Child Support Awareness Month: A Look at How Child Support is - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Child Support Awareness Month: A Look at How Child Support is Evolving

August 17, 2016

Toll-free: 877-4DAD411 (877-432-3411) | Fax: 703-934-3740 | info@ fatherhood.gov | www.fatherhood.gov Lisa Washingt on-Thomas, NRFC COTR, lwashingt on-t homas@ acf.hhs.gov Kennet h Braswell, NRFC Proj ect Direct or, kennet h.braswell@ gmail.com Pat rick Pat t erson, NRFC Proj ect Manager, pat rick.pat t erson@ icfi.com

National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse

 DHHS

/ ACF Office of Family Assist ance funded nat ional resource t o support fat hers and families.

 Resources are available for dads, fat herhood programs,

researchers, and policy makers.



Visit t he NRFC: www.fat herhood.gov. 

www.fat herhood.gov/ toolkit for Responsible Fat herhood Toolkit .



www.fat herhood.gov/ webinars for archives of all our webinars.



Cont act us: info@ fat herhood.gov.



Encourage fat hers or pract it ioners t o cont act our nat ional call cent er t oll- free at 1-877-4DAD411 (877-432-3411).



Engage wit h us via social media: Facebook: Fat herhoodgov Twitter: @ Fat herhoodgov

Our Goals Today

Today’s webinar will share informat ion about :  How nat ional and local child support policies and

approaches are evolving.

 How child support order amount s are set , and how

t hey can be modified when circumst ances change.

 Ways in which fat herhood programs and child

support agencies can work t oget her t o ensure t hat fat hers have:

 Access t o employment services.  Accurat e informat ion about child support .  Help wit h modificat ion of orders and arrearages as

appropriat e.

 Examples of successful local part nerships bet ween

fat herhood programs and child support offices.

Today’s Presenters

 James Murray

Office of Child S upport E nforcement W ashington, DC.

 Kelly Little

Mecklenburg County Child S upport E nforcement Charlotte, NC.

 Cheri Tillis and Lisl King Williams

Fathers S upport Center S

• t. Louis, MO.

Child Support Awareness Month: A Look at How Child Support is Evolving

James Murray Senior Advisor, OCSE

j ames.murray@ acf.hhs.gov

August 17, 2016

Our Mission

Enhance t he well-being of children by assuring t hat assist ance in obt aining support — financial and medical— is available t o children t hrough:

Locat ing Parent s Est ablishing Pat ernit y Est ablishing S upport Obligat ions Monit oring and Enforcing Obligat ions

6

The Child S upport Program

 Federal, st at e, and t ribal child support agencies work

t oget her t o collect and dist ribut e child support payment s and provide healt h care coverage.

 Serves 1 in 5 children —and bot h parent s.  Collect s $32 billion annually, wit h nearly 95 percent paid t o

families.

 Ensures children receive reliable financial support .  Encourages bot h parent s t o be involved in t heir children’s

lives.

 Has a posit ive effect on children’s life out comes.  Avoids public assist ance cost s.  Collect s $5.26 for every public dollar spent .

7

Federal Functions

• Provide policy guidance, t raining and t echnical assist ance.
• Operat e t he Federal Parent Locat or S

ervice – import ant t ools for locat e & enforcement .

• Collaborat e wit h ot her agencies and organizat ions for child and

family welfare.

• Operat e federal enforcement remedies such as federal t ax refund
• ffset and passport denial.
• Oversee demonst rat ion grant s and special improvement proj ect s

grant s.

• Administ er Access and Visit at ion program.

8

S tate and Tribal Functions

Locat e noncust odial parent s Est ablish pat ernit y Est ablish orders Collect support Review & adj ust

• rders

Monit or & dist ribut e collect ions Cooperat e in int ergovernment al enforcement

9

Child S upport is Evolving

Welfare Cost Recovery



Recovering welfare cost s



Assigning and ret aining



Imput ing income



Aut omat ed, st andardized enforcement processes



Debt as mot ivat ion t o pay



Incarcerat ion as consequence

• f nonpayment



Financial support main focus

Family Centered Practices



Reliable payment s



Family dist ribut ion



Accurat e, act ual income



Caseload segment at ion for t ailored approaches



Debt prevent ion/ compromise



Services t o remove barriers cont ribut ing t o nonpayment



Involvement -balanced focus

Family-Centered Child Support Strategies

CSE Core Mission Locate Parents Establish Paternity Establish Orders Collect Support Family Violence Collaboration Health Care Coverage Healthy Family Relationships Economic Stability Engagement

• f Fathers

from Birth Child Support Prevention

What does family-centered child support mean?

The goal is t o increase regular support for children, by:

• Engaging bot h parent s.
• S

et t ing and modifying orders based on abilit y t o pay.

• Paying all of t he money t o children.
• Implement ing debt management.
• Using less adversarial disput e resolut ion.
• Jobs not j ail--using cont empt and j ail sparingly.
• Coordinat ing wit h employment and ot her services.
• Addressing co-parent ing and parent ing t ime.
• Addressing domest ic violence.

12

OCS E Fatherhood Initiatives

13

1997 2000 2003 2008

1996

2010 2012

Employment 2012 - 2017

Benefits of Paternity Establishment

 Identity.  Parental Bond.  Legal Rights.  Extended Family.  Benefits and S

ervices.

Tips for Fatherhood Programs

 Reach out t o your local child office.

 Meet wit h child support st aff t o discuss mut ual goals.  Invit e a child support represent ative t o t alk t o your

st aff, provide t raining, answer quest ions.

 Invit e t hem t o make regular present ations t o your

fat her groups.

 Look t o develop a deeper part nership relat ionship:

 Referrals t o fat herhood program.  Help wit h quest ions from fat herhood st aff and

part icipants.

 Assist ance wit h order modificat ions, et c.

S hare the Message

 Child support program and pract ices are evolving.  Child support can play a powerful role in helping t o

st rengt hen— not erode— family income, work part icipat ion, and relat ionships.

 Implement ing parent -focused innovat ions:

 Building relat ionships.  Individualized case management .  Personalized communication.  Emphasis on parent ing.  Employment and wrap-around services.

 Welcoming opport unit ies t o collaborat e and part ner.

Child Support Awareness Month: A Look at How Child Support is Evolving

Kelly R. Lit t le, MBA/ MS L, AMC Mecklenburg Count y Child S upport Int ake S upervisor Responsible Fat herhood and Mom as Gat eway Init iat ive Kelly.Lit t le@ MecklenburgCount yNC August 17, 2016

Holistic Service Delivery

Emotional, Physical, and Financial “High Performance as the goal: How we achieved

• rganizational excellence and changed our culture.”
• The ownership to transform the culture of Child

Support started with the decision to recognize our most valuable resource, “our children.”

• The culture shift begins with the creation of a

Progressive Vision, True Communication, and Clear Expectations.

Expanded Role of Child Support

S trengthening Families

• Responsible Fatherhood Initiative.
• Mom as Gateway, not Gatekeeper.
• Positive Parenting Program Collaboration.
• Community Outreach Activities.
• Preventing the Need for Child Support.
• Collaboration with DSS and Stakeholders.
• Performance Monitoring.

Strengthening Families

Strengthening Families

Our Responsible Fatherhood Initiative:

• Educat es fat hers.
• Assist s wit h employment opport unit ies.
• Improves relat ionships.
• Leverages parent ing skills t hrough “ Triple P

.”

• Helps fat hers navigat e t he complicat ed maze of

communit y resources.

• Provides Quart erly Noncust odial Parent

Orient at ions.

• Includes Expungement clinics.

Strengthening Families

Responsible Fatherhood Initiative (RFI) Outreach

A customer’s experience after an RFI Outreach event

“I just wanted to write and thank you once again for the great

• assistance. It is amazing that I learned and accomplished more in

an hour with you then in three years with everyone else. I really appreciate it and wish I had met with you originally. Thanks for the common courtesy, professionalism, and education you provided. Unfortunately not everyone gives those core fundamentals of

• business. I cannot express how drastic of a change in service I

experienced with you rather that the previous times where I was treated unfairly, prejudged, and more. Once again thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Mecklenburg County Child Support Enforcement Customer

Strengthening Families

Mom as Gateway Initiative (MAGI)

 Studies show that mother's perceptions greatly influence father's involvement; therefore mothers are a key factor for getting fathers involved. When both parents can effectively co- parent, their children benefit greatly.  Through MAGI, we work with mothers who are child support

• customers. We use a National Fatherhood Initiative curriculum

to explore:

 Mothers’ protective instincts.  Beliefs about fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives.  Parents’ impact on children’s well-being.  Importance of co-parenting.

Outreach and Reciprocity

Soaring in our Community: Community Engagement

• Empowerment Center
• Albemarle Road Elementary School
• Men’s Empowerment Coalition
• Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department
• Center for Urban Families
• Charlotte Housing Authority
• Johnson C. Smith University/ UNC-Charlotte, Queens College
• Fathers United
• Expungement Clinic
• Father’s Action Network
• Self-Service Center
• Veterans Affairs

Strengthening Families

Workforce Strategies to encourage Economic Independence and Economic Mobility

• DSS Workforce Development

Collaboration.

• Community Partners:
• Charlotte Works.
• Urban League.
• Goodwill Industries.
• Community Culinary School of Charlotte.

S trengthening Families

Banning The Box

• Mecklenburg County Child Support

Enforcement (MCCSE) collected $50+ million in Fiscal Year 2016!

• No jurisdiction in NC has done this before.
• MCCSE’s Focus on Fathers has helped change

the perception of the office to a “father friendly”

• rganization.
• The Department launched a rebranding

initiative to demonstrate its commitment to co- parenting.

S addest Boy Ever

Child Support Awareness Month: A Look at How Child Support is Evolving

Cheri Tillis

Execut ive Vice President Fat hers’ S upport Cent er, S t . Louis, MO ct illis@ fat herssupport .org

Lisl King Williams

Direct or of Legal S ervices Fat hers’ S upport Cent er, S t . Louis, MO

August 17, 2016

Fathers’ S upport Center - Overview

 Mission: fost er healt hy relat ionships by st rengt hening

families and communit ies.

 S

ince it s founding in December 1997, Fat hers’ S upport Cent er has served more t han 13,000 fat hers and t heir families —including more t han 32,500 children.

 Fat hers who complet ed FS

C’s core program in t he past year are paying a combined $273,000 annually t o direct ly support t heir children, and 56%

• f t hem report

increased int eract ion wit h t heir children.  In addit ion, 197 client s agency-wide obt ained

employment in t he last year and are put t ing a combined $3.4 million int o t he local economy.

 In 2015, on a $4.1 million budget , FS

C’s ret urn on invest ment t o t he S t . Louis communit y t ot aled more t han $11.8 million.

Questions for Cheri and Lisl

1. What are some of t he t ypical child support issues faced by t he dads you work wit h? 2. How does Fat hers’ S upport Cent er (FS C) respond t o t hese issues? What kinds of services do you provide? What is t he role of FS C’s Legal Clinic? 3. How did FS C work wit h child support in lat e 90s/ early 00s?

• How did t he part nership form and evolve?

Was t here a part icular set of circumst ances or individuals t hat proved t o be a cat alyst ?

• How does t he current part nership work?

4. What advice can you offer t o fat herhood programs t hat have not yet est ablished a relat ionship wit h t heir child support

• ffice?

5. How do you t alk wit h fat hers about t he import ance of pat ernit y est ablishment (for children, fat hers, and mot hers)? 6. How do you t alk wit h fat hers (and mot hers) about co- parent ing? How do you address cust ody and visit at ion issues? 7. Anyt hing you’ d like t o highlight from t he point s made by James or Kelly?

Contact:

NRFC:

 info@

fat herhood.gov

 Please send your comment s/ quest ions, suggest ions

for fut ure webinar t opics, and any informat ion or resources t hat you recommend we share wit h ot hers.

Today’s present ers:

 James Murray: j ames.murray@

acf.hhs.gov

 Kelly Lit t le: kelly.lit t le@

mecklenburgcountync.gov

 Cheri Tillis: ct illis@

fat herssupport.org

Child Support Awareness Month: A Look at How Child Support is Evolving

August 17, 2016

Tips for Fatherhood Programs

 Reach out t o your local child office.

 Meet wit h child support st aff t o discuss mut ual goals.  Invit e a child support represent ative t o t alk t o your

st aff, provide t raining, answer quest ions.

 Invit e t hem t o make regular present ations t o your

fat her groups.

 Look t o develop a deeper part nership relat ionship:

 Referrals t o fat herhood program.  Help wit h quest ions from fat herhood st aff and

part icipants.

 Assist ance wit h order modificat ions, et c.

S hare the Message

 Child support program and pract ices are evolving.  Child support can play a powerful role in helping t o

st rengt hen – not erode – family income, work part icipat ion, and relat ionships.

 Implement ing parent -focused innovat ions:

 Building relat ionships.  Individualized case management .  Personalized communication.  Emphasis on parent ing.  Employment and wrap-around services.

 Welcoming opport unit ies t o collaborat e and part ner.