Perspectives from the Field: While OCSE waits for a permanent commissioner to come on board, we are sharing stories submitted by state and tribal child support directors.
This month, Delaware Child Support Director Theodore Mermigos tells us how his office partnered with another division office to share information.
After two consecutive years of increasing paternity establishment numbers, the division faced a tough issue — how to stop a downward trend. Delaware’s Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2016 paternity establishment numbers had decreased and, if this trend continued, the state could incur a penalty for 2017. After speaking with 80 members of Delaware Division of Social Services (DSS) management at their quarterly meeting last summer, I believed that the social workers and senior social workers should be aware of our decreasing paternity establishments and how information sharing between our two divisions could improve the services both offices provide.
I told the Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF) managers that I wanted to speak directly to their front line workers because I thought it would have a greater impact on success. The managers were happy to assist. In the fall of 2016, I began meeting with social workers in the DSS program about the services we offer. I focused my messages on our need to increase paternity establishment rates and to build a stronger working relationship between our two divisions.
I gave 45-minute presentations at each of the 20 statewide offices that handle TANF cases then gladly answered questions about child support services. I also addressed our recent name change and increased focus on quality customer service. Though I directed my messages to social workers and senior social workers, everyone was welcome. Attendees learned the reason behind the creation of the child support program, the paternity establishment numbers for the past eight years — including penalties we incurred when we missing required levels — and how the agencies can work together to increase these numbers. During the first three presentations, however, it was clear that we needed to add information about how money for TANF customers was disbursed and how child support is paid to these individuals.
Because of the questions and suggestions we heard at these presentations, my deputy director and I have been talking with our DSS counterparts about possible ways to increase communication between the agencies. For example, we gave them a directory of our staff contact information so the DSS staff could communicate with our workers directly when they are helping a customer who needs immediate child support information. In addition, the Delaware DSS director and deputy are ready to implement a more direct and efficient process for placing and removing sanctions on their clients when our child support staff ask them to do so.
We really stress to our colleagues at the DSS offices that a lot of our two divisions’ successes are based on how well we share quality information. Division of Child Support Services looks forward to a very successful fiscal year in 2017 with the efforts of both divisions.
Theodore Mermigos has been the Delaware Child Support Director since April 2015. Prior to this, he was Deputy Division Director from April 2007 through April 2015. Mermigos has over 21 years of state employment and during 15 of those years he delivered child support services.
For information on building a similar partnership with your state TANF agency, contact Cherí Pyne at cheri.pyne@state.de.us or 302-395-6520.