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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08082000 - SD2 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: PHIL BATCHELOR County Administrator DATE: August 8, 2000 SUBJECT: FAMILY SUPPORT TRANSITION Specific Request(s) or Recommendations(s) ,& Background & Justification RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. ACKNOWLEDGE that in 1999, the California Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, a package of bills that made significant changes to the organization, administration, and funding of the state's child support enforcement program. Among the more significant changes are the creation of a new state Department of Child Support Services (DOSS); the transfer of local administration from the county district attorneys to separate county child support agencies; and the transfer of responsibility for procurement of the automation system from the state Health and Human Services Data Center (HHSDC) to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB). 2. ACKNOWLEDGE that the legislation requires that prior to the State approving a transition date for Contra Costa County, a Director of Child Support Services must be selected, and a transition plan developed and submitted to the State for approval. 3. ACKNOWLEDGE that the State is targeting the first quarter of 2001 as the transition date for Contra Costa County, assuming completion of the State requirements described above. 4. ACKNOWLEDGE the ongoing cooperation of the Contra Costa County District Attorney in planning for the transition thus far. 5. ADOPT Resolution establishing the class of Director of Child Support Services — Exempt and ADD one full time position as a County employee exempt from the County merit system. (See Position Adjust- ment Request 418713, October 17, 2000) 6. AUTHORIZE the Human Resources Director to initiate a statewide competitive recruitment for this position, with a target appointment date of October 15, 2000. CONTINUED ON A ACH X YES Signature: recommendation of my Administrator Recommendation of Board Committee Approve Other Si natures: Action of Boar on:. 1taz/ Approved as Recommended/)(_Other Vote of Supervisors: I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN Unanimous(Absent&A k) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE Ayes:_ Noes: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON DATE SHOWN. Absent: Abstain:_ C� Attested: 1„�/ ?a 7 dad cc: CAO—Justice Human Resources Phil Batchelor,Clerk of the Board of District Attorney—Gary Yancey of Supervisors and County Administrator Family Support—Gayle Graham Contact: George Roemer 335-1055 Byt4� J DEPUTY 2 FISCAL IMPACT: Estimate no impact on the General Fund. The cost of this agreement is included in Family Support's transition budget request to the State. BACKGROUND: The primary purpose of California's child support enforcement program is to collect, from absent parents, support payments for custodial parents and their children. Child support offices in the state's 58 counties provide services such as locating absent parents; establishing paternity; obtaining, enforcing, and modifying child support orders; and collecting and distributing payments. Federal law requires states to provide these services to all custodial parents receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, which is the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids — CALWORKS program in California) and, on request, to non-TANF parents. Prior to recent legislative reforms in California, the program was administered at the local level by the county district attorneys (DAs), with state oversight by the Department of Social Services (DSS). The counties were authorized to refer certain delinquent cases to the Franchise Tax Board for collection. In 1999 the California legislature passed a reform package of bills, including Chapter 478 (AB196, Kuehl), Chapter 479 (AB 150, Aroner), and Chapter 480 (SB 542, Burton and Schiff), which together are intended to achieve more uniformity in service delivery and better performance in the Child Support Enforcement Program by overhauling the organization, administration, and funding for the program. Generally, these reforms significantly increase state authority and oversight over the program, and change state administrative responsibility for developing the statewide child support automation system. As of January 1, 2000, state level administration and oversight of California's child support enforcement program was transferred from the Department of Social Services (DSS) to the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS), a newly created department within the state Health and Human Services Agency. The new state Department of Child Support Services (DOSS) is responsible for compliance with all federal and state laws pertaining to the administration of child support enforcement, and completion of a single statewide automation system. The new DCSS has issued standards for the qualifications of the county's director of child support programs and will be developing specific guidelines for implementing the transition process. The legislation requires that prior to the State approving a transition date, a Director of Child Support Services must be selected, and a transition plan developed and submitted to the State for approval. In April 2000, the Board approved the hiring of a transition consultant to begin working with the District Attorney, the County Administrator, and the State on the development of a transition plan consistent with State guidelines. The State is targeting the first quarter of 2001 as the transition date for Contra Costa County assuming completion of the State requirements to hire a director for the new department and submit a transition plan for approval.