Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesDepartment of Human Services

Outreach Services

2

Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesA New Way of Thinking…

Name change from “Child Support Enforcement” to “Child Support Services” in 2006

Added two key values to value statement• Put Children First• Children Need Both Parents

“Government should be a resource to families, not a substitute”•Parent Accountability•Investment in our citizens and the community

Established new outreach programs and enhanced others

3

Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesA New Way of Thinking

60%19%

7%

14%

Paying as Ordered Paying occasionally

Incarcerrated Other

60.63% of NCPs paid as ordered by the courts on a consistent basis

79.25% of NCPs paid something on their child support case

Approximately 7% of NCPs on caseload are incarcerated

NCPs not paying as ordered are being referred to court over and over again for non-payment

Remainder either will not pay or have so many barriers to employment that they cannot pay

• 34% of NCPs in the Fatherhood Program do not have a GED• 84% of NCPs in the Fatherhood Program have a criminal record

4

Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesKey Initiatives

• Fatherhood Program– Serves 3,000 NCPs per year

• Re-entry Services– Partnership with DOC to assist

NCPs with re-entry into society

• Prison Paternity Testing– Voluntary testing done at all

Georgia prisons; 17-20% exclusion rate

• Problem Solving Court– Child support alternative to

incarceration

• Homeless Veterans Initiative– Metro Atlanta Pilot partnering with

Legal Aid and Veterans Affairs; one of 10 cities selected by Feds

• Community Outreach Council– Focus group to find ways to help

NCPs and CPs become self sufficient

5

• Memorandum of Understanding between Department of Corrections and Child Support

• Alleged NCPs are identified through our tracking systems

• Fatherhood agent provides informational briefing to inmate on the importance of being a Father

• Fatherhood agents trained and certified to conduct genetic testing and conduct testing on those that volunteer

• Third round of visiting all prisons in the state• 17-20% exclusion rate• 90% of inmates volunteer for genetic testing or sign paternity acknowledgement form

Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesPrison Paternity

6

• Georgia Fatherhood Program is an elective program that teaches NCPs “how to fish” by assisting them in identifying, addressing and removing barriers to self sufficiency, such as;

• Unemployment• Underemployment• Criminal background• Education• Substance abuse• Little or no involvement with their children

• Program offers life skill workshops, short term training and education opportunities, address state arrears and criminal history

• Statewide program served over 6,000 during the ARRA period. Has served over 30,000 men and women since its inception

• Fatherhood stats:• 89% of participants are male and 11% are female• 34% of NCPs in the Fatherhood Program do not have a GED• 84% of NCPs in the Fatherhood Program have a criminal record

Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesFatherhood Program

7

• 7% of caseload consists of incarcerated NCPs, approximately 11,000 NCPs

• Re-entry program designed to keep men from going “Underground” to avoid paying child support

• Demonstration Project conducted at Clayton Transition Center using the Access and Visitation Model

• Partnering with Department of Corrections to address barriers (housing, employment, education, etc.) before re-integration into the local community

• Targeted at the 11 Transition Centers throughout the state

• 6-8 week curriculum that addresses the following:• education and job assessment • access and visitation (two planned visits per cycle)• paternity/legitimation• case update and education from local office

• Program evaluated by Georgia State to determine effectiveness on child support payments

Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesPrison Re-entry Program

8

Intake• Complete assessments, forms and

interviews

• Initial Drug Screening

• Drivers License Reinstatement Review

Phase II• Obtain Full-time employment with IDO

or making payments for 3-6 months

• Pass Random Drug Screen

• Negotiate payment on State arrears

• Access and Visitation Activity

• Seek legitimation rights

• Attend Family Counseling

• Communicate/Cooperate with DCSS

Phase I• Regularly attend Group Sessions

• Meet with Coordinator Weekly/Bi-Weekly

• Pass Random Drug Screen

• Complete weekly verifiable 40-hour job search

• Communicate/Cooperate with DCSS

Graduation• Successfully completed all

phases

Program Phases

Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesProblem Solving Court

9

Community Services such as counseling, mental health or

substance abuse

Participants

Community Resources for job training or employment

opportunities

Child Support Agent

Problem Solving Court Coordinator

Judge-Decision Maker

Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesProblem Solving Court

10

Preliminary findings from “AOC Carroll County Child Support Court (CCCSC) Preliminary Evaluation Findings. Applied Research Services, Inc., June 25, 2010." conducted by Applied Research Services and the Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts

$18,838

$1,723

$17,115

$537.00 $54.00 $483.00

$0

$2,000

$4,000

$6,000

$8,000

$10,000

$12,000

$14,000

$16,000

$18,000

$20,000

Annual Collections Monthly Collections

Treatment GroupComparison GroupDifference

Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesProblem Solving Court

Georgia Division of Child Support ServicesDepartment of Human Services

Questions?