Child Support CommuniQue - August 2020

ChildSupportCommuniQue

Table of Contents 

President’s Message …………………………………………………………..3 

Executive Director’s Message………………………………………………….5 

Community Corner: Evolutionary Change: Marking a Milestone 

in Child Support Enforcement ………………………………………………….6 

COVID-19 Response and Transition to Telework…………………………….9 

To Offset or Not to Offset……………………………….................................21 

Insights from the Private Sector: Pandemic Lessons and 

the New Normal…………………………………………………………………26 

Insights from the Private Sector: Pulling Together as Partners, 

Professionals, and Peers............................................................................29 

The Perfect Foil…………………………………………………………………32 

Training: Or How We Became Quick Artists…………………………………38 

NCSEA INSPIRE………………………………………………………………..40 

Work/Life Balance: Emotional and Mental Wellbeing……………………….41 

Live from the Child Support Associations – It’s a Joint Virtual Event!…….43

President’s Message August 2020 

by Tanguler Gray, NCSEA President 

It is hard to believe it has been a year since I began my 

term as NCSEA president. Over the last 12 months we 

have accomplished so much as a team, despite the global 

pandemic. I am proud of the way we all rallied together to 

serve the child support community while supporting the 

well-being of children and families. 

Through the ups and downs of the year, it’s been my 

personal goal and the mission of our association to 

prioritize Engagement with members as we advocate for 

families across the country. Earlier this year, NCSEA 

approved a resolution seeking to increase program flexibility and funding so IV-D 

programs can serve families through technology and the expansion of 

employment programs for noncustodial parents. The financial stability of families 

and child support programs nationwide was severely affected by the global 

pandemic, and this resolution was only one of many steps to address these 

problems. I extend a special thank you to members of the Board of Directors and 

all committee members for their hard work this year as NCSEA holds to its vision 

of Shaping the Future of Child Support. 

As an organization, it has always been important to us to educate those who 

work in child support services. We began the year with a highly successful Policy 

Forum attended by a record-breaking number of 535 professionals. Our amazing 

NCSEA staff and committee members increased online training opportunities and 

created not only an extensive library of resources, but a fabulous new website to 

ensure that our members had access to high-quality education, even during a 

global pandemic. Our new interactive Engagement Lounge quickly became a 

popular series and one of my favorite ways to connect with members and other 

leaders. All these efforts strengthened the financial standing of the association 

and could not have been accomplished without all of you. 

I am also proud of the new, beautiful format of the Child Support CommuniQue 

(CSQ). The first edition of CSQ did an amazing job of addressing many issues 

that not only affect our work but also our well-being as professionals. As child 

support professionals, we often spend time educating ourselves about policies 

and best practices. However, we should not neglect taking care of ourselves. I

hope the CSQ helped remind you of the importance of creating a healthy worklife 

balance and prioritizing self-care. 

Our partnerships throughout the year have been a continuous pillar of support. I 

am grateful to leaders and members of the National Council of Child Support 

Directors (NCCSD), the Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Association 

(ERICSA), the Western Intergovernmental Child Support Engagement Council 

(WICSEC), the National Tribal Child Support Enforcement Association (NTCSA) 

and the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE). Their collaboration 

and support have made this year one of exceptional Engagement. 

Thank you all for the honor of serving as your president. It has been a joyous 

experience that has been instrumental in both my personal and professional 

growth. I hope that I have provided the same level of support, commitment, and 

excitement that you all have provided me. Thank you to all the child support 

leaders for making this a year of true perseverance. I look forward to continuing 

this work with you all. 

Tanguler Gray, is the IV-D Director for the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of 

Child Support Services. During Director Gray’s 23 years in child support she has held 

leadership roles in accounting, fiscal operations, customer service, organizational 

effectiveness, field and state operations and executive management. She spearheaded the 

Rapid Process Improvement (RPI) Initiative; leading the Georgia program to capture the 2007 

Governor’s Award for Customer Service and the 2008 National Child Support Enforcement 

Association (NCSEA) Commissioner’s Award for High Performance. Prior to serving as 

NCSEA President, Tanguler served as secretary and president-elect of the orgranizaion, and 

has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2014. She is a graduate of Valdosta State 

University. 

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Executive Director’s Message August 2020 

by Ann Marie Ruskin 

This is a phrase heard numerous times already…but what a 

year this has been! I am proud to say that NCSEA has taken 

these uncertain times to offer many opportunities and new 

initiatives to our members, as well as emphasize the numerous 

resources and programs available through member benefits. 

NCSEA is proud to launch our new website and we encourage you to go to 

www.ncsea.org and take a look. It is a fresh, updated website, and we look 

forward to new additions and revisions in the coming weeks. Be sure to log 

into your NCSEA member profile and access the NCSEA Member Website, 

which is redesigned for better functionality and user experience. 

This is also an exciting time of year as we welcome new directors to our 

NCSEA Board of Directors. Congratulations to re-elected Board members 

Margot Bean (Deloitte Consulting, LLP), Robbie Endris (Conduent), and 

Hannah Roots (Hannah Roots Family Law), as well as newly elected Board 

members Laura Galindo (CSG Government Solutions), David Kilgore 

(California Department of Child Support Services), and Lewis Jackson 

(Wake County Child Support Services). The 2020-2021 Board will be led by 

NCSEA Officers: President Lisa Skenandore (SMI); President-elect Lori 

Bengston (YoungWilliams); Treasurer Jim Fleming (North Dakota Child 

Support Services); Secretary Erin Frisch (Michigan Child Support); and 

Immediate Past-President Tanguler Gray (Georgia Division of Child 

Support Services). Incoming officers and board members will take office 

September 1, 2020. We look forward to working with the NCSEA volunteer 

leadership in the program year ahead. 

I will certainly miss seeing all of you in Anaheim this summer, and I am very 

disappointed to miss the many events and activities of the now-canceled 

2020 Leadership Symposium. In lieu of in-person education programs, 

NCSEA will be offering several virtual programs, titled “NCSEA Inspire,” on 

relevant and timely topics of interest to child support professionals. The 

programming will be held in October and registration will open September 

3 rd . In addition to the professional development programs, our Corporate 

Partners and private sector participants will bring you sessions featuring 

their products and services critical to the child support program. 

Information on all offerings will be emailed soon. 

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Community Corner 

Evolutionary Change: Marking a Milestone 

in Child Support Enforcement 

by Jim Fleming, North Dakota Child Support Division 

Evolutionary change has a way of sneaking up on you: it happens slowly, 

and you may not even notice the change until something prompts you to 

have an “aha” moment. For child support and NCSEA, April 21, 2020, was 

one of those moments. 

The NCSEA Board of Directors adopted a resolution on April 21, 2020, 

urging Congress to exclude any future COVID-19 related relief payments 

from offset for past-due child support until Congress determines that 

parents who owe past-due support have enough employment opportunities 

to be self-sufficient without a relief payment. 

Yup, the National Child Support ENFORCEMENT Association went on 

record in a specific circumstance against collecting money from a parent 

who owes child support arrears. 

The resolution explains how a lot of the money that would be offset would 

be applied to assigned arrears and not be paid to families, but there was 

also a deeper factor at work—the importance of self-sufficiency for parents 

who owe child support. 

For years, lots of the discussion at training conferences has focused on 

ways to establish and modify child support orders for appropriate amounts 

based on the parents’ ability to pay and on ways to enforce such orders 

that are consistent with notions of procedural justice. The changes to 

federal regulations that were adopted in 2016 are unmistakable

confirmation of the fact that right-sizing and procedural justice are concepts 

that are now embedded in delivery of child support services. 

Why the focus on the needs of the parent who owes support? It’s certainly 

not about downplaying the importance of child support for the family or 

condoning the arrearage. Consider the number 216 – that’s the number of 

months between the birth of a child and when the child reaches 18 years of 

age; thus, also the number of monthly payments a child support agency 

hopes to receive over the life of a case opened at birth. As the IV-D 

program enters the middle of our fifth decade and continues to look for 

ways to improve collection rates, we’ve learned that sustainability of 

collections is important. My former boss was known for throwing out 

colorful one-liners, and one of his favorites was “Don’t Shoot Your Milk 

Cow” – meaning an action taken today to meet an immediate need may be 

less beneficial over the long run. A one-time collection of a larger amount of 

money can impair future collections if it denies a parent the ability to pay 

rent or buy food or cover all of the other life expenses inherent in being 

self-sufficient. 

For Federal Fiscal Year 2019, 66.09% of current support was collected, 1 

which leaves lots more to collect, and so we cannot forget to continue to 

think of more creative and effective ways to find and take possession of 

money or assets owned by a parent who owes child support. However, we 

also need to recognize barriers to payment and find ways to motivate 

parents who owe child support to cooperate with our program and make 

reliable payments moving forward. A powerful way to do this is to connect 

parents who owe child support with employment programs specifically 

designed for parents in our caseload who may need to be nudged to 

participate in the program in order to comply with the support obligation. 

This nudge can be missing in voluntary services offered under other 

programs to unemployed individuals. 

Some will disagree with NCSEA’s resolution and that’s okay. There are 

some really good reasons that COVID-19 payments should be offset 

considering many parents owed arrears prior to the pandemic and many 

families needed child support more than ever during the pandemic. For 

many it probably makes a difference that the first round of COVID-19 

payments was subject to offset. I sure didn’t hate the extra millions paid to 

1 

Table P-39 of the OCSE Preliminary Data Report for 2019.

families in my state in the middle of the pandemic; we are in the collection 

business after all. 

Notions of ability to pay and procedural justice are not new to child support 

professionals. But in the course of evolving and improving the child support 

program for the families we serve, we can mark down April 21, 2020, as a 

point in time when NCSEA looked at child support case management and 

went on record that the interests of self-sufficiency and sustained 

collections were such that a certain type of collection should be avoided— 

in this case, from a payment intended to protect public health by keeping 

people housed and able to meet other basic needs. Whether you agree or 

not in this particular case, such a thoughtful and balanced analysis of the 

situation of both parents will serve us well moving forward and shows how 

nuanced we have become as a program. 

James C. Fleming is the director of the Child Support Division of the North Dakota 

Department of Human Services, President of the National Council of Child Support 

Directors (NCCSD), and Treasurer of the National Child Support Enforcement 

Association (NCSEA). Jim is a member and former co-chair of NCSEA’s Policy and 

Government Relations Committee and NCCSD’s Policy and Practice Committee, and a 

member of the editorial committee for the NCSEA Child Support CommuniQue (CSQ). 

A second-generation attorney, Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the 

University of North Dakota and his Juris Doctorate from Notre Dame Law School. 

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COVID-19 Response and 

Transition to Telework 

by Leslie Prichard, Contact Wireless 

It’s a strange new world as child support agencies, employees, and parents 

attempt to navigate and respond to COVID-19. When the virus descended 

upon us this past spring and states shut down offices and halted person-toperson 

contact, child support agencies were forced to send staff home and 

quickly figure out how to provide and maintain critical child support 

services. Thus, we witnessed an explosion of telework offices across the 

nation. 

In a coast-to-coast look at the response to the pandemic throughout the 

child support community, the NCSEA CSQ Editorial Staff has queried 

agency leaders in small and large offices to find out how they responded, 

what worked, and what the future holds for telework. The feedback 

obtained may be helpful to your office as you prepare and manage 

operations as the pandemic continues to impact services, employees, and 

parents. 

Our participants answered a 

series of questions and provide 

extremely useful information as 

to what is working for their staff 

and parents. And, most 

importantly, they have shared 

their lessons learned from this 

unusual experience and the 

transition to working from home. 

The participants’ responses are 

listed below followed by a brief 

summary of their answers. We want to thank each participant for taking the 

time to provide this useful information.

CALIFORNIA 

Greg Wilson 

Executive Director 

Child Support Directors Association of California 

(CSDA) 

Questions: 

1. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, did your agency/office utilize 

telework staff? If so, in what capacity and percentage? 

Neither CSDA nor the local child support agencies used telework very 

frequently. A few local child support agencies (LCSA) used limited 

telework, but on a case-by-case basis for select classifications. Most 

of the child support infrastructure required employees to report to a 

physical location: call center, lobby reception, mail room, interview 

rooms, etc. 

2. What challenges did you face in transitioning to a telework 

staff? 

We were missing policies and equipment. First, we had to quickly 

develop policies that addressed work schedules, staff availability, and 

confidentiality. And then we had to get computers, monitors, and 

telephones to the employees’ homes. We also had to ensure the 

employees had a spot at home that was not only comfortable but 

somewhat secure and private. The equipment caused a few 

problems. Internet connections were inconsistent across employees 

and the connection to the physical office was not as fast as it should 

be. While working in a physical office, upload speeds are not critical. 

But when you are connecting from home the office’s limited upload 

speed really caused a slowdown in productivity. 

3. Were there any procedures in place for transitioning to telework 

prior to the pandemic? 

I had been thinking about remote work for some years so had a 

general idea of the policies and equipment needed. All our 

employees were using laptops and we had changed out the phones

to a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system prior to the transition. 

So that made getting the computers and telephones to homes quite 

easy. Employees literally just packed them up and plugged in at 

home. We are set up now so we could work from anywhere in the 

world if we have an internet connection. We also transitioned from a 

traditional conference telephone system to the Zoom application 

before the transition, so we were able to keep running using video 

conferencing for meetings. 

4. What tools and/or policy did you find helpful for your staff as 

they worked from home? 

There are two: the upload speed for servers in the physical office and 

video conferencing. Before we upgraded the upload speed for the 

physical office servers, our work was really bogged down as all five of 

us logged in at the same time. The second was the video 

conferencing. Staff check in once daily in the morning which is a 

combination of catching up on each other’s lives and parsing out that 

days’ work. The daily connections have been valuable in maintaining 

a sense of teamwork and connection. 

5. Will telework staff continue in your office/agency after the 

pandemic? 

We are leaving the option in place for employees that wish to 

continue working remotely. It does not look like there is a clear end to 

the pandemic just yet, so it does not make sense to me to rush back 

into the office. We still must check on mail and do some paperwork 

filing, but nearly all the work can be done remotely. I think the only 

thing holding me back from moving to an all remote work environment 

is the office lease. If that were ending soon, I would likely not renew 

and just work remotely from there forward. 

6. Were there any benefits that arose from using a work-from-home 

staff that you were not expecting? Staff seem a bit happier and 

satisfied. They do not have morning and afternoon commutes and 

can have lunch with their families every day. There seems to be a bit

more focus on getting work done as well. The employees have told 

me they feel more productive and focused. 

COLORADO 

Kaye Templeton 

Deputy Director 

Denver Child Support Services 

Questions: 


telework staff? 

No. 


staff? 

Ensuring that staff were provided with the proper technology 

necessary for work to continue to be completed while working from a 

remote location. 



Yes, the Division had developed a Continuity of Operations Plan to 

ensure work could be completed from home. 



Laptops were previously issued to all staff within the Division. State 

and Federal guideline policy changed to allow for staff to engage with 

customers telephonically to conduct interviews and the need for “wet” 

signatures has been limited.


pandemic? 

Yes. 


staff that you were not expecting? 

Lower abandonment rates experienced in the Customer Call Center. 

Thoughtful development of virtual and electronic processes to 

complete legal documents and cases prepared for court. 

NEBRASKA 

Troy Reiners 

Program Director 

Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office/SDU 

Questions: 


telework staff? 

No 


staff? 

Overcoming resistance of staff to accept the change in their work 

environment. Assisting staff to understand they still have all 

resources required for them to complete their daily work tasks. 

Convincing staff of the environmental changes required in order to 

optimize the new work environment i.e. no more printing of paper, 

utilizing scanning and emailing of documents, communication no 

longer in person but now over the phone, Skype, or even mobile text 

messaging.



Yes 



Our network, availability of hardware (Just prior to COVID-19 we had 

ordered all new monitors/workstations for all staff), existing 

information technology infrastructure i.e. readily available VPN 

connection capability and security policies to assist staff in 

recognizing the continued importance of security necessary in a 

remote environment. 


pandemic? 

Yes, upper management is likely to be more open to permanent 

remote work once we have worked our way completely through the 

COVID-19 situation. Plans for updating our existing business 

continuity guidelines are already in the works with the changes we 

will need to make given learned experiences during the COVID-19 

time period. 



We did not expect to see the degree of improvements on nearly all 

our workflows in addition to the rapid adoption of our staff to embrace 

the remote work environment. Our office established more new 

records during the remote work environment then during any other 

time in the history of our office. Improvements came with better call 

volumes split amongst staff, improved digital communications with 

our clients, reduction of workflow times, physical resource savings 

included not just cost of paper, materials, postage, but a significant 

savings in time needed; basically we realized massive efficiencies 

due to being thrown into a new work environment. This speaks highly 

of our team and their abilities to adapt, embrace, and see what 

improvements could be realized; which all brought about more 

satisfied staff.

INDIANA 

Sean Gorman 

Assistant Deputy Director 

Indiana Child Support Bureau 

Questions: 



Prior to the pandemic, Indiana’s IV-D program staff utilized telework 

on a very limited basis. Indiana’s IV-D program is administered by the 

state’s Child Support Bureau (CSB), with most case management 

duties handled by county prosecutors in each of Indiana’s 92 

counties, operating under cooperative agreements. Prior to March 

2020, approximately 10% of CSB staff worked remotely – those 

remote working positions were almost exclusively represented by 

CSB’s staff assigned to assist county offices on a regional basis 

throughout the state. 


staff? 

Indiana’s IV-D agency experienced the same challenges that many 

organizations likely encountered who were able to transition to 

telework. There were logistical concerns, such as how to continue 

mailroom operations, how to print or receive hardcopy documents 

remotely, and the relative speed of the transition process. And for 

physical storage of documents containing sensitive information, CSB 

needed to evaluate how staff would be able to maintain those hard 

copy documents remotely. 

There were equipment challenges, as many workers had desktop 

computers and external monitors that were inconvenient to physically

move from the office to remote locations, lacked 

headphones/microphones, or had limited internet access at home. 

Finally, there were the personal challenges that many faced with the 

stress of the unknown course and risks of the pandemic, children 

home full time with schools and day-cares closed, and the adaptation 

to a home work environment with new distractions and the 

adjustment to the lack of physical proximity to coworkers and social 

isolation. 



CSB had in place, prior to the pandemic, broadly defined contingency 

plans that did not envision circumstances where a nearly complete 

transition to telework operations would be necessary for any duration. 



CSB had begun piloting the use of Microsoft Teams for remote 

meetings and limited file sharing prior to the pandemic. This early 

experience helped prepare it for use agency wide after workers 

began teleworking full-time. Indiana implemented statewide policy for 

state government workers to provide flexibility for those who were 

burdened with personal responsibilities as a result of the pandemic 

that interfered with the ability to work the same schedule or number of 

hours. 

Increased flexibility for staff during the transition combined with a full 

embrace of the use of video meeting applications has kept staff in 

constant contact with management and coworkers and helped to 

keep everybody engaged in continuing to operate the child support 

program with no disruption. 


pandemic? 

Yes, indefinitely. Through the pandemic and going forward, CSB has 

a handful of positions that continue to work primarily at the main 

office to coordinate administrative tasks and to process and scan

incoming correspondence. Staff at the office have access to agency 

provided personal protective equipment (PPE), hand sanitizer, and 

are able to practice social distancing, especially now that 95% of the 

agency staff is exclusively working remotely. 



With only a few exceptions, staff report that they prefer the 

opportunity to continue working from home. Staff are saving money 

on transportation costs and enjoy greater flexibility in meeting work 

obligations while scheduling around family/home obligations. The 

forced transition to work from home provided an opportunity for the 

agency to engage staff in an evaluation of pre Covid-19 work 

process, interim processes, and how work should proceed going 

forward. CSB gained a greater understanding of new opportunities 

for improved work processes because of this. 

There are also some practical, cost-savings benefits that are 

becoming apparent: Remote workers are printing far fewer 

documents – Staff do not have agency issued personal printers and 

for the most part have adapted to working exclusively with electronic 

documents. 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Daniel Elsass 

Project Coordinator 

Allegheny County Family Division 

Questions: 



Prior to the pandemic we did not utilize telework staff.


staff? 

We faced challenges in obtaining the necessary equipment, 

identifying the essential staff to move processes forward remotely. 



There were not any procedures in place prior to the pandemic. All of 

our current telework procedures were a product of the pandemic and 

the closure at the state level, which enabled us to pivot to telework. 



As we moved to working from home, we found the use of smart 

phones, tablets, and laptops (hardware) became very important and 

discovered which pieces of hardware worked better than others for 

the different job functions within the court. We have utilized the 

Microsoft Teams platform consistently for remote meetings, 

document collaboration, file sharing and storage for those working 

remotely as the platform can be accessed on any piece of hardware 

available to our staff. 


pandemic? 

This is a question of continued discussion within our organization. 

There may be some jobs, or job functions that can continue to be 

handled from home after the pandemic through telework and remote 

access, though whether we will continue to utilize telework after the 

pandemic is a question of how our organization is changed by the 

pandemic. 



The introduction of new technologies to the courts was one of the 

unexpected benefits from the work-from-home model. The pandemic 

and the need for remote access opened us instantly to new 

technologies that we otherwise may have passed up without

consideration. Our staff has been keen to learn and innovate with the 

new models we are utilizing for remote work in order to continue to 

provide necessary services to our clients. 

Conclusion 

The participants’ responses have provided a valuable overview of office 

procedures, helpful tools and policy, and a glimpse into what the future may 

look like for child support offices. 

It is apparent from the responses that the move to telework, while initially 

challenging logistically, proved to be a positive experience overall with 

increased staff productivity 

and morale. As your office 

and staff continue to adapt to 

the new world of COVID-19 

through telework, we hope 

that this glimpse into what is 

working for other child 

support offices across the 

nation may be helpful to you in considering tools, policy and resources to 

make your transition smoother, more effective and result in a positive 

impact for your staff and parents. 

_________________________________________ 

It is apparent from the responses that the 

move to telework, while initially 

challenging logistically, proved to be a 

positive experience overall with increased 

staff productivity and morale. 

Greg Wilson is the Executive Director of the Child Support Directors Association, 

serving the more than 6,500 employees of California’s Local Child Support Agencies. 

He has been a member of NCSEA for two years and currently serves on the Legislative 

Education Subcommittee. His areas of expertise are in association management, 

advocacy/lobbying, public administration and finance. 

Kaye Templeton has 18 years of experience in the Child Support Services 

program. Her main focus has been customer outreach and education through the 

development of relationships with community partners and other stakeholders to build 

supportive Parenthood programs. 

Troy Reiners has been the Director of the Nebraska Child Support Payment Center 

(NCSPC) for 16 years. Troy appeared in Visa’s Currency of Progress campaign 

highlighting Visa’s partnering with governments. He has 31 years of management 

experience working for the NCSPC; in retail management as store manager, division

manager & special projects manager and eight years served in the Nebraska Army 

National Guard. 

Sean Gorman leads the Indiana Child Support Bureau’s Program Support Unit, which 

is responsible for policy analysis and development, ensuring Indiana’s compliance with 

federal mandates, supporting business initiatives, conducting outreach activities, and 

coordinating federal Data Reliability Audits and Self-Assessment activities. 

Daniel Elsass has worked for the Allegheny County Family Division since 2008. He is 

currently the Project Coordinator, serving since 2018. Daniel has a Bachelor of Science 

in Public Administration from Point Park University, and holds memberships to the 

Domestic Relations Association of Pennsylvania (DRAP), Eastern Regional Interstate 

Child Support Association (ERICSA), National Child Support Enforcement Association 

(NCSEA). 

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To Offset or Not to Offset: 

That is Not the Only Question 

by Erin Frisch, Michigan Child Support & 

Kate Cooper Richardson, Oregon Child Support Program 

As IV-D programs around the country wrestled with policy and practice 

around the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) 

Economic Impact Payments—the so-called stimulus payments—many of 

us found ourselves trying to balance the immediate needs of families with 

our traditional role of enforcing collections. While the crisis demanded an 

immediate response for both the families we serve and our own programs, 

we also felt the pull to think more deeply about our evolving values around 

supporting both parents for the well-being of children. 

Many states have worked hard over the last ten years to set orders that are 

manageable and based on ability to pay. We don’t get it 100% right, but in 

more and more cases, we no longer see the old-school orders figured on 

what it costs to raise a child regardless of means. If a parent doesn’t pay all 

or some support when an order is based on ability to pay, it’s not because 

we did a bad job setting an order—the parent has done a bad job following 

the order. It is our responsibility to get reliable, consistent financial support 

for children—when a parent doesn’t pay regularly, we must not lose sight of 

our purpose by shying away from using the tools available to us. 

Setting payable orders is only the start, however. Things change. Once an 

order is in place, we’re usually not nimble enough to respond to rapidly 

shifting family circumstances. The system we operate within hasn’t caught 

up to our recognition that payers and recipients of child support need us to 

consider their entire economic situation for the good of their children. When

there is economic hardship—and there is a lot of it—our program still 

doesn’t serve families well. How do we balance our core responsibility to 

collect child support without driving a family further into poverty? When 

Congress decided that the stimulus payments would be subject to offset for 

past-due child support, and to use the federal tax offset program to execute 

the policy, that question became fundamental. 

Many states initially reacted to the CARES Act by trying to figure out how 

not to intercept stimulus payments. The federal tax offset program was 

created to first “pay back” state and federal government for expenditures 

from the Title IV-A (cash assistance) program, to recoup public assistance 

costs. That means intercepted funds go first to government arrears, not to 

family arrears. It quickly became clear after the rushed passage of the 

CARES Act that those in Congress who intentionally required intercepting 

past-due child support from the stimulus payments didn’t understand that 

most states’ collections through the federal tax offset enforcement tool 

don’t end up in the hands of families on either side. In addition, the difficulty 

in working with IRS dictates made wading through the required processes 

daunting. Many of us believed significant effort to recoup public assistance 

costs was not the goal of the stimulus payment and was the wrong thing to 

do during a crisis, especially one so unpredictable. 

The federal tax offset program is 

complicated and much of it is out of our 

control. While many states would have 

liked to find a more nuanced way of 

distributing stimulus payments, the fact 

is there are not many options available 

The federal tax offset program 

is complicated and much of it 

is out of our control. 

to us. A few states managed to make some distribution changes 

depending on the flexibility of their automated systems, state laws and 

rules, tolerance for risk, and the policy support (or pressure) of their elected 

state leadership. That’s not enough. Overall changes in the federal offset 

program itself are needed that better reflect the balanced approach child 

support programs are attempting to take. Without changes, there are very 

practical reasons to avoid intercepting stimulus payments at all. 

As an income transfer program, we strive for balance in our guidelines 

calculations and setting of orders. Fairness is important, and equity should 

always be a consideration. Because a stimulus payment was extended to 

every person (plus children in the home), there isn’t inequity between

families of payers and recipients--the financial equation remains balanced. 

In other words, without an offset, relatively speaking, neither parent is 

worse off nor better off than before the stimulus payments hit their 

respective bank accounts. The parent with the children in the home 

receives more than the parent without children in the home, also consistent 

with a balanced equation. That’s not to say that the overall equation is 

balanced—because, indeed, it is not if arrears are owed—and that is a 

solid basis of the argument for offset. But in this unique circumstance, with 

a one-time payment across the board to all citizens, it is neutral. It’s fair at 

the micro-level (each person receives a payment) and does not affect the 

macro-level (the case balance is status quo). 

There are practical drawbacks to offsetting the stimulus payments—and 

those drawbacks can extend to 

regular federal tax offsets as well. 

There’s been significant 

administrative expense, delay, and 

disruption caused by the offset 

process of stimulus payments, 

especially when the offset process 

deviates from the standard tax 

offset process. In addition, public 

confusion and angst (on all sides of 

Our program resources are a zero-sum 

game, which means that right now 

significant resources are being drawn 

away from our regular work to focus on 

this matter for many weeks. That in turn 

means that other cases, activities, and 

actions suffer, which ultimately has a 

negative impact on families. 

the equation) divert attention and time of child support staff to calls, emails, 

and inquiries that are not easy conversations, even with parents who will be 

receiving the offset funds. Our program resources are a zero-sum game, 

which means that right now significant resources are being drawn away 

from our regular work to focus on this matter for many weeks. That in turn 

means that other cases, activities, and actions suffer, which ultimately has 

a negative impact on families. It’s tangible across our programs right now— 

while there are some gains against arrears, there also are losses 

elsewhere in establishment, modification, and enforcement because we 

cannot get to those pressing matters as quickly. 

The child support program struggles with its public perception, and 

Congress’ choice that the stimulus payments be offset only for child 

support thrust our program alone to the front of the stage with a bright 

spotlight on us—but without us knowing our lines in the play, if you will. The 

stimulus payment is a unique, one-time event in a time of deep national

crisis and anxiety—and our bureaucratic program is now smack in the 

middle of it for many citizens. Our reputation is taking a beating, and this 

experience may damage some of the good work we’ve done on that front. 

We haven’t been able to be clear and forthright with customers because we 

haven’t known (and still don’t completely know) how it all works. We can’t 

be swift for a great number of reasons (including that we haven’t yet 

received all the offset funds, although our customers are strongly 

convinced otherwise since many of them have received notices of offset 

from the U.S. Treasury). The perceived obstructionism on our part irritates 

everyone—paying parents, parents who’ll receive support, and injured 

spouses. These practical problems were foreseeable and undermine the 

policy goal of quickly getting money to families and into the economy. 

All our social service systems, 

including the child support program, 

are not separate or objective. They 

have been constructed by humans 

with intent and bias. In this instance, 

while it might seem that the tax offset 

program is complex and diffused “just 

because,” it was designed a long time 

ago for policy goals that are no longer 

as relevant. We know there is more to 

our program than just collections, yet the tools available to us and our 

incentivized goals leave little room for meaningful policy change. We must 

advocate for changes to the tax offset program that better align with our 

values as a child support program. 

At a minimum, we need a way to identify the receipts coming to us from the 

IRS, especially “special payments.” Doing so would give state programs 

some ability to control our policies around distribution to account for things 

like economic hardship or extenuating circumstances. Another suggestion: 

allow states to determine which cases are submitted for offset. As we move 

toward tailoring case management activities to the specific needs of 

families, we need to build the flexibility into our regulations. These changes 

would also allow us the ability to avoid intercepting funds that were 

intended for children in the first place. 

As we think about the needs of families both paying and receiving child 

support—including how best to serve them responsively, especially low-

income families—we see other program changes that could help us live our 

values. Basing intercepts on income (similar to how the stimulus payments 

were paid out) is one way. If income of the debtor is less than a certain 

amount, we would not be allowed to intercept for child support. We also 

need a legal distribution option to pay family-owed debt before state-owed 

debt when it’s clear the goal is to use this program for more than 

recoupment of public assistance. Finally, requiring states to have hardship 

policies and procedures (that actually work) would allow us to make 

determinations quickly when it’s not the right thing to collect through offset. 

Sound policy poorly executed doesn’t achieve its purpose—witness the 

stimulus payment. Outdated policy perpetually executed doesn’t move our 

society forward—witness the federal tax offset program. We assert that 

who we say we want to be and who we are don’t line up yet—to get there 

we are going to have to really change our programs and policies around 

our systems of enforcement, including this one. Sign us up. 

_________________________________________ 

Erin Frisch became the Title IV-D Director for Michigan and Director of the Michigan 

Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Office of Child Support (OCS) in 

2012. Erin served for a year as Senior Chief Deputy for Opportunity at MDHHS where 

she oversaw the children’s services agency, the Bureau of Community Services, and 

the Economic Stability Administration where she focused on integration between public 

assistance programs and health, community services, child support and child welfare to 

reduce poverty for Michiganders. Erin is a former President of the National Council of 

Child Support Directors and serves on the Board of Directors for NCSEA. 

Kate Cooper Richardson is the administrator of the Oregon Department of Justice 

Division of Child Support and the director of the Oregon Child Support Program, 

Oregon’s federal Title IV-D program. Kate joined the Program in 2010,and was 

appointed by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum in January 2013 as director. A 

graduate of Willamette University School of Law, her public service career spans work 

in all three branches of state government, including eight years as Chief of Staff to the 

Oregon State Treasurer. Kate is an NCSEA board member and has served as co-chair 

of the Policy & Government Relations Committee, and an active member of NCCSD. 

Print article here

Insights from the Private Sector: 

Pandemic Lessons and the New Normal 

by Scott Cade, Vice President and Managing Director 

of Child Support, Conduent 

It is the summer of 2020 and we are in the middle of a global pandemic. 

This pandemic has touched all of us both personally and professionally, 

and the road ahead remains uncertain. The spread of COVID-19 has not 

only changed how we live our lives and conduct our business but has 

vividly reminded us that none of us are an island and our choices impact 

others. 

Conduent is an industry leading child support provider, delivering mission 

critical services and solutions on behalf of our state child support 

customers. Our goal is to create exceptional outcomes for our clients and 

the millions of children and families who count on them—and while the 

pandemic cannot change that goal, it certainly has changed how we work 

to achieve it. In early March, state and county child support programs 

began to close offices, including courts, to fight COVID-19’s spread. As a 

State Disbursement Unit (SDU) and system maintenance provider to states 

coast to coast, we too were challenged by the health and safety risks that 

drove government decisions to close offices and send workers home. 

Because uninterrupted child support payment processing was defined as 

an essential service, we worked with our state customers to devise staffing 

plans that supported daily payment processing throughout the pandemic. 

Our company implemented new health and safety policies consistent with 

CDC recommendations and state-specific guidelines and enhanced certain 

employee benefits related to the pandemic. Keeping our workers and 

workplaces safe was fundamental to our ability to support our state 

customers and their constituents. 

As March turned to April, the economic impacts of the pandemic took hold 

and unemployment filings soared to historic levels. With 75% of all child 

support paid by income withholding, widespread job loss led directly to

lower child support payment volumes in April. Stimulus payment and 

Unemployment Benefit intercepts were collected towards arrears. With 

offices closed, loss of income, reduced payments and now intercepts, 

families served through the child support program sought answers through 

any available customer service channel. At times, this stressed the 

customer support model implemented to augment socially-distanced work 

environments with work-from-home resources. 

May and June brought realization that this pandemic was not going away 

anytime soon. Solutions designed to address short-term interruption had to 

be re-evaluated. Staff who covered assignments for colleagues unable to 

work due to health or child care issues were exhausted. Many vacation 

plans were canceled due to travel or social gathering restrictions. Under 

these circumstances, empathy was critical to our continued ability to deliver 

for our customers. 

I have worked in the child support program for almost twenty years. In that 

time, I have served as a State IV-D Director, President of the National Child 

Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA), and the leader of Conduent’s 

child support business. In each of those roles I initiated and experienced 

change. As I reflect on those experiences, consider the events and lessons 

of the last several months, and look ahead to the future, I’m reminded that: 

• Child support professionals are resilient and committed to the 

program’s mission of serving children and families. Every payment 

received at a Conduent SDU during this pandemic has been 

processed on time, so families facing other potential uncertainties did 

not have to worry about their child support payment being delayed. 

• Electronics are more sustainable. Digital interactions, whether 

payments, correspondence or notifications, continue uninterrupted 

when mailrooms and print shops are impacted by closures. Digital 

interactions can also be exchanged faster, more reliably, and at 

lesser expense. 

• Clear, consistent and continuous communications are a critical 

aspect of leadership. During the pandemic, effective communications 

have been key to implementing new policies, successfully 

transitioning large numbers of employees to work from home and 

maintaining awareness of dynamic issues.

As state and county child support programs across the country start 

contemplating their post-COVID reality, I recommend considering: 

• “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Acknowledge and embrace the 

fact that the pre-COVID way of delivering services will change. For 

example, due to restrictions on large gatherings and the transition of 

many staff to work from home, consider the exclusive adoption of 

online training. 

• Re-focus on the “why” not the “how.” Focusing on performance 

achievement rather than process compliance can result in good 

conversations and potentially creative solutions—we’ve already seen 

it happen. 

• Lead with empathy. Change can be hard. Time and again, child 

support professionals in state and county offices have embraced 

change through new policies, practices, and technology. This time, 

however, empathy will be especially important as each of us brings 

our own COVID thoughts and experiences to the question of change. 

How the pandemic will impact our lives in the days and months ahead may 

be unclear, but it’s clear that our approach to work in the future won’t look 

exactly like the past. Some decisions may be temporary, others permanent, 

but all will be informed by our experiences during this pandemic period. 

Scott Cade is currently Vice President and Managing Director of Child Support at 

Conduent, former New York State IV-D Director, Past President and Honorary Lifetime 

Member of NCSEA, and Kathy Duggan Memorial Award recipient. Conduent is 

NCSEA’s Platinum Partner. 


NCSEA On Location features a variety of 

podcasts on relevant topics for child support 

professionals. Listen to thought-leaders in 

human services discuss important issues with 

our NCSEA hosts.

Insights from the Private Sector: 

Pulling Together as Partners, 

Professionals, and Peers 

by Laura Rosenak, Senior Vice President 

Maximus Health and Human Services 

In an environment where circumstances are changing rapidly and 

unemployment has skyrocketed, the need to provide holistic services for 

parents and children continues to be a critical service for all child support 

professionals. We, as a nation, remain in a crisis mode as a result of the 

COVID-19 pandemic. For individuals who are owed or owe support, that 

crisis has had a very real impact—whether the result of layoffs or lost 

income—on their financial and emotional circumstances. 

As a company, we’ve compiled numerous insights on what we’ve learned 

about the landscape of child support during a pandemic. 

• We realized that the need to continue services in unique ways is 

key to providing help, leveraging all available technologies and 

resources. From HIPAA-compliant Zoom hearings and meetings 

via video to informational text and email campaigns, staying in 

regular communication with those we serve to keep them informed 

about what to expect and when is what matters most. The 

insecurity of not knowing if a stipend will be offset, not knowing 

whether unemployment benefits will be offset, not knowing when 

hearings will be scheduled or orders entered as court and office 

closures impact all facets of the program, in turn deeply impacts 

those we serve. And across the nation, every program and vendor 

has responded to that need through the introduction of flexible 

solutions and methods, providing much needed information in the 

ways our customers both prefer and expect. 

• We know that right-sizing orders swiftly to help to minimize 

disruption of payments is necessary. Swift enhancements to digital 

capabilities to address that need in a secure environment enables 

individuals to submit critical information without the need to come

into the office or mail documents. Providing critical updates on the 

progress of a review and expediting outcomes is key to supporting 

the ability of both parties to know and understand what obligations 

will be in place for the family. 

• Our number one priority remains ensuring the health and wellbeing 

of our teams and those we serve. From office closures to 

controlled access to maintain operations (like having staff onsite to 

process mail), we’ve followed the Center for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) guidelines, provided enhanced salary protection 

plans to support COVID-related circumstances, and worked in 

partnership with our clients to ensure the safety of not only our 

own teams, but our customers as well. As we work to reopen sites 

in various phases aligned with the states where we operate, we 

continue to put the safety of our teams at the forefront of the 

actions we take. From social distancing to the use of masks, 

gloves, decontamination cleaning efforts, enhanced cleaning 

protocols, glass and plexiglass partitions, and more, the need to 

work together as a society to help curb the continuation of the 

pandemic is key to our operations and our core philosophy as a 

company. 

Partnership continues to be the cornerstone of recovery. Together, as child 

support professionals, we must partner to provide the best service possible 

to those in need. The need to understand our program and the policies 

surrounding child support is morphing into a need to understand what 

programs are available to the families we serve to help with housing, child 

care, financial needs, and more. To that end, we’ve broadened our rapport 

with local services to include food banks, clothing, and ministry services, as 

well as many other partnerships. While multi-generational programs have 

been in place for years at most of our offices, expanding those initiatives to 

focus on the core family and their needs in this unprecedented landscape 

has become a major focus for our teams. Finding new resources, 

leveraging existing partners, and establishing firmer and wider networks to 

help families today, in this environment, is our mission. We know that 

finding resources to assist families has made a great impact over the years. 

And now, more than ever, those relationships are needed to simply help

the children and parents we serve find that emotional and financial security 

they need. 

Our world has changed—both at a macro and micro level. Civil unrest, 

financial instability, and uncertainty about the future demand that we pull 

together as partners, professionals, and peers to provide the best level of 

support to those most in need. It’s what we do, it’s what we’ve done, and 

now, more than ever, it’s what we must continue to do. 

Laura Rosenak has more than 25 years of direct experience managing health and 

human services operations and provides executive oversight for the Maximus North 

America child support practice, including full-service outsourced operations, new hire 

reporting, voluntary paternity acknowledgment programs, national medical support 

notice (NMSN) processing, financial institution data matching (FIDM), call center and 

contact center contracts, and specialized services projects. Maximus is NCSEA’s Gold 

Partner. 

Print article here

THE PERFECT FOIL 

by Karen Hebert, New Hampshire Bureau of Child 

Support Services 

What became apparent to directors, like so many around 

the world, was knowing no one is alone in this crisis. This is a powerful 

realization, igniting strength and a sense of greater control, as people all 

over the world are fighting a single threat, and for the most part trying to do 

it together. 

At Center Stage 

In the strong child support community, IV-D directors have always played 

an important leadership role in the success of the program. How they fare 

as leaders, and are later judged, is determined by their skills, adaptability, 

and characteristics to lead, particularly in times of emergent crisis or 

extraordinary unplanned change. 

The current situation lends itself to a 

metaphor. Literature and filmmaking (and 

even politics) have gifted us with 

character types that nearly always include 

a protagonist—often the hero. By design, 

there is also an antagonist or “foil” whose 

role is to emphasize the characteristics of 

the protagonist. Tybalt in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a marvelous 

example of a foil character, as is Lord Voldemort to Harry Potter. 

Not unlike infamous foils, COVID-19 has played a tremendous antagonist 

role that has accentuated the leadership qualities and abilities of IV-D 

directors. Who knew that something unseen by the eye alone could be 

such a powerful catalyst for leading? If there is any positive from this 

experience for directors, this may be it. 

Blue Skies 

“Even though we’ve got a fight 

ahead of us, we’ve got one 

thing that Voldemort doesn’t 

have….something worth 

fighting for.” 

- Harry Potter 

In early 2020, state child support directors were making great progress in 

taking the child support program to new levels, envisioning their “blue sky.” 

Progress was being made in system modernization, new service delivery 

models, and public relations. Directors were engaged in policy issues

elated to business, such as child support incentives, employer relations, 

and intergovernmental cooperation. 

Suddenly that stopped. What had seemed like a problem for those on the 

other side of the world almost instantly became a complete global crisis, 

like a surreal sequel to the 1995 medical disaster film, Outbreak. No one 

ever could have predicted what was about to happen. Directors faced one 

of the most extraordinary events of their time as leaders. 

Coordinating in Chaos 

Typically, organizational leaders strategize 

long-term plans, evaluated annually. To 

coordinate in the emergent chaos, directors 

were forced to immediately resynchronize in 

24-hour periods—not an easy task. 

Continuity of operations, particularly 

maintaining mission-essential functions, 

was, well, essential. The landscape 

changed, sometimes even hourly, as 

“…in chaotic, there is no 

apparent relationship 

between cause and effect, 

requiring near-constant 

coordination.” 

- Ret. U.S. Army 

General Stanley 

McCrystal (2016) 

agencies deployed emergency operations centers, incident management 

teams, and continuity of operations plans. Governmental agencies have 

never changed the business environment and methods so quickly. Leaders 

turned to technology and support from IT departments to deploy as many 

staff members as possible with cobbled-together equipment to work from 

home. For staff who could not telework, office workspaces were 

transformed with hand-washing stations, 6-foot taped intervals on the floor, 

and shuttered conference rooms. These remarkable exercises took only 

days to implement and complete, challenging directors’ decision-making 

abilities. 

Catching their breath, directors turned to the status of partners and 

stakeholders, such as the courts. How was the pandemic impacting them? 

What did that mean for child support services? Each state was 

experiencing unfolding challenges to the delivery of services in the chaotic 

environment. With profound needs from staff and customers at stake, this 

was a time to lead. This was a time to show what leadership in public 

service is all about.

Testing Strength and Agility 

Leaders have leadership behavior choices during a crisis. Being a leader 

means, at any time yet amplified by crisis, having to shift quickly among 

several leadership styles, which is extremely difficult when information in a 

chaotic environment changes at light speed. Managing crisis also means 

remaining influential and being less averse to risk. Strategies and decisions 

forged in the fire of a crisis can generate innovation, which inherently 

requires risk, strong focus, and unity throughout an organization, and 

throughout that organization’s entire community. 

Before the pandemic, directors already felt relatively stressed—it comes 

with the job. The COVID-19 pandemic presented IV-D directors with 

challenges never before part of daily life in the child support community. 

Directors have rapidly revised policies, created new business processes, 

mitigated risk to virus exposure, suspended services, developed internal 

and external communication plans, and sought technological solutions—all 

while trying to ensure service delivery didn’t suffer. Some staff and their 

family members experienced personal challenges including loss of income, 

loss of childcare, illness, vulnerability, and even death. Directors have 

needed to be strong for them. There were days when directors felt they just 

didn’t have the strength and their own stress levels were bulging at the 

seams. Emotional intelligence was in constant flex. Directors could only 

hope they didn’t get sick themselves—and some have. Each director has 

his or her own story to tell. How they managed all of this is where we find 

strength and agility. 

The incapacity to carry out 

mission-essential functions is 

a tragedy itself, pouring salt 

on the wounds that families 

are already suffering from. 

With little or no data in some areas, states are 

challenged to truly understand the pandemic’s 

effects on collections, service delivery, 

productivity, and funding sources. Antiquated 

tools and technology in many states prevent 

states from conducting certain program 

functions, reporting performance accurately, or meeting federal and state 

legal requirements. Some states have experienced reductions in staff or an 

inability to operate in alternative locations. The incapacity to carry out 

mission-essential functions is a tragedy itself, pouring salt on the wounds 

that families are already suffering from.

As if the internal chaos wasn’t enough for directors, inflammatory stories 

appeared in the media in which opponents of child support called for the 

prohibition of key services, such as income withholding, which would only 

jeopardize families. Meanwhile, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic 

Security Act (CARES) Act created new challenges for directors who worked 

hard to make the relief fair and effective for families, while waiting for 

federal guidance that stalled in a new extended clearance process, 

exacerbating the situation. Congressional activities led to questions and 

positioning from governors and state legislators, to which directors needed 

to respond and assist. For some directors, working with their governors or 

legislators was a first-time experience, accompanied by spotlights, media 

and added pressure. To add to the already-overflowing platter of 

challenges, directors were facing significant budgetary concerns to support 

the program when federal financial rates changed, which will unfavorably 

affect some states. Directors also sought timely relief from federal legal 

requirements, effective during a state’s emergency declaration. Federal 

guidance was received at the end of May and directors continue to work 

with federal partners to interpret and understand from which requirements 

states can and cannot seek relief. 

The pandemic then collided with a public uprising in response to events 

that highlighted the vast inequities in race and class across the country. 

While equity is not a new subject for the child support program, tragedy 

brought opportunity to view service delivery methods, policy, and data 

collection through an equitable lens. 

Forging Ahead Together 

Culture among child support directors is that of one community, united, 

which began several years ago by a small number of directors who sought 

out support from each other to share information and resolve issues. Since 

then the IV-D directors, through the National Council of Child Support 

Directors (NCCSD), have enjoyed strong camaraderie and a culture with 

regular, open, honest communication—where solutions to challenges are 

created, policy is developed, and growth and learning are fostered. Coming 

together with NCCSD has generated innovation, abundant sharing, and a 

little therapy.

The year 2020 has been, and continues to be, a time of considerable 

pressure. More than ever, support from the entire child support community 

has been needed, particularly from key partners. When the federal voice 

became uncharacteristically and perplexingly moderated and delayed, 

directors turned to each other for solutions. Symbiotic relationships with key 

partners are paramount in government. Directors continue to collaborate 

and endeavor to progress with their federal partner and focus on the road 

ahead. 

Knowing no one is alone in this crisis is a powerful realization, igniting 

strength and a sense of greater control, as people all over the world are 

fighting a single threat and, for the most part, trying to do it together. 

Throughout the pandemic, directors have met frequently (virtually, of 

course). With support from NCCSD, they keep each other informed of their 

respective state’s service abilities and status of operations. Directors have 

actively shared and sought solutions for numerous affected business 

functions and processes. They have addressed system and policy changes 

and quickly developed emergency contracts, internal and public 

messaging, as well as resources for staff and for customers. Our child 

support protagonists have discussed the need to recalibrate from this 

pandemic, referring to it as a disruption and choosing to look forward. They 

are combining their strengths and continuing to lead the program and its 

mission. 

Humanity is a natural foil for 

inhumanity, and humanity is 

what will ultimately keep us 

Directors are grateful for each other’s open 

doors and willingness to continue sharing and 

supporting, making them all very successful 

going when all else has leaders. The pandemic of 2020 has indeed 

failed. 

become that perfect foil for IV-D directors, 

- Margaret Cho highlighting their extraordinary leadership skills 

and abilities. This is a time to celebrate public 

service and a chance to step up and flex a little leadership muscle. 

_________________________________________ 

Karen Hebert has been the IV-D Director for the New Hampshire Department of Health 

and Human Services, Bureau of Child Support Services since 2018. NH Child Support 

Services has an agency membership with NCSEA. Karen has worked in the NH child 

support program since 2006, overseeing policy, field operations, customer service, and 

interagency collaboration. She is Chair of the National Council of Child Support

Directors (NCCSD) Mentoring Committee and a member of the NCCSD Audit 

Committee. She represents NCCSD on a joint Public Relations Committee with NCSEA 

and the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE). Karen has a Bachelor of 

Science degree in Human Services from Springfield College and Master in Business 

Administration with a Leadership concentration from Norwich University. 


Previous Web-Talks are available on-demand in the We b-Talk Library. 

Presentations keep you up to date on the latest legislative activity, 

management trends, industry best practices and subjects of special interest 

to child support professionals. Log into your NCSEA account to access this 

valuable resource.

Training: How We Became 

Quick Change Artists 

by Verna Donnelly, North Carolina Child 

Support Services 

Some of us may have wondered how Superman felt, constantly changing 

from Clark Kent to Superman in an instant. When the coronavirus struck, 

the North Carolina training team got a glimpse into Superman’s life. We 

had to immediately think about how we were going to deliver training to all 

100 counties in the state of North Carolina through avenues other than an 

in-person class and do it quickly while still delivering quality service. We 

had to re-tool and not stew over the fact that we had already published our 

training schedule for January 2020 – June 2020, which called for a 2-day 

training for each course, 2 trainers, an on-site location, and 20-25 

participants with access to a computer and a secure internet connection. 

Even though our training would not be as frequent, we still had to provide 

training using the technology we had available, keep the components that 

had already been developed for classroom training, offer a platform for 

questions that may be asked 

during the training, and develop 

and deliver additional training 

resources. 

The team put their heads 

together and began strategizing, 

laying out the process to get 

these items accomplished. We 

took the training guides created for the classroom training and used them 

to help configure virtual training classes. We reduced the classes to two, 2- 

hour sessions each day, and decided to use the GoToTraining platform as 

our delivery mechanism. We compartmentalized class exercises, cross 

pollinating with technology to elicit group discussions and answers. To 

make sure our frequency of training was not lost, we posed questions and 

policy answers to case mangers weekly to check their knowledge and have

information readily available. This has kept our counties looking forward to 

something new each week. We are continuously developing small training 

modules (known as mini-training) from larger specialized training. They are 

created in a series usually consisting of topics with related subtopics. Each 

subtopic lasts approximately 15 minutes within the series. To make sure we 

covered all bases, we developed a self-guided, interactive training which 

allows the trainee to start and stop the training when necessary or to 

choose an area to focus on within the training. Our training process is such 

that we continue engaging with our counties. 

trainees and in a variety of different ways. 

When Clark Kent changes to 

Superman, he never knows 

what the outcome will be. We 

felt that way when we started 

down this virtual training path. 

We have found these new 

training processes work better 

than our old way of training as 

we are able to reach more 

As we look to the future, we are excited to continue creating these new and 

innovative ways to keep our counties trained and engaged. 

_________________________________________ 

Verna Donnelly is the Assistant Chief of Program Operations for the State of North 

Carolina Child Support Program, with overall responsibility for policy and training, the 

central registry, State Parent Locate Services and customer support for the program. 

Verna is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has over 20 

years of child support experience. Within those 20 years she has worked at the local 

level of child support in Louisiana and North Carolina in various capacities and 

contractually on the Automated Collection and Tracking System (ACTS) Project for the 

State of North Carolina child support system. 

Print article here

NCSEA is excited to introduce INSPIRE, a virtual event 

designed to inspire child support professionals in 

approaching their work, colleagues, clients, and customers; 

to help them discover new and invigorating 

approaches to their jobs. 

NCSEA INSPIRE consists of plenary and workshop sessions, learning labs, NCSEA 

Book Club, and Child Support Hackathon – a variety of formats and presentations. It’s 

all FREE for NCSEA members and those receiving member benefits. 

The cancellation of the NCSEA 2020 Leadership Symposium was certainly 

disappointing. However, we recognize the importance of providing key training and 

resources to our membership, as well as offering opportunities to connect and learn 

from colleagues around the country during this unique time. 

NCSEA INSPIRE meets those needs. It’s a virtual engagement event scheduled over 

four weeks in October and requires a commitment of no more than two hours per day. 

You can pick and 

choose sessions that 

interest you and fit 

your schedule. We 

recognize that 

everyone won’t be able to 

attend every session, 

but each session will be 

recorded and made 

available to our members 

on demand. 

The NCSEA 

INSPIRE planning 

committee—formerly 

the Leadership Symposium 

Planning 

Committee—is working 

diligently to bring 

informative presentations 

to you, identifying 

topics of particular 

relevance and 

interest. In addition, we will 

utilize creative 

formats, including learning 

labs, for interactive and engaging sessions. There is a variety of programming to select 

and participate in. 

We will certainly miss seeing our friends and colleagues and the opportunity to network 

and learn from each other in Anaheim this year. However, our hope is to offer the child 

support community the opportunity to learn, engage, and be INSPIRED. Registration 

for NCSEA INSPIRE will open in early September and is free to NCSEA members and 

those receiving member benefits. Look for additional information about INSPIRE 

coming via email and check the (new) NCSEA website for additional information. 

Get ready to be INSPIRED – check out the NCSEA INSPIRE website today.

Work/Life Balance: The Never- 

Ending Pursuit 

Part 2 – Emotional and Mental 

Wellbeing 

by Mike Moreno, Human Capital Manager, 

Deloitte, LLP 

This article complements the NCSEA On Location Podcast, 

Work/Life Balance Series – Part 2, released on August 20, 

2020. In this podcast, Jennifer Coultas, Los Angeles County 

Child Support; Mike Moreno, Deloitte Consulting; and Kim 

Newsome Bridges, Conduent address how emotional and 

mental wellbeing play a critical role for employees with 

work/life balance issues. The podcast was recorded prior to 

the onset of the coronavirus pandemic but remains relevant. 

Finding work-life balance has never been more challenging than it is in our 

current environment. We are all reeling from the daily impacts of the 

COVID-19 pandemic, adjusting to a new sense of what normal life looks 

like. Given the uncertainty and collective anxiety many of us are 

experiencing in our new “reality,” we may find ourselves examining our 

thoughts, feelings, and behaviors more closely. We may also find we are 

worrying more, not sleeping as well, or have a looming sense of fear and 

dread with a future that is unknown. This confluence of anxieties has a 

direct impact on emotional-mental health and is compounded by prolonged 

social limitations. 

Additionally, we parents who have the privilege to work at home during this 

unprecedented time may find ourselves with increased pressure to figure 

out how to care for our children and still meet work obligations. Those 

without children have other challenges, such as figuring out how to turn

work off, carve out personal time, and deal with potentially overwhelming 

social isolation. 

One positive outcome of this crisis is that people seem to be more willing to 

talk openly about their mental health issues. Many of us struggle with 

anxiety in normal circumstances, but the past several months have been 

very difficult for everyone. The fact that we are all going through something, 

to one degree or another, is helping us 

realize that our challenges are not 

something to be ashamed of—they 

are experiences to be shared. In the 

workplace, we should be allowed to be 

open and honest about our own 

mental health, thereby reinforcing that 

it is “okay” to struggle and feel the way 

we feel. 

Many times, it is hard to self-identify mental health symptoms, as it can be 

challenging to be aware of gradual changes within our own psyche until 

those changes require more professional intervention. Therefore, be on 

alert during these times and be proactive in minding your mental health 

through self-examination, connecting with others, and utilizing educational 

resources and professional services. 

_________________________________ 

Mike Moreno joined Deloitte Consulting LLP in 2016 as a Human Capital Manager. He 

brings over 10 years of experience in organization transformation activities including 

designing and deploying child support payment portals, crafting stakeholder 

communications, and providing insight into governmental policy. Prior to joining Deloitte, 

Mike was the Chief Executive Officer of Civic Communications LLC, a communications 

and management firm providing services with expertise in research, training, and 

technical assistance through a network of professionals with expertise in policymaking, 

branding, marketing, communication, and organizational change. Mike is an active 

leader in the child support community and previously served on the Board of Directors 

for the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) and the Eastern 

Regional Interstate Child Support Association (ERICSA). Mike earned both his Bachelor 

of Music degree and Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) at Florida State 

University. 

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Live from the Child Support 

Associations – It’s a Joint Virtual 

Event! 

“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, 

acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When 

we all help one another, everybody wins.” -Jim Stovall 

Author Jim Stovall’s quote perfectly sums up the current collaboration 

efforts among the professional development associations that support the 

child support community. These efforts have led to an upcoming virtual 

event, “The New Normal: Child Support,” a series of webinars that kicks off 

in September during the WICSEC conference. 

The child support community has always had strong professional 

development organizations. The Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support 

Association (ERICSA), National Child Support Enforcement Association 

(NCSEA), National Council of Child Support Directors (NCCSD), National 

Tribal Child Support Association (NTCSA), and the Western 

Intergovernmental Child Support Engagement Council (WICSEC) provide 

networking, training, and educational opportunities. These organizations 

support the child support community in many ways: in-person conferences, 

virtual training opportunities, and education for government leaders. 

The collaboration among the associations has been one of the good things 

to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the onset of the pandemic, 

the organizations had to make quick decisions about their upcoming 

training conferences. The association presidents began having regular 

phone calls to exchange information and advice on how to negotiate with 

hotels. Those conversations grew to include how the organizations were 

going to move forward to help our community. 

The associations recognize that the pandemic is the hot topic of 

conversation for our community. All of our programs are facing budget 

reductions, challenges with service delivery, teleworking employees, and 

changes to the practice of law. The community has had to deal with all

these things while continuing to provide critical services. Families need 

support right now more than ever. 

The associations are thrilled to announce a joint virtual event, The New 

Normal: Child Support, which is made up of three webinars: 

The New Normal: Child Support – 

Employees 

Thursday, 

September 17 

8:30 am 

PST 


Legal 


External Customers 

Tuesday, 

September 22 

Tuesday, 

September 29 

10:00 am 

PST 

10:00 am 

PST 

These webinars will address a wide variety of pandemic-related topics and 

dive into what has worked, what hasn’t, and what might stay. 

We have lined up an outstanding panel of speakers for each webinar. The 

panel for both the Employees and External Customers events includes: 

• Carol Beecher, Director, Alaska Child Support Services 

• Sandy Cloer, Division Director of Services, Eastern Band of 

Cherokee Indians Tribal Child Support, TANF and Representative 

Payee Programs 

• Tanguler Gray, Director, Georgia Child Support Program 

• Barbara Lacina, Director, Virginia Division of Child Support 

Enforcement 

• Melinda Self, Director, Contra Costa County (California) Department 

of Child Support Services 

The legal panel is equally distinguished: 

• Marsha Harlan, Attorney and President of the National Tribal Child 

Support Association 

• Ethan McKinney, Child Support Director, Deputy Prosecuting 

Attorney at St. Joseph County (Indiana) Office of the Prosecuting 

Attorney 

• Patrick Quinn, Administrator, Family Court, Allegheny County 

(Pennsylvania) Court of Common Pleas

• Ruth Anne Thornton, IV-D Director, Texas Office of the Attorney 

General 

Registration for the New Normal: Child Support – Employees will be 

handled through the registration process for the WICSEC conference. Visit 

the WICSEC website at www.wicsec.org for more information. Registration 

will open mid-August. Registration for the second and third events will be 

forthcoming. 

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Child Support CommuniQue - August 2020

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