State Civil Judicial Initiative for Family-Centered Processes
DCL-16-14
DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER
DCL-16-14
DATE: September 12, 2016
TO: ALL STATE AND TRIBAL IV-D DIRECTORS
SUBJECT: State Civil Judicial Initiative for Family-Centered Processes
Dear Colleague:
On August 3, 2016, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) released a groundbreaking report: Call to Action: Achieving Civil Justice for All. The report reflects judicial support for implementing family-centered child support processes and is strongly endorsed by Council of Chief Justices (CCJ) and the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA). The CCJ Civil Justice Improvements Committee proposed these processes, which were adopted at the CCJ/COSCA annual meeting on July 27, 2016.
State child support agencies can expect to see streamlined processes and cases being expedited by courts implementing the recommendations. The report places a renewed focus on high-volume calendars emphasizing all judgments comply with basic procedural requirements for notice, timeliness, and sufficient documentation. It states that resolution of uncontested cases must meet the same standards for due process and proof as contested cases. It calls for simplified court rules and processes that screen out unnecessary technical complexities. Please read the report and their recommendations on the NCSC website (PDF).
Sincerely,
Vicki Turetsky
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement
cc: ACF/OCSE Regional Program Managers