Child Support Enforcement (CSE)

 

PRIDE:  The Parental Responsibility Initiative for the Development of Employment (PRIDE) program received national recognition from the Council of State Governments, winning a competitive award from the Midwestern Legislative Conference and national recognition at its annual conference. Additionally, PRIDE received the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement Commissioner’s Innovation award.

PRIDE, a collaborative effort involving Child Support Enforcement, TANF, Job Service North Dakota, and the courts, continued to show positive results in the Dickinson and Grand Forks pilot sites. Plans are underway to expand the program statewide.

Performance:  Despite going through major structural changes during 2007, total child support payments exceeded $114 million – again a record. Of that, over $78 million was received on behalf of cases open for full program services - a 4.6% growth over the preceding year.

State Administration:  The Child Support Enforcement program successfully transitioned to a state-administered program. The former state-supervised, county-administered structure was changed by the 2007 Legislative Assembly.

Enhanced Customer Service:  An on-line customer satisfaction survey was added to the Child Support Enforcement Web site. Survey results and comments assist in identifying areas for improvement. Services to employers, who are vital stakeholders with the program, were improved through redesign of the Web site to make it easier to find information regarding their legal requirements and on-line tools. In addition, electronic tools for employers were enhanced, including simplifying the process employers use to submit electronic payments and beginning to implement electronic income withholding, the use of which will be expanded in 2008.

Expansion of Centralized Services:  After implementation of a centralized unit for the processing of outgoing interstate cases in 2006, a second centralization project was implemented in 2007. This project is a High Intensity Enforcement Unit, located within the Bismarck Regional Child
Support Enforcement office. Its services focus on providing concentrated enforcement remedies including asset identification and seizure as well as state and federal criminal prosecution referrals.

Collaboration with Tribes:  A cooperative agreement with Three Affiliated Tribes (TAT) was signed in April. The Child Support Enforcement program is working with TAT as they develop their own child support enforcement program. Approximately 150 shared cases have been reconciled.

Collaboration with Other Programs:  A multiprogram collaboration workgroup representing four DHS programs - TANF, Medical Services, Children and Family Services, and Child Support Enforcement - as well as Job Service North Dakota (JSND) continued its efforts in 2007. Working collaboratively will help children and families, as well as help programs reach their goals. A draft seminar curriculum, targeting managers of the five programs and focusing on enhancing local collaboration efforts, was developed and a plan for statewide rollout of the seminar was presented to DHS and JSND senior managers and county social service board directors. Statewide rollout is scheduled for 2008.

An effort to improve results for families and programs through collaboration between the Child Support Enforcement and child welfare programs continued through a three-year federal grant awarded to the Department of Human Services. Federal funding is under the demonstration authority of section 1115(a) of the Social Security Act and began on September 1, 2006. During 2007, research, discussions, and meetings occurred to identify alternative processes that would better serve the shared caseload, along with automated support of those processes.

Expanded Access to Information:  A number of additional data matches (i.e., automation of the match with the State Verification and Exchange System to receive information regarding Title II benefits, Title XVI benefits, and Prisoner data from the Social Security Administration; and implementation of a match with the Child Support Lien Network to receive information about personal injury and workers' compensation claims) were implemented. Also, North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation began sending files nightly from two of their databases. The databases contain information on inmates and on those supervised in the community (i.e., parole/probation). The information is periodically matched with Child Support Enforcement information and is available to workers through an inquiry option on the Fully Automated Child Support Enforcement System
(FACSES).

Community:  The Minot Regional Child Support Enforcement Unit hosted the 2007 North Dakota Family Support Council Conference.

The Williston RCSEU participated in three public outreach/donation events: in December, $200 was donated to the local Salvation Army; in November, staff participated in the "Teen Be Amazed" program at Williston High School, a program for students to learn the consequences of risky behavior; and in June, participated in the Parenting Fair which provided an opportunity to improve program awareness. Carnival games were set up for the kids where small prizes were awarded along with one larger prize by
drawing. Pamphlets were also made available to help answer many general child support questions.

The Central Office provided cash and donations of about $4,000 from a number of fund raising efforts and by sponsoring a Head Start family at Christmas.

Again, thanks.  With your help, the kids, parents and taxpayers win.

 

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