# Presentation: 676646

## Child Support Enforcement30 Years of Exchanging Data

*Experiences & Lessons Learned*

- 2006 Global Justice XML Data Model User’s Conference

-  September 2006

## Agenda

- Legislative History
- Child Support Enforcement Program
- Data Exchanges
- Data Access
- Experiences
- Data Sharing Initiatives
- Future Directions

## Legislative History

**1993**

**1988**

**1996**

**1975**

**	****  ****Title IV-D of Social Security Act**
***	******  ******	******     ******Purpose*****:**  Established federal program

**Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA)**
***Purpose:*****   **To increase paternity establishment

**Family Support Act  (FSA)**
***Purpose:  ***Place increased emphasis on enforcement remedies
- and paternity

**Child Support Enforcement Amendments (CSE)**
***Purpose:  ***Major reform and required techniques

**Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996**
***Purpose:  ***To restructure the welfare system

**1984**

## The Child Support Enforcement Program

## The Child Support Enforcement Program

- Federally Funded
- State Administered
- State or County Operated

- Challenges....
***Cross Jurisdictional Program***

## Office of Child Support Enforcement Responsibilities

- Provide Policy Guidelines to States
- Provide Funding
- Provide Technical Assistance
- Ensure Compliance
- Operate the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) & Federal Income Tax Refund Offset

## State Responsibilities

**State Responsibilities**

- Administer the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Program
- Deliver Program Services
- Operate State Parent Locator Service (SPLS)

## State Functions

- Locate Non-Custodial Parents
- Establish Paternity
- Establish Orders Using State Guidelines
- Enforce Orders
- Review and Adjust Orders
- Monitor and Distribute Collections
- Cooperate in Interstate Enforcement

## Numerous Jurisdictions
Various Operating Modes – Judicial, Administrative
Numerous Systems
Common Business Need to Exchange Data

- Various Operating Modes – Judicial, Administrative
- Numerous Systems
- Common Business Need to Exchange Data

**The National Community**

- Challenges....
***A need for automation***

## The Child Support Enforcement Process

***Locate***

***Missing Data Is Sought To Locate The Non-***
***Custodial***
***Parent And***
***His/Her***
***Assets***

## Data Exchanges

## Child Support Community

- Communication link for 54 diverse CSE automated systems for the purpose of exchanging interstate case information between IV-D agencies

- 50 States
- District of Columbia,
-       Puerto Rico,
-       Guam,
-       and the Virgin Islands

**Various platforms & **
**Technologies**

## The Big Picture - State/Federal

**The Big Picture - State/Federal**

**SDU**

**SDNH**

**Empl.**

**Empl.**

**SDU**

**SDNH**

**EFT/EDI**

**EFT/EDI**

**CSENet**

- SCR

-  SWS

**SWA**

**Federal****Agency**

- QW & UI

- QW & NH

**C:D**

- New Hire Data

- Case Registry Data

- Direct Income WH

**FI**

**EFT/EDI**

**FI**

**EFT/EDI**

**Legacy**
** ****Systems**

## The Big Picture - State Level

## The Big Picture - Interstate

**EFT/EDI**

**EFT/**
**EDI**

**EFT/EDI**

**EFT/**
**EDI**

## The Big PictureFederal Parent Locator Service

**NDNH**

**The Big Picture****Federal Parent Locator Service**

## Each State is Unique

- Differences in rules, policies, and procedures can make communications difficult.
- Each state also has its own child support language.

**CSE operates under the state domestic relations law**

## National Data Exchange

- Provide automation where it is most effective and at the appropriate level:
- National locate

**Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS)**

## Data Access

## Data Access

- IRS Criminal
- Investigations

**NDNH**

## Data Sharing Challenges

- 54 different child support systems
- More than 8 different agency systems
- Paper, Fax, Phone, Mail, E-mail, Flat file, XML mediums of communications
- Batch & Real-time delivery
- Non standard definitions

**Where to start?**

## Data Sharing Improvements

- Develop a common language for data exchange.
-  Data Standards
-  Data Quality
-  XML

## Data Standards

***The absence of a common frame of reference, common business term definitions, and an agreed-to format for exchange makes it difficult for parties to understand each other.***

## Improving Communications

**Consistent**

**Timely**

**Actionable**

**OCSE is committed to ensuring that **
**information and communication is:**

**Improving Communications**

## Current Definition and Standards Activities

- Data Modeling Activities

- Interstate Interagency Data Access

- Data Submission Guides

- Court (XML)

- Data Quality Management

- Modernization Planning

- Business Definitions
- &
- Data Standards

- All of these activities either depend on or influence the definition of common business terminology and the subsequent capture of data standards for information exchange.

**Current Definition and Standards Activities**

## Business Objectives Drive Both Standards and Models

- Influence

- Influence

- Business Objectives

- Data Standards for
- Information Exchange

- State
- Data Models

- Federal
- Data Model

- Interstate Data Access Workgroup
- Court XML

- ICR State Extract File Record Format
- Financial Data Match Specifications Handbook

**Business Objectives Drive Both Standards and Models**

**National & State **
**interests drive this **

## What Makes a Data Standard?

**What Makes a Data Standard?**

- Participants desire a common framework for communicating
- Participants select key stakeholders to define and publish a draft standard
- Participants have opportunity to read and comment on draft

**Most Importantly.......**
***All participants agree to use the standard***

## OCSE Data Standards Program

**Governance:** policies and processes that provide the framework within which managers make decisions and take actions to optimize outcomes.

**Harmonization:** a** **process that compares the meaning and format of related data elements across multiple systems and media.

**Metadata:** data that describes the content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of data.

**OCSE Data Standards Governance**
- Policies and Procedures

**Data Harmonization Guide**

**Data Standards Registry**

**XML**

## OCSE Data Standard Definitions

- Authoritative Sources for Definitions:
- Statute
- Regulation
- Action Transmittal/ Policy Interpretation
- Dear Colleague Letter (DCL)
- Subject Matter Expert
- Convention

## Data Quality

## Data Quality

- Dimensions of Quality
- Problem Resolution

## Dimensions of Quality

- Accuracy
- Completeness
- Consistency
- Timeliness
- Uniqueness

**Most Importantly.......**
***Objectively Measurable Dimensions***

## Data Quality Problem Resolution

- Data Quality Issues Tracking System
- Log, track, escalate data quality problems
- Web based

**Most Importantly.......**
***Accessibility & adoption***

## Data Sharing Initiatives

## New Jurisdictions

- Courts
- Tribal Nations
- New terms
- New policies
- International
- Language

## Real-time Data Exchanges

- QUICK – Query Interstate Cases for Kids
- eIWO – 	Electronic Income Withholding 		Order
- Courts – Georgia, New York

## Future Directions

- Education & knowledge transfer
- Standards adoption: paper forms, glossaries
- Child Support Enforcement Taxonomy
- GJXDM – XML reusable components
- Policy driven systems design

## Policy Driven Systems Design

- The Hague Conference on Private International Law
- Validate conventions through pilot testing

**Consensus on the need.......**
***Drives development***

## FOR OUR ULTIMATE CUSTOMERS

## Contact Info

- Richard Ordowich
- Office of Child Support Enforcement
- _[Rordowich@acf.hhs.gov](mailto:Rordowich@acf.hhs.gov)_