By Joseph Atteridge, The Pacific Institute Nearly 70% of employees say they feel disengaged from their company’s mission, according to recent surveys by the Gallup Group.  Why?  Haven’t we spent enough on employee programs and training?  Don’t they understand where we are going?  Why the lack of commitment?  Well, further research indicates a very strong correlation between the degree of an employee’s commitment/engagement and how strongly their personal values match the values espoused by their employer. Throughout my career, I have read many business books on subjects such as Leadership, Continuous Improvement or Quality programs and Re-engineering. Many of these publications stated that Values were an essential component of Leadership.…

Who’s going where? This is a great opportunity to let us know who is promoting and or joining your organization. These are their new positions. Would you like to let us know who is moving and where? Send an email to Stacy Gray to share in our next issue of OneVoice. Central Sierra Adele Hendrickson Retired (Executive Director) Julie Prado Executive Director Mary Gray Retired (Child Support Supervisor) Kern Alexandra Villalobos Child Support Officer II Amanda Holden-Rafferty Child Support Officer II Brittnie Belansky Paralegal Carissa Guerra Child Support Officer II Janeen Rodriguez Senior Office Services Specialist Jesse Gutierrez Child Suppot Officer II Jordan Moser Child Support Officer II Jordan Wells…

By Sharon Wardale-Trejo, Regional Director – Merced/Mariposa Regional DCSS On October 12, 2017, Governor Brown signed into law Senate Bill 380, creatively titled CalWORKs: child support. This article will be pretty technical in nature, so for those of you working with aided participants, read on! For those of you wanting to expand your understanding of the inter-related nature of public assistance and child support, read on! For those of you suffering from insomnia, read on! You never know, it might help. For everyone else, I hope the following article is both helpful and informative. Buckle in, keep your hands and arms inside, and let’s take a ride. Effective November 1,…

By Amy Miragliotta, Deputy Director, San Diego County DCSS Saving for college can be a challenge for anyone, but perhaps it can be more so for families who rely on a non-custodial parent for child support payments. About 60 percent of the families in the San Diego caseload are living at or below the poverty line.  Education is one key factor that can help individuals out of poverty. San Diego is committed to aid in breaking the cycle of poverty and provide educational opportunities for children. To help address this challenge, the San Diego County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) implemented a college savings program called Parents Investing in…

By Diane Potts, Center for the Support of Families  “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou Studies consistently show that people care more about the fairness of the process than the ultimate outcome. That perception is at the heart of procedural justice. By incorporating procedural justice principles into the daily work in child support, parents are more likely to pay voluntarily and regularly because they believe that the process was fair. There are five elements of procedural justice. First, parents must feel that they have a voice and ability to participate meaningfully…

By David Kilgore, Director – California Department of Child Support Services Thank you all for the congratulations.  I am truly looking forward serving as your Director for California Child Support Services.  Hopefully it will be longer than six months and I make it through to the next Governor’s administrative appointments! As for the future of the program, many have already asked in what direction I hope to take the program… Every position I go into I have a plan, and every time I feel like I have to throw out that plan on day one because I find that I really didn’t know what the issues actually were.  I’m guessing…

By Carrie Topliffe, Director (Retired June 8, 2018) – Santa Barbara County DCSS Whether you’ve just gotten new funding and intend to expand your operations or are desperate to reduce your costs by moving to a cheaper location, be prepared for major challenges when you move or open a new building.  This job should be managed by someone with a meticulous attention to detail, and a great sense of humor—because the universe will be laughing at you, and you might as well be in on the joke. Santa Barbara recently moved its south county office from expensive leased space to much less expensive (and nicer!) space in a county-owned building. …

By first grade, I knew I would become a lawyer and had a keen desire to help others. I was born in sunny Long Beach, California. By the age of 4 my parents had divorced. Shortly after, my mom met and married a man that would move us to Mammoth Lakes, California, where I spent the majority of my childhood. Growing up in Mammoth was like living the life of a movie; we had horses to ride in the mountains and skied and sledded in the winter.  After school, my mom and I would saddle our horses and go for a ride. Growing up in rural California gave me a…

I believe my outlook in life is the product of two things.  First, being raised in the Pacific Northwest; second, being the youngest within a very religious household.  Both of these things would train me to believe that life is bleak, cold, and miserable, but I should be happy because it can always get worse. Consistency was not a staple of my childhood; my family was constantly moving which caused me to become light-footed as I grew older.  I was a wanderer, seeking out new experiences and opportunities as they became available.  I drifted between sports, hobbies, and extracurricular activities which gave me a “Jack of all trades” mentality. Several…

By Greg Wilson, Executive Director – Child Support Directors Association (CSDA) The California Legislature has approved a $138.6 billion-dollar General Fund budget for fiscal year 2018-2019. Pundits expect Governor Jerry Brown to sign the budget act and make no line item vetoes. The budget approved by lawmakers includes $673 million for local child support agencies (about $264 million state general fund and about $409 in Federal Financial Participation). Of the $673 million total appropriated, about $589 million is slated for administration and about $83 million for automation. Included in the amounts above is a State General Fund appropriation of a $3 million increase above status quo with $6 million from Federal…