dcl9637.htm

International Child Support Working Group

July 24, 1996 DC96-37

TO ALL STATE IV-D DIRECTORS

Dear Colleague:

The purpose of this letter is to request your further participation in improving international child support activities.

OCSE and the IV-D Directors intend to establish an international child support working group which will be composed of both Federal and State child support enforcement staff. We, in partnership with the State Department, believe that such a work group will be helpful in establishing the appropriate international support enforcement functions for the Federal central authority established in proposed welfare reform legislation.

We are seeking nominees for work group, from which a small number of State IV-D members will be selected. We would suggest that your nominee have an interest and/or be experienced in international child support enforcement. Given the need to keep the work group to a manageable size, a small number of State IV-D staff will be selected by OCSE from those nominated to obtain geographic and other balance.

The work group plans to hold monthly conference calls during the initial phases. Members will discuss the wide range of topics related to international child support enforcement. Smaller sub-work groups may be established later to investigate various topics and/or to assist in preparing documents for distribution and discussion by the work group, State international contacts, or other stakeholders. It is not anticipated that travel will be required. Please use the attached fax page to indicate nominations for the work group.

In addition, we believe that it would be beneficial to have an international child support enforcement contact person in each State. This person would provide the work group a State distribution point for information on work group activities and would also serve as a State focal point for international child support issues. Please use the nomination fax page for addresses of your international contact as well.

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Please return the attached fax page by August 2. This will allow the work group to hold its first teleconference during August. We will quickly prepare the Directory of International CSE Contacts, distributing it to all States and using it for information dissemination regarding work group activities and other international child support enforcement activities.

While orders between residents of different nations comprise a small portion of support cases, they are potentially problematic. Consequently, it is important that we address this issue as quickly as possible. If there are priority areas (e.g., translation assistance, international forms, performance measures) which you believe it would be helpful for the work group to address or if you have any other questions or comments concerning the international child support enforcement initiative, please contact OCSE's International Child Support Liaison, Stephen Grant [phone: 202-260-5943; fax: 202-401-5559; Internet: sgrant@acf.hhs.gov].

Sincerely,

David Gray Ross

Deputy Director

Office of Child Support

Enforcement

Enclosure:

Work group nomination/contact fax sheet

cc: ACF Regional Administrators, Regions I - X

Child Support Program Managers, Regions I - X

FAX TO: 202-401-5559

ATTENTION: STEPHEN GRANT (202-260-5943)

WORK GROUP NOMINEE

NAME:

PHONE: FAX:

MAIL ADDRESS:

EMAIL ADDRESS (if any):

STATE INTERNATIONAL CONTACT PERSON

NAME:

PHONE: FAX:

MAIL ADDRESS:

EMAIL ADDRESS (if any):