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 Child Support Agency  Becky Schock Retired (Executive Assistant/HR Manager) Leslie Homuth Executive Assistant/HR Manager Kern County DCSS  Adriana Rubio Customer Service Representative Alexandra Villalobos Customer Service Representative Brett Sakamoto Assistant Director Domenica Trinidad Departmental Analyst Dorianna Gutierrez Customer Service Representative Jacqueline Saldivar Customer Service Representative Kellie Martin Customer Service Representative Laura Gage Customer Service Representative Le Mayo…

By Leonard Villagomez and Mike Moreno The world is changing at a rapid pace. Organizations must adapt to remain relevant and child support programs are no exception. Arguably one of the most effective federal programs of all time, child support faces new challenges—arising from dramatic changes in society—that may threaten its future success.[1]  Child support agencies are experiencing rapid change due to decreasing volume and increasing complexity of caseloads. They are facing an accelerated shortage of new talent as Boomers retire in droves and are concerned about the effectiveness of knowledge transfer from retiring workers. Further, agencies are experiencing financial pressure to shrink their organization and find efficiencies, as they…

By Natalie Dillon and James Anderson, Yolo County DCSS Over the past five years, the child support caseload has been in a decline throughout the state of California. The caseload in the medium-sized Yolo County child support agency, located adjacent to Sacramento in northern California, is no exception. In addition, we found that the percentage of Yolo County cases with current monthly support owed was disproportionately low. Knowing that child poverty in Yolo County continues to affect one out of every five kids, we knew we had a problem. We began by tackling separate parts of a problem that plagues many child support agencies nationwide: we have a no-cost or…

By Ignacio J. Guerrero, Director, Santa Clara County DCSS The Bay Area local child support agencies have had a long history of collaborating with each other to better serve families and customers that depend on our critical services.  Most recently, Alameda County DCSS led a very successful Regional Employer Workshop.  More information on that event can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.acdcss.org/sections/parents/emp/EmployerWorkshop.html Now, they have joined forces once again on a new collaboration—promoting payment options via a targeted video campaign.  This effort, led by Santa Clara County DCSS, came out of a recent Bay Area Region Meeting.  At that meeting, Santa Clara County DCSS shared their newly…

On January 24, 2018, during a Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services (SCDCSS) All-Staff Meeting, several members of SCDCSS leadership and county personnel team received a very prestigious recognition—the Patriot Award.  Those honored by this award were Program Manager Marilyn Brereton, Supervisor Heather Jeter, Lead Child Support Officer Mary Gutterez, Supervisor Alecia Winborne, and Personnel Specialist April Fitzgerald. The Patriot Award was created by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). The ESGR, established in 1972, is a Department of Defense office that develops and promotes supportive work for service members in the Reserve Components.  Through outreach, recognition, and educational opportunities, this department assists in the resolution…

By Marie Girulat, Director San Bernardino County Child Support Services How do we come together to address poverty in our community? What can we do as human services organizations? In January, San Bernardino County Human Services convened over 15 county departments, community and faith-based organizations, and county residents to join together in a month-long campaign to encourage action and innovative solutions— Poverty Awareness Month. CaSonya Thomas, Assistant Executive Officer of Human Services, highlighted the goal of Poverty Awareness Month in a video to all staff and community members, “The goal is to provide awareness and education on the complex issues of poverty. There is hope, and we are here to…

Melinda Self, Director, Contra Costa County DCSS I am the third of four daughters born to an ironworker father and a homemaker mother. Although the “homemaker” label has changed over the years and may no longer be politically correct, that is what my Mom still proudly calls herself.  I have always lived in Contra Costa County and Martinez was my hometown growing up.  Although money was tight in my earlier years, we had all of the basics and, on occasion, a few extras.  Most of the “extras” were due to our hard work.  Dad believed that we had to work hard for what we had; nothing was free, so one…

By Lou Tice (as seen in Personal Excellence®) Doesn’t it make good sense to change our internal picture before we go around trying to change the results we’re getting? People with an optimistic view of their capabilities out-perform those who are doubtful or simply more “realistic,” even though their abilities are virtually identical. They don’t give up easily or worry about obstacles because the final outcome is never in doubt—they see themselves as creative, resourceful problem solvers. They believe themselves into being more. They see themselves as winners, and they act like it. We can feel like winners, no matter what others tell us or how favorable the current circumstances…

By Tara Turrentine, Homeless Youth Coordinator, El Dorado County Office of Education El Dorado County Child Support Services has selected Homeless Children Matter as the beneficiary of fundraising efforts for the next annual CSDA training conference in May 2018. Thank you for the opportunity to educate CSDA One Voice readers over this year about McKinney-Vento and how homeless students navigate our educational system. I look forward to meeting many of you in May at the conference, Dare to Dream Creating Opportunities. In May, you will have the opportunity to donate to this charity and create opportunities for homeless children! In El Dorado County, our LCSA staff was shocked to find…

  By Kim Cagno, Director, County of San Mateo DCSS & Chairperson of the 2018 Children & Families Policy Symposium Committee Members: Jennifer Traumann, Director, Sonoma County Lisa Bispham, CMP, Administrative Services Manager Natalie Dillon, Director, Yolo County Phyllis Nance, Director, Alameda County Sean Farrell, Director, Butte County Shirley Avalos, Program Manager, San Joaquin County Stacy Gray, Administrative Office Associate, CSDA Vic Rea, Executive Director, CSDA Stability for Families…. How Community Culture Affects Service Delivery Plans for the annual California Child Support Directors Association (CSDA), Children and Families Policy Symposium are almost complete. The focus of this year’s symposium was, “Stability for Families…How Community Culture Affects Service Delivery.” I congratulate the…