“Shaping the Future Of Child Support”
Dates and times are subject to change. Check back regularly for updates.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Registration Open
Beat the rush. Pick up your conference materials.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
7:30 AM – 5:30 PM – Registration Open
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM – Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Plenary I: Exploring Opportunities for Collaboration
Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) Commissioner Scott Lekan will facilitate a highly, interactive discussion with an interdisciplinary panel of leaders from the Administration for Children and Families: Steven Wagner, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families; Clarence H. Carter, Director of the Office of Family Assistance; Shannon Christian, Director of the Office of Child Care; and Associate Commissioner Jerry Milner who advises the Administration on Children, Youth and Families’ Commissioner on matters related to child welfare. Come hear the Commissioner’s vision for the future of the child support program, while also learning how we can work collaboratively with other programs in a way that benefits our shared customers.
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM – Networking Break
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Plenary II: Changing Faces: Evolution of the Child Support Image
Despite our efforts to move the child support program from an adversarial collection agency to serving the child by helping both parents, our long-standing reputation still permeates the press, legislative, and public perception; partners are skeptical of our intentions, and the press continues to talk about dead beats. Cognizant of this perception of child support, NCSEA, OCSE, and NCCSD have joined forces to overcome child support’s negative imagine of the past and re-caste it with the positive things that child support does indeed do!
Moderator: Wally McClure; Speakers: Alisha Griffin, Bridget Gavaghan
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM – Lunch On Your Own
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Plenary III: Principal or Principle? The Future of the Child Support Caseloads in Context of Incentives and Current Regulations
With the additional flexibility in the modernization rule and the continued pressure for child support programs to improve performance numbers while “doing more with less,” child support programs face renewed value judgments about when to close cases, what the obligation should be for low-income parents, and what kind of referrals are “appropriate.” Does a practical approach to cost benefit under the new rule continue the cost-avoidance purpose of the child support program, or return the program to former days when the focus was on maximizing cost effectiveness and cost recovery? The panel will feature Congressional staff offering their view of child support as an anti-poverty program and the vision of experienced child support leaders on the past, present, and future purpose of the child support program and the quest to distinguish between cases that are hard to collect and those that are uncollectible.
Moderator: Jim Fleming; Speakers: Vernon Drew, Scott Cade, Anne DeCesaro, Ryan Martin
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Networking Break
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Workshop 101: Evidence-Based Research: Using Evaluations to Shape Policy
Child support programs are innovating every day and they need tools to determine which innovations work. This workshop will review tools that programs can use to evaluate their innovations and hear from two states that have successfully tested innovations and built stronger programs based on those results.
Moderator: Robbie Endris; Speakers: Elaine Sorensen, Robin Arnell, Ruth Ann Thornton
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Workshop 102: Reaching the Next Generation: Digital Marketing Strategies for Child Support Agencies
Increasingly child support agencies are using digital marketing to improve public perception of the program and to outreach to existing and potential program participants. The goal of these marketing strategies is to increase program awareness, participation, and accessibility of services for eligible families. This session will review the successes and challenges of digital marketing strategies implemented by states and examine how child support staff also influence the program’s public perception.
Moderator: Letitia Logan Passarella; Speakers: Emma Margraf, Kristie Arneson, Erin P. Frisch
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Workshop 103: A Future Living Free from Violence: Child Support Policies and Procedures to Support Safety for Victims of Domestic Violence
Domestic violence policies and procedures developed in response to PRWORA requirements are 20 years old… and aren’t “in shape” for tomorrow’s OR today’s child support program. The primary reason that victims stay with or return to their batterers is economic dependency. This session will provide examples from a state IVD agency and a large county IVD agency of new approaches to domestic violence policy and processes designed to create safer access to child support services for survivors within the context of staff safety and effective casework. The panel will also explore models of promising partnerships between IVD agencies, the judiciary, and domestic violence advocates designed to promote coordinated responses for safe access to safety net services.
Moderator: Michael Hayes; Speakers: Heather Noble, Marie Girulat, Krista Del Gallo
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – PRESIDENT’S RECEPTION
Friday, February 16, 2018
7:30 AM – 4:00 PM – Registration Open
7:30 AM – 8:15 AM – Breakfast with the Commissioner
NCSEA’s Policy Forum draws the nation’s child support leaders and OCSE wants to hear from you! Grab breakfast and coffee, and come to an early morning session where OCSE Commissioner Scott Lekan will lead an interactive and robust discussion on issues facing the IV-D program. A variety of topics will be considered, along with challenges and possible solutions. This is your opportunity to help shape the new administration’s policies and the future of child support, so join us for breakfast with the Commissioner!
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Plenary IV: Disruptive Demographics and The Brave New Work World
Demographic changes including the aging of the population, declining marriage, the rise of single person and multi-generational households all impact the clients that have traditionally been the core population of our child support program. At the same time, the increasing automation of traditional jobs and the instability of employment in a gig economy have significantly changed the employment landscape for many Americans. These demographic and employment changes shake the foundation of our social programs – who we deliver services to, how their families are structured and supported, and the role of reliable, regular child support in meeting the needs of families and children in this evolving new world.
Moderator: Phyllis Nance; Speakers: Jen Fifield, Craig Burshem, Jane Venohr, Michael Horrigan
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM – Networking Break
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Workshop 201: First Do No Harm: Child Support and Adverse Childhood Experiences
How do we shape the future of our program to maximize the positive effects of our actions while minimizing the negative effects? While we lift more than a million people out of poverty, we push about 400,000 into poverty, half of them children. Children who grow up in poverty tend to have more adverse childhood experiences, resulting in a lifelong struggle with decision making and perpetuating the cycle of poverty.
Poverty and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) swirl around each other catastrophically. Enter child support. Our role in reducing poverty is profound. Poor families benefit significantly when we are able to collect. But how do we balance that with the potential negative effects on the family of the paying parent so we can ultimately break the cycle of poverty?
This session will explore the problem, suggest some steps toward balance, and solicit ideas from you for the future of our vital program.
Moderator: Maureen Leif; Speakers: Dr. Ron Mincy, David Kilgore, Dr. Lenna Nepomnyaschy
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Workshop 202: Child Support Orders: Not Too High, Not Too Low, Just Right-sized
States have differing policies (for differing reasons) when it comes to setting orders for low-income noncustodial parents. Should states revisit these policies in light of the new rule, or at least examine the outcomes produced by these policies? Come to this session to hear how three jurisdictions employ different policies, including the use of zero support orders and imputed income under the 2016 OCSE modernization rule, and what the data shows regarding practices around the country.
Moderator: Elizabeth Morgan; Speakers: Robert Doar, Jim Fleming, Erin P. Frisch, Patrick Quinn
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Workshop 203: Initiatives to Assist Justice-Involved Parents: What Can the Child Support Community Do?
Nationwide, states are taking action to “ban the box” to assist justice-involved individuals in obtaining employment. States are also looking at the collateral sanctions that affect a person once they have been convicted of a crime. How has the child support community changed to assist justice-involved parents? Come to hear about initiatives and programs that child support can be a part of, including an Ohio process for Certificates for Qualification for Employment.
Moderator: Amy Roehrenbeck; Speakers: Dr. Stanley Andrisse, Rob Pierson, Teresa Hodge
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM – Lunch On Your Own
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Plenary V: It’s All About the Children: Exploring New Outcome Measures
Several states do not focus on the federal measures, but focus more on operational measures. The child support program has a long history in meeting performance measures, and our experience over time shows that what gets measured gets done. This session will not only examine the current federal performance measures against outcomes desired (reduce child poverty while respecting parents circumstances), but also current operational measures used in a variety of states that lead to better outcomes. This may include consistency (months) of payments, length of time from order to first payment, collections per ordered case, percent of collections on arrears.
Moderator: Margot Bean; Speakers: Ann Coffin, Kevin Guistwite
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Networking Break
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Workshop 301: Screening Cases for Ability to Pay and the Usefulness of Judicial Contempt
Many states are struggling with the question of a noncustodial parent’s ability to pay and when it is appropriate to file a judicial contempt action. This workshop will include a panel of experts from various states with practical approaches including discovery to determine a noncustodial parent’s ability to pay before filing a court action. Does ability to pay include ability to borrow? What about the subsistence needs of the noncustodial parent and his/her second family? Some states ask the court to make a determination of obligor’s ability to pay and request that the court either enforce or modify the child support order depending on what is found. Some states file an action similar to a debtor exam prior to filing a Petition to Enforce.
Moderator: Nicholas Palos; Speakers: Al Ochoa, Deb Tanner, Josh Ours
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Workshop 302: Going Global – Envisioning the Future of International Child Support
In the past 14 months, the implementation of the 2007 Hague Child Support Convention in the U.S. has brought major change to the U.S. child support program. The number of reciprocating foreign countries and Canadian jurisdictions for the U.S. jumped from 26 to over 50, and continues to grow! Given this rapid rate of change, what will the international child support program look like in the next 5 or even 10 years? Join state, federal, and international experts in a dynamic, interactive discussion about what the future holds for child support and its impact on families spread around the globe.
Moderator: Eliza Lowe; Speakers: Anne Miller, Stefan Schlauss, Hannah Roots, Philippe Lortie
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Workshop 303: Defining Support: The Role of In-Kind Transfers
As we look to encourage low-income parents to meet their child support obligations and remain engaged in the children’s lives, might in-kind transfers serve as a possible alternative to cash child support? Are some parents better able to support their children by providing child care, food, diapers, or other tangible goods? If so, what do we know about the consistency and amount of in-kind support? Panelists will share what they are doing in this space and have a conversation about how this might work in a broader child support environment.
Moderator: Kim Newsom-Bridges; Speakers: Kim Lambert, Timothy Nelson
Saturday, February 17, 2018
7:30 AM – 10:30 AM – Registration Open
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM – Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Plenary VI: Culture and Communication: Changing How We See Child Support
Child Support has a culture and a way of doing things. Understanding that we serve others who also have their own culture is important to advancing child support outcomes. How do we see our customers? How do we see each other? How do embrace new ideas/approaches? What do we need to know, change or improve in the culture of our service? What is the impact of our culture on the reputation of the child support program?
Moderator: Kathy Sokolik; Speaker: The Reverend Michael J. Oleksa, Th.D
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM – Networking Break
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Plenary VII: The Evolution of Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Does it sometimes it seem like your personal computer can read your mind? How do Facebook and Target know which ads to send you? Seems creepy? Not really, its data analytics on steroids. This plenary will help us understand what computers can do with smart programs and massive accumulation of data. Learn how artificial intelligence can help us achieve interoperability in service delivery, reduce busy-work so we can better engage parents, and create individually tailored case plans. What are the policy and ethical considerations of smarter automation? What concerns should we have about data privacy and security? How do we prepare for the next step in technology? Don’t miss this eye-opening discussion about the future of technology.
Moderator: Joe Mamlin; Speakers: Jamie Walker, Bob Prevost, Steven Eldred