Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities

Title IV-D Child Support

DCS Child Support Bureau - Prosecuting Attorney Collaboration

IPAC Winter ConferenceDecember 12, 2014

Cynthia Longest, Deputy Director Indiana Department of Child Services,

Child Support Bureau (CSB)

Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities

Title IV-D Child Support Basics• Title IV-D of the Social Security Act• Highly federally funded, regulated and complex• Indiana’s IV-D organizational structure is unique• Cooperative Agreements between DCS’ CSB and

elected Prosecutors, Clerks, and some Courts• Collaboration between CSB and Prosecutors is critical

to providing financial support for children

Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities

Title IV-D Child Support Basics• IV-D Services: Locate, Establishment, Enforcement IV-D and non-

IV-D Services: Payment Processing• Complex mandatory statewide computer system• ISETS– used for “A to Z” management of cases and money– processes almost $1 billion in child support

• Funding– Federal Financial Participation (FFP): 66%– Incentive Funds based on performance

Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities

Title IV-D Child Support Basics• IV-D caseload – approx. 287,000 (around 16th in nation)

• Populations served:– Applicants for public assistance (TANF);– IV-E (Foster Care) cases; – Medicaid applicants who wish services;– Custodial parents who pay a one-time $25 fee– Interstate cases of all of the above

• Breakdown:– 4% current recipients of TANF or IV-E– 45% former recipients– 51% never recipients

• Vast majority of money collected goes straight to families

Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities

CSB – Prosecutor - IPAC Collaboration Examples

• Legislation• New computer system project (INvest)• Supreme Court Child Support Guidelines

Reviews• IV-D Writ/Warrant Registry• IV-D Policy Committee• Public Outreach materials• Incarcerated Parent outreach • Conferences/Training Sessions

Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities

Six Things

• Attend IV-D Session of Newly Elected Prosecutor Training (Feb 2015)• Sign IV-D Cooperative Agreement timely• Participate in INvest activities• CSB has 18 Regional Field Consultants• Understand your performance stats• IV-D is your biggest caseload and impacts a high

percentage of your constituents