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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