1. Service Requests How to Get Ahead and Stay Ahead Presenters: Sylvia Reyna, Napa County Department of Child Support Services, SReyna@co.napa.ca.usSReyna@co.napa.ca.us Donia Williams, Solano County Department of Child Support Services, DCWilliams@solanocounty.comDCWilliams@solanocounty.com George Ruvalcaba, Orange County Department of Child Support Services, GRuvalcaba@css.ocgov.comGRuvalcaba@css.ocgov.com

2. County Comparison Perspective

3. Small County Perspective September 2007 (Conversion) 40 + SRs received per day 5-6 staff members processing SRs and hard copy referrals Current 0-25 SRs received per day (average) 4 Child Support Specialists process SRs and some errors. OVP errors are processed by Fiscal Unit

4. Process Staffing Level – Child Support Specialist (CSS) process the entire SR Distribution – We utilize Application Search for IV-A SRs which are distributed evenly among CSS for processing Process – Intake/Establishment CSS process SR. Assigned CSS keeps case through establishment of court order. Includes locate of NCPs.

5. What didn’t work For a short time, Napa attempted to process the interface SRs in addition to reviewing the hard copy referrals

6. What worked… Process Implemented a plan to process backlog of SRs daily (dedicate staff for special project) Quiet time in the a.m. for processing SRs first thing in the morning/daily Staff having access to IV-A system (ISAWS) for researching Eliminating paper referrals Prioritizing the errors

7. What worked… Staff Development and Staffing Visiting other counties of similar caseload size for various perspective Increased staff in Intake function in order to process SRs daily and conduct intake interviews Ensure staff processing has proper training Communication with IV-A agency Access and understanding of the IV-A system

8. What worked… Prioritization Process SRs daily

9. Collaboration and Communication with IV-A Eliminate paper referrals! Establish rapport with IV-A analysts and supervisors to communicate trends and to communicate data needs to trigger accurate SRs Encourage communication for case managers to speak directly to IV-A staff to verify information and/or request updates to trigger appropriate SRs

10. Lessons learned Research SR prior to creating a new participant or case to avoid duplication Review address for CP as part of SR processing

11. Staying Ahead Process SRs as a priority on a daily basis Research and report issues Review and work Tasks on a daily basis and maintain current Dedicate blocks of quiet time for processing SRs and Tasks to meet expectations

12. QUESTIONS

13. Medium County Perspective April 2008 (Conversion) 122 SRs received per day average; 117 SRs processed per day average (96%) 12 CSS staff members processing SRs plus 4 visiting CSS’s from Santa Clara Current 49 SRs received per day; 48 SRs processed per day 14 CSS staff members processing SRs and Establishment Caseloads

14. Process Staffing Level – Child Support Specialists process the entire SR and associated errors Distribution – Assigned through the SR Tool; distributed equally among assigned staff Process - Case Initiation CSSs process SRs and take the next appropriate action.

15. What didn’t work Accounting staff assigned to the Action Team Expecting staff to learn too many tasks at once

16. What worked… Process Minimized manual locate actions Eliminated paper referrals Access to IV-A case notes Using the SR Tool IV-A Identifier Preload Case Reviews Dual Monitors

17. What worked… Staff Development and Staffing Highly skilled staff assigned Open to suggestions from staff Subject Matter Experts for complex functions Learn from others’ experiences Group Learning

18. What worked… Prioritization Make expectations clear Subject Matter Experts

19. Collaboration and Communication with IV-A Stop paper referrals Monthly meetings with IV-A agency

20. Lessons learned Change is difficult Start small Train the group as a whole

21. Staying Ahead Appropriate Staffing Clear Expectations Feedback

22. QUESTIONS

23. Large County Perspective February 2008 (Conversion) 317 SRs received per day average; 153 SRs processed per day average (48%) 29 staff members processing SRs and errors Current 195 SRs received per day; 184 SRs processed per day average (94%) 22 staff members processing SRs and errors

24. Processing Staffing Level – Child Support Officer (CSO) process the entire SR and associated errors Distribution – Assigned through the SR Tool; distributed utilizing CSS Tracking Tool Process - Case Initiation CSOs process SRs through case opening only. An assessment is completed of the next required action and case forwarded for next actions or utilizing CSE functionality (e.g., tasking)

25. What didn’t work Assigning all three functions to all staff: errors, updates, and SRs Don’t ignore!! Incrementally increasing staffing

26. What worked… Process Minimized manual locate actions Updating PAMI Implemented formalized QA process Eliminated paper referrals Access to IV-A case notes Learning the SR process, analyzing the errors and updates before assigning all three to staff

27. What worked… Staff Development and Staffing Increased staffing Assess tasks for appropriate level of staff Develop expertise in complex functions Visit other counties

28. What worked… Prioritization Focused on compliance Process all duplicate SRs Continued PAT Error assessments and prioritization

29. Collaboration and Communication with IV-A Eliminate all paper referrals!!! Establish communication with IV-A agency Work with IV-A agency in addressing possible data input interface issues

30. Lessons learned Develop a plan. Train all staff and communicate changes to all staff at the same time. Maintain continued communication with IV-A agency

31. Staying Ahead Daily monitoring of workload Immediate reporting of issues Workload balancing – Specific days for processing of errors and days for processing SRs Set ongoing expectations for staff

32. Parting Thoughts Small counties… Process SRs daily (A.M. Priority) Stop working paper referrals Medium Counties… Highly skilled staffing Dual monitors Large counties… IV-A Communication Daily caseload monitoring

33. Additional Questions? Contact us… Sylvia Reyna, Napa County SReyna@co.napa.ca.us (707) 253-4343 Donia Williams, Solano County DCWilliams@solanocounty.com (707) 784-3733 George Ruvalcaba, Orange County GRuvalcaba@css.ocgov.com (714) 347-6904