SUPPPORT ENFORCEMENT SERVICES

OCSE TRAINING CONFERENCE
September 10, 2007

CONNECTICUT

Introduction

• Department of Social Services/ DSS (Executive Branch) is the Lead IV-D Agency
  • Provides primarily pre-judgment services (Establishment)
  • Administrative Enforcement (FIDM, Tax Offset, Passport, etc.)
• Support Enforcement Services / SES (Judicial Branch)
  • Under Cooperative Agreement provides primarily post-judgment services
    • Enforcement and modification services, Central Registry, interstate tribunal, etc.

Introduction

• In 2004 SES initiated a 5-Year Strategic Plan to improve performance
• Considered early intervention strategies
• SES recognized a need to better assist and involve customers in their child support cases
• 2004 Special Improvement Project (SIP) grant application

Background

• Bifurcated IV-D Responsibilities (BCSE --> SES) influenced the initial point of contact between SES and our customers.
  • Notices of delinquency, mandatory appointment, missed court appearances, pending enforcement action etc.
  • Very little personal contact with the customer until / unless there is a problem
  • Contact is primarily automated notices or personal contact during court action
• Often perceived as adversarial

Concept

• By actively contacting and involving parents in their child support cases, prior to the occurrence of a problem, we hoped to foster a more positive relationship, achieve mutually desired outcomes, and avoid unnecessary enforcement action, ultimately improving program performance and customer satisfaction.

Three Areas of Program Enhancements:

• Initiate contact with parents prior to "A Problem"
• Provide parents with increased access to case assistance and management
• Improve the clarity and availability of case information

Expectations of Enhancements:

• Improvement in 4 Target areas:
  1. Improve payment rates/ compliance
     • Timely Current Support
     • Arrears Payments/ Arrears Accumulation
  2. Increase appearance rates for court hearings and office meetings
     • Decrease the need for field service of process attempts and Court ordered Capias (civil arrest warrants)
  3. Expedite positive court resolutions
  4. Increase customer satisfaction

Methodology & Measurement

• Test various forms of contact
  • Brochures, Letters (via Mail), Scripted Telephone Calls, and Court Summary Sheets
• Determine their impact at various stages of case progression
  • New Referrals / Upon Delinquency / Prior to Appointment / Prior to Court / At Court
• Compare results to assess their value and measure their effect on the target areas

Methodology & Measurement

Methodology & Measurement

• Collected baseline data for pilot offices prior to implementing program enhancements (5 months).
  • Enhancement period lasted 8 months, also collected data
• Collected baseline data for control offices before and during enhancement period (total 12 months)
  • Data used primarily to isolate general performance trends and help confirm a correlation between enhancements and performance

Comparison Options

• By employing all program enhancements in only the pilot offices, we would be able to make multiple comparisons:
  • Within an office (before & after enhancements)
  • Between offices (of similar size & volume)
  • Between different types of enhancements (letter vs. telephone)

Measuring/ Evaluating Success

• SIP Requirement: Independent Contractor/ Evaluator
  • Massive Database (for both Pilot and Control offices)
  • Administrative Support
  • Field Project Manager
  • Quality Assurance Manager
  • Field Supervisor
  • Overtime Staff
  • Office FTE

Performance Indicators
Pilot vs. Control

• Payment Rates
  • New Case Referrals (60/ 120 days)
  • At 30-day delinquency (30/ 60 days)
• Appearance Rates
  • Appointments
  • Court Hearings
• Court Resolutions
  • Expediency / Capias/ Default Orders
• Survey Results re: Customer Satisfaction (Pre vs. Post)

Strategies

1. Customer-friendly introductory letters and informational brochures to parents
2. Introductory telephone calls on new cases to both parents
3. Telephone calls to non-custodial parents at the 30-day delinquency mark
4. Reminder telephone calls for office appointments and court hearings
5. Calls made during non-business hours (overtime)
6. Court summary sheets provided to parents after hearings.
7. Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Results: New Case Referrals

Results: New Case Referrals

• Middletown results were not considered indicative because sample numbers were to low

Results: Automated Enforcement (AE)

• AE triggered upon 30-day delinquency, automated notice, internal control document, staff perform locate for income/ assets
• Enhanced Strategy: Phone Calls
• Findings: Successful phone interventions correlated to higher payment rates for all three pilot offices

Results: Automated Enforcement (AE)

• Results were measured at both 30 days and 60 days after the AE notice/ Phone call

Results: Service of Process

• SES currently schedules one in-office appointment for service of process before assigning the document for community attempts.
• Enhanced Strategies: reminder letters, reminder phone calls and accommodated appointment dates and times

Results: Service of Process

• Findings:
  • Cases with direct contact by phone consistently demonstrated higher appearance rates for all offices
  • 

Results: Service of Process

• Findings:
  • Accommodated appointment dates/times correlated with substantially higher appearance rates for all offices.
  • 

Result: Court Appearances

• Enhanced Strategies: Reminder phone calls and Court Reminder/ Summary Sheet
• Findings: Both enhanced strategies correlated to higher appearance rates in court for both Contempt and Review & Adjustment hearings when compared to baseline

Results: Court Appearances

Results: Court Resolutions

• Scattered results for both enforcement and modification cases
  • Additional variables
• Fewer Capias / civil arrest warrants
  • Saved time and money

Results: Customer Satisfaction

• Planned for telephone and both Pre & Post Surveys
  • Difficult to reach customers
• Mail surveys had a very low response rate
  • No real quantifiable results
  • Some positive feedback
• Custodial parents were more positive than non-custodial parents
  • Many frustrated customers could not differentiate specific case problems from their interaction with SES
  • Challenging task for the contractor/ evaluator

Agency Related Barriers

• Confidentiality of information re: Contractor Access
• Broad Scope: difficult to asses intervention influence, case demographics, data collection
• Automated System Limitations
• Bifurcated IV-D responsibilities
• Collective Bargaining Issues: Extended Customer Service
• Staffing Resources

Client Related Barriers

• Lack of updated/new phone numbers
• Lack of updated/new addresses
• Tendency towards being transient population
• Unable to distinguish which intervention affected their response to pay/ appear/ comply etc.

Staff Experience & Feedback

• Many customers appreciated individualized service and information about SES
  • Non-Custodial Parents
  • Custodial Parents
• Customers responded favorably to accommodated service appointments: fostered positive relationship/ less adversarial
• Custodial parents benefited from improved appearance and resolution rates

New Initiatives / Practices & Next Steps

• Agency emphasis collect telephone numbers
  • Directive/ Training/ Policy Organizer
• DSS/BCSE Cell Phone Number Initiative with Verizon and Cingular
• Automated Enforcement Strategies
  • Incorporating regular phone calls
  • Outreach informational letter to custodial parents
  • Customized demand letter
• Outreach

New Initiatives / Practices & Next Steps (continued)

• CT Child Support Call Center
  • Opened May 2005
  • Expanded May 2006
• Waterbury - continued enhancements with new case referrals
• Collaboration with local offices to improve performance and implement enhancements

Conclusion

SES observed a consistent correlation between direct customer contact and payment rates, appearance rates, court resolutions, and customer satisfaction.

Contact Information