Enhancing Customer Service to Parents

Receiving Child Support Services

Presenter: Rachel Dawkins, Community Outreach Coordinator

ERICSA 50th Annual Training Conference & Exposition ▪ May 19 – 23 ▪ Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, Florida 

Parents Able & Willing to Succeed (PAWS)Outreach Program

• Outreach program offered at the Division of Child Support Enforcement to non-custodial parents who have been ordered to pay child support

• Implemented in December 2009 in Hampton & Chesapeake District Offices

• Identify barriers that non-custodial parents may be facing and refer them to meet with service providers in the community that can help them overcome their barriers

Parents Able & Willing to Succeed (PAWS)Outreach Program

• Program Requirements– Agree to participate– Contact Outreach Program Case Manager on a weekly

basis– Go to all appointments and get the help that is offered– Report all changes in residence, telephone and

employment– Make voluntary child support payments

Parents Able & Willing to Succeed (PAWS)Outreach Program

• Services offered:– Employment assistance– Parenting/Mentoring services– Ex-Offender services– Financial Counseling– GED services– Other services as needed

Parents Able & Willing to Succeed (PAWS)Outreach Program

• Program Statistics– Number of active participants (ITD) 471– Collections (ITD) $232,331.35 – Graduated cases 100– % of cases still paying after graduating 52%

Customer Service Techniques

• Learn to identify and analyze customer needs and problems

• Recognize the most common reasons for customer complaints

• Discover techniques to cultivate and maintain special customer relationships

Customer Service for Participants in Child Support Outreach Programs

• Working with customers in Outreach Programs– Understand that successes are based on client’s

cooperation– Understand that barriers are preventing payments– Possess a sensitivity to the barriers individuals are

experiencing– Understand that payments may not have been in made in

over a year– Understand that often times the non-custodial parent is

willing to pay support, but doesn’t have the resources

Effective Customer Service in Outreach

• Understand the needs of the non-custodial parent (NCP)Distrust – Program buy inShame – Quality of lifeFear – Face child support debt Avoidance – NCP may want to buy time

Effective Customer Service in Outreach

• Understand the needs of the custodial parent (CP)Distrust – Is outreach in the CP’s best

interest Anger – Need for financial support Apprehension – Distrusts program goalsFrustration – Wants DCSE to be CP’s

advocate

Providing Effective Customer Service to Mothers and Fathers

Receiving Outreach Services• Provide detailed case information• Emphasize & encourage constant communication • Use persuasive tactics • Emphasize collaboration• Focus on improvements in quality of life • Win/Win/Win

– Win for NCP– Win for DCSE– Win for Child/ren

Challenges to Providing Effective Customer Service in Outreach

• Traditional methods of communication• Loss of contact• Loss of motivation• Multiple barriers• Accountability

Fatherhood Programs &Non-custodial Parent Concerns

• The Role of Fatherhood Programs in Outreach – Collaboration with Fatherhood Programs

• Workshops to address issues facing fathers

– Challenges for Fathers• Communication• Positive interaction with mother of child/ren• A poor employment record• Criminal history

Summary• Successful outreach programs include a collaborative effort between child

support enforcement agencies, service providers, fatherhood groups, custodial parents and non-custodial parents

• Providing excellent customer service is crucial for the success of an outreach program

• Enhancing your agency’s customer service approach increases program participation, fosters participant commitment and guarantees success for both program participants and the child support enforcement agency

Contact Information

Rachel Dawkins, Community Outreach Coordinator

(757) 548-7941

rdawkins@policy-studies.com