SAVES Center Data Collection for Program Improvement

OMB #: 0970-0531, Expiration Date: 09/30/2025

Instrument 2: Child Support Policies and Practices Survey

The following 10 categories of questions address current policies and practices regarding domestic violence and safety in many areas of child support. This information will be used to better understand efforts to increase safe access to child support, parenting time, and establishment of parentage services for survivors of domestic violence. This information will be kept private, and your participation is voluntary. It is anticipated that this will take approximately 60 minutes to complete.

The items in the individual rows are policies, practices, and resources that might be relevant. Only some suggested policies, practices, and resources will likely be relevant, and it is also okay if the answer is unknown; please fill out as much information as you can.
Briefly describe the relevant policies, practices, and/or resources that are in use and describe challenges in their implementation on a statewide basis, their accessibility to survivors, and other operational issues that may limit their effectiveness. Please also note if the policy or resource is publicly available.

1. Public information about safety and child support: Where and how does the child support program currently address domestic violence and child support? Options?

Policy, Practice, Resource	Description	Challenges
Website
Parent portal
Brochures
Child support application or application cover sheet
Client letters
Staff contact with parents during case management activities
Call center automated system option
Other

2. Screening for domestic violence: Do child support and its partner agencies (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Child Care) try to promote disclosures of domestic violence? Who does it? How do they do it? If questions are used, how many and what types are asked? How uniform is this across agencies, counties, and workers?

Policy, Practice, Resource	Description	Challenges
TANF application question(s)
Medicaid application question(s)
SNAP application question(s)
Child Care application question(s)
Child support application question(s)
Child support intake information form question(s)
Intake interviews (if held)
At other points in case processing and/or enforcement actions
Other

3. Child welfare reports: Are child support workers and workers in sister benefit programs mandated child welfare reporters? What types of domestic violence information by clients might trigger a report to Child Protective Services (CPS)? Does this vary by agency, county, and/or worker? Note: we understand that you may not have access to or knowledge of these agencies/programs.

Policy, Practice, Resource	Description	Challenges
CPS reports by child support staff
Reports by TANF agencies
Other benefit programs
Family courts
Other legal partners
Other

4. Types of documentation required for safety actions. What type of documentation (Temporary Protective Order, police, medical, domestic violence program statements) is required for different types of safety actions? Are survivor statements, verbal or written, adequate absent other documentation?

Policy, Practice, Resource	Description	Challenges
Family Violence Indicator (FVI)
Address protection/redaction in child support agency processes
Address protection/redaction in legal filings and in court records
Eligibility for state address protection/alternative address program (external)
Good cause
Modification of the child support process
Case closure for safety
Other

5. Applying for Good Cause: How is good cause handled for TANF, Medicaid, SNAP, and Child Care? Which agency handles various parts of the GC process and how accessible is it to clients?

Policy, Practice, Resource	Description	Challenges
Explaining good cause to clients
Application process
Document requirements
Assisting with application
Deciding good cause
Sanction for child support non-cooperation
Recertification requirements
Other

6. The outcomes of a domestic violence disclosure at the child support agency. What does the child support agency do in response to a domestic violence disclosure? How common are modifications to/safety mitigation in these various actions?

Policy, Practice, Resource	Description	Challenges
Family Violence Indicator (FVI)
Address confidentiality
Domestic violence case banner on system
Explain child support actions and safety
Explain possible safety modifications to child support actions
Paternity testing actions
Case conferences/meetings
Court hearings
Order modifications
Enforcement actions
Contempt actions
Case closure for safety
Other

7. Staff training on domestic violence: How much and what type of domestic violence training do different types of child support staff get? What topics are addressed? What’s missing?

Policy, Practice, Resource	Description	Challenges
All staff
Case managers
Supervisors
Legal staff
Call center staff
New workers
Other

8. Voluntary paternity acknowledgement: Who supervises/handles the Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP) process? How much training do birth registrars get about the VAP? Does it include domestic violence? Do parents get written info about the VAP? Does it mention domestic violence? Possible child support outcomes? Custody implications?

Policy, Practice, Resource	Description	Challenges
Child support staff vs. private vendor
VAP training for birth registrars (hours/frequency)
Is domestic violence part of training?
What parental rights are conferred with the VAP?
Does information on VAP for parents include mention of custody? Child support? Domestic violence?
Any prenatal explanation of VAP
Other

9. Parenting Time: Does child support address parenting time when it establishes a child support order for unmarried parents? How often is that done? How is it done? Where does child support refer parents who want parenting time (e.g., family court filing or mediation program)? Are there any procedures/resources to address safety (e.g., safety parenting plans)? What is the parenting time threshold (number of overnights) for a child support adjustment?

Policy, Practice, Resource	Description	Challenges
Child support takes no legal action to establish parenting time
Child support routinely files legal action to establish parenting time
Child support does not file legal action for parenting time, but court routinely addresses on certain cases
Standard parenting plans used
Referral for family court filing
Referral to mediation program
Online parenting plans offered
Referral to legal aid/attorneys
Referral to supervised visits
Child support guideline treatment of parenting time
Other

10. Other domestic violence and safety activity: Does the child support agency invest in other resources and pursue other activities to promote safety?

Policy, Practice, Resource	Description	Challenges
Domestic violence liaison/specialized staff
Domestic violence triage team
Contract with domestic violence coalition
Meeting with domestic violence providers
Cross agency domestic violence/child support training
Coordination with TANF on good cause
Coordination with domestic violence court
Coordination with child support judicial officers/court
Survivors on child support policy boards
Other

Next Steps:

• What policies and practices do this site want to focus on to improve survivor safety?

• What types of help/support does this site want from the SAVES Center in the policy/procedure area?

• Who is the state TANF agency lead with whom we should discuss policies and procedures on good cause and safety? (Name/email)

• Who is the state court lead with whom we should discuss policies and procedures concerning safety? (Name/email)

The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to better understand efforts to increase safe access to child support, parenting time, and establishment of parentage services for survivors of domestic violence. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB number and expiration date for this collection are OMB #: 0970-0531, Exp: 09/30/2025. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Center for Policy Research; 1570 Emerson Street Denver, Colorado 80218.