To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Department of Child Support Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jennifer Traumann 565-4023
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Recommended Action:
Title
Adopt a Gold Resolution Proclaiming August 2019 Child Support Awareness Month.
Body
Executive Summary:
The annual observance of Child Support Awareness Month began in 1983 when Congress designated the month of August as National Child Support Awareness Month. The State of California has also adopted the national recognition. In his letter recognizing Child Support Awareness Month, Governor Gavin Newsom stated, “The greatest gift a parent can give is an active, positive presence in their child’s life. When parents are positively involved and empower children to chase their dreams, they set the example for generations to come… I want to thank every adult who, despite the unknowns, the challenges and the learning moments, continues to dedicate themselves to encouraging a child’s growth, success and happiness.”
To honor the parents who support their children, the California Department of Child Support Services, in partnership with the 50 local child support agencies throughout the state, is memorializing this year's Child Support Awareness Month by affirming the message: "You are there for them. We’ll be there for you!” The outreach effort includes public service announcements, posters, and events in numerous locations throughout the state during the month of August.
Discussion:
Since 1995, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors joined the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) in proclaiming the month of August as "Child Support Awareness Month" to recognize the contributions of child support professionals and increase public awareness of the services governmental agencies provide to help support families in meeting the needs of their children.
Statewide, California collects nearly $2.4 billion in child support each year. Locally, Sonoma County this Federal Fiscal year anticipates total distributed collections to reach over $35 million. The Sonoma County Department of Child Support Services (Sonoma DCSS) manages over 10,000 local cases.
Sonoma County Child Support staff daily demonstrate their commitment to working with parents to collect child support payments for families. These child support professionals are providing the highest level of service to families in need. There are several projects staff have been working on this summer to help families now and into the future.
Staff are engaged on multiple fronts culminating in this year’s Child Support Awareness Month.
By way of delivering service beyond expectations, the department has raised enough funds to buy backpacks and school supplies for some of the families in our program with the biggest need. This year the department expects to be delivering 300 back to school backpacks to these families!
In another project, the department is collaborating with Alameda County by bringing their well-respected Bay Area Employers Workshop to Sonoma County via simulcast for the second year in a row. State law mandates employers to initiate income-withholding orders but it is a complicated process. Sonoma is helping by inviting local employers to come to the department to watch the Alameda webcast. Sonoma Child Support staff will be on hand after the simulcast event to help employers with their questions about their obligations under the law.
The department has also worked on the Paper the Town project. Staff have posted flyers in local stores throughout Sonoma County to invite more families to seek our services. Along with papering the town, staff are asking partners serving families to put up flyers inviting these families to come to us for help with their child support needs.
With the department’s Email Campaign, staff have helped update and gather email addresses for our participants so we can communicate more efficiently and cost effectively with a goal of adding 1000 email addresses to the child support enforcement system.
This year the department has also begun the Vignettes of Success program highlighting the heart and soul of our program and its mission. These short stories of staff and their work for and with families help showcase the work we do and the families we serve.
Finally, the department is collaborating with Marin County Child Support as well as the larger Bay Area. Marin County and Sonoma Child Support have purchased a bus advertisement with Golden Gate Transit on busses traveling the highway 101 corridor to invite parents in need of our services to call for help. Also, the department is collaborating with the State Department of Child Support Services and several Bay Area County child support agencies, to co-sponsor the Cumulus Media Campaign from mid-June through August delivering over 3 million impressions over the radio and online inviting families to get the child support help they need.
These projects will help deliver continuously improving service into the future. Parents and guardians are there for their children and Sonoma Child Support is there for them. Through these multiple projects, the department celebrates our mission and continues to deliver excellent service to families in providing the child support they need to raise their children. The Department of Child Support Services respectfully requests the Board of Supervisors to adopt a Gold Resolution proclaiming August as Child Support Awareness Month.
Prior Board Actions:
The Board has proclaimed August as Child Support Awareness Month annually since 1995.
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Attachments:
Resolution
PowerPoint Presentation
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
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