical social worker and board approved clinical supervisor with 32 years of state service in Louisiana. She is Louisiana’s child support enforcement modernization project director. Ms. Sunseri recognizes that social workers are beneficial in all areas of child support and applies her experience to system modernization.

Social work principles in modernization

Louisiana implemented a family-centered child support model focusing on building relationships to empower families. This model aligns with the core values of social work, and Ms. Sunseri emphasizes those values in her division. Her team members are known as the “JEDIs” because they aspire to be Judicious, Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive. They consider and apply these principles at every decision in their modernization project.

The team represents rural and urban areas, including the metro capital region. They understand that community culture differs across the state, the child support field, state office programs, and the courts. As a result, the team draws on their diverse child support experience and personal backgrounds to understand how their system and services can best serve families. They’ve also developed a newsletter to share updates and information, and to give staff a chance to submit ideas to improve the system to allow more time with the families.

Social Work Month allows us to recognize and appreciate social workers for their tireless dedication, compassion, and commitment to making a difference in the child support field. I hope you’ll take a moment to show your gratitude to the social workers you work with — I know I will!

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See If You Qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit

IRS

Boy with hearing aid and dad with text reading Visit IRS.gov/EITC to see if you qualify for this valuable tax credit.

Haven’t filed your taxes yet? There’s still time! And one thing you should consider is the Earned Income Tax Credit. For more than 40 years, this credit has made life better for millions of workers. If you qualify and claim the credit, you could get as much as $7,430 from the IRS. Don’t be the one in five who misses this credit!

It’s easy to find out if you qualify. Use the EITC Assistant to answer questions about yourself and other family members to see if you qualify, and then estimate the amount of your credit. Eligibility depends on several factors, including income and family size. If you or someone you know earned less than $63,398 from wages, running a business or farm, or from Form 1099 MISC, check out this easy-to-use tool. If you don’t have a qualifying child and earned under $17,640 ($24,210 married filing jointly), you might qualify for a smaller credit worth as much as $600. You can also see what other tax credits are available.

Get help filing taxes

It’s easy to find free tax help to prepare and file your taxes. Use the VITA locator tool to find a volunteer site near you. You can also use IRS Direct File if you live in one of 12 pilot states where residents can prepare and e-file their taxes free directly with the IRS .

Child support programs can promote the Earned Income Tax Credit to eligible working parents by using this IRS social media toolkit .

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Resource Alert: Guidance for the Tribal Child Support Program Start-Up Application Process

OCSS updated the guidance and resources to help federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations start a child support program and apply for funding. 

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Policy Recap

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.

Jeff Hild    
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, performing the delegable duties 
of the 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                                                                               

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