wisconsin/illinois and indiana sharing and caring for our children’s future...
TRANSCRIPT
WISCONSIN/ILLINOIS AND INDIANA
SHARING AND CARING FOR OUR CHILDREN’S FUTURE
~WISCONSIN/ILLINOIS/INDIANA BORDER PROJECT~
WHY DO WE NEED A BORDER PROJECT?
Urban border counties experience a high rate of participant movement between their states
Many times participants have received duplicate services in multiple states
Mobility between Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin is easy and convenient
WI
IL IN
Six Primary Reasons Why Interstate Cases Are The Most Difficult To Work
Financial accounting differences
It is difficult to find someone to “talk to” in the other state
Obtaining another state’s order or payment records could take months
Transmittals may contain incorrect information
Many case workers are intimidated by UIFSA
Some of our judiciary do not understand UIFSA therefore cases being heard in court go unresolved
TAKING THE “BULL BY THE HORNS” A HISTORY OF THE
WISCONSIN/ILLINOIS/INDIANA BORDER PROJECT
2004 A series of teleconferences and meetings began between Wisconsin and
Illinois to improve communications
2005 Child Support caseworkers from Wisconsin and Illinois participated in worker
exchange days
Wisconsin Child Support representatives attended Illinois’ Regional meeting to exchange program information
The Border Project meetings expanded to include Illinois State’s Attorneys, Clerk of Courts, supervisors and administrators
Border Project team members presented information at the 2005 Wisconsin Child Support Conference
CONTINUED
2006
Wisconsin caseworkers visited Illinois’ Child Support Agency
Wisconsin caseworkers observed child support hearings at Family Court in Illinois
Wisconsin Border Project members participated in a panel discussion at the 2006 Illinois Family Support Conference
Selected Wisconsin and Illinois caseworkers were permitted query access to each other’s child support state systems
CONTINUED…..
2007
Representatives from Lake County, Indiana began participating in Border Project events
Lake County, Indiana , Wisconsin and Illinois share internal contact information
OCSE, Region 5 attend the Border Project Conference in Kenosha
Wisconsin and Illinois created a website and went on-line
http://www.childsupportborderproject.com/
2008
Available to both the Public and Child Support professionals
Features: locate links, other agency reference links, FAQ’s and forms
ACCESS TO THE ILLINOIS SYSTEM CHANGED “HOW WE DO BUSINESS”
Intake of new cases~ If any of the parties are former Illinois residents we check their systems for various information
Children born in Illinois - non marital cases~We provide the customers with Illinois Acknowledgment Forms, assist in their completion and mail them to Illinois Vital Records
Court hearing preparation~If additional information is required, we query the Illinois KIDS system and/or contact someone from our list
Customer service~We query the Illinois system or contact someone from our list when a rapid response is necessary
Financial~Knowledge of and inquiry to the Illinois KIDS system allows us to update our financial balances as needed
SHARED SYSTEM BENEFITS
Cost savings through the use of automation No need for co-location of staff Immediate system access, saves staff time and
money Rapid response – generates increased child
support collections Automation allows for a more uniform and timely
response
COMMUNCATION BETWEEN INDIANA & KENOSHA COUNTY
HAS IMPROVED TREMENDOUSLY
We share e-mail addresses and direct phone numbers
When we need assistance with a shared case, the “help” is only a click or ring away
We have a better understanding of each other’s processes
RESULTS
Expedited case assessment
Quicker receipt of court orders
Timelines improved
Improved financial record keeping
Better locates
Effective prosecution of cases
More cases worked “long arm”
More families served
More court orders and paternity adjudications
Increased collections
5th Annual Border Project Conference
Our 5th annual Border Project Conference will be held in Kenosha, Wisconsin on June 24th, 2011
There is no cost for our one day conference
You are all invited to attend
National Child Support Communication Forum
Members of our Forum represent child support professionals from 36 states and 2 Countries
We have over 360 members We are dedicated to the improvement of
interstate communication
Available to all CS Professionals
This is an exciting venture
By your participation, you, as a member, agree to be available to other members of this forum who may ask for your assistance after standard methods of communication fail
We’ve enhanced our forum to include a web site “blog” open to all Forum members
http://borderproject.freeforums.org
Web based site for discussions, ideas and information sharing
Only open to members of the Communication Forum
Let’s communicate-no matter where we are!