Child Support Specialist I
City of Santa Fe Springs
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Job summary
Merced County is seeking a Child Support Specialist I to manage a caseload, interview parents, and gather information for establishing support obligations. Training is provided, with potential advancement after one year based on performance.
You will apply California child support laws, locate income/assets, and prepare legal documents while maintaining confidentiality and delivering accurate case information to involved parties.
Qualifications
- Two (2) years of full-time clerical experience which included interaction with the public.
- OR One year of full-time experience performing debt collections duties which included interviewing others for the purpose of collecting information.
- OR One year of full-time experience performing duties of a Child Support Assistant I or Office Assistant II in a Child Support Services Department.
- OR Completion of 60 semester or 90 quarter units of college.
Responsibilities
- Manages a general caseload of child support actions and enforcement according to guidelines.
- Interviews custodial and non-custodial parents, employers, and attorneys.
- Develops information for establishing paternity and locating assets and income.
- Evaluates income and expense data to determine support obligations.
- Prepares and processes legal documents for establishment, collection, and enforcement.
- Documents case actions and status in the state-wide automated system.
- Explains child support procedures and laws to the public and staff.
Skills
Education
Job description
Performs a wide variety of child support duties consisting of maintaining a caseload, locating and interviewing custodial and non-custodial parents and others to elicit factual information for the purpose of establishing child support obligations and enforcing child support laws; arranges for support payments when possible; prepares cases for court hearings as necessary; and performs related work as required.
Working under close supervision, Child Support Specialist I is the entry/trainee level in the Child Support Specialist series. Employees in this class receive in-service training, and are given detailed instructions in the performance of duties related to child support laws, regulations, and a broad range of child support casework activities. As requisite skills and knowledge are developed, greater independence and the full scope of responsibility are exercised. Employees are expected to promote to Child Support Specialist II after one year of satisfactory performance at the entry/trainee level.
- Manages a general caseload consisting of child support legal actions and the establishment, enforcement and collection of child support payment obligations based on established guidelines.
- Coordinates appointments for personal interviews with custodial and non-custodial parents, employers, and attorneys.
- Develops and analyzes information for the establishment of paternity.
- Uses a variety of methods, systems and procedures for locating information on custodial and non-custodial parents' assets, income, and liabilities.
- Evaluates income and expense data of custodial and non-custodial parents to determine and recommend child support payment obligations based on established guidelines.
- Responds to general inquiries and explains general child support laws, court orders, rules, regulations, and policies to public and staff.
- Participates in interviews to secure support agreements and to persuade responsible parties to make payments without recourse to legal action.
- Prepares and processes legal documents necessary for the establishment, collection, and enforcement of child support obligations.
- Documents and updates customer information, contact information, case actions/history logs, and records using a state-wide automated system.
- Provides case status information, explains the complaint resolution process, and answers case specific questions for all involved parties ensuring the verbiage used cannot be interpreted as legal advice.
- Applies federal, state, and local codes, procedures, and rules in establishing and processing child support cases.
- Coordinates and/or conducts genetic tests when needed.
- Performs related duties as assigned.
Note: The level and scope of the knowledge and skills listed below are related to job duties as distinguished between the two levels in the Definition section.
- Civil and criminal law, and Federal and California laws and regulations pertaining to the establishment, and enforcement of child support obligations.
- Sources, methods and techniques used to locate non-custodial parents, relatives and related persons, assets, income, and liabilities.
- Techniques and methods for establishing paternity.
- Child Support specific collection methods and techniques.
- Legal terminology used when explaining legal procedures to customers or the public.
- When and how to prepare and process a variety of child support related legal documents in a clear and concise manner.
- The structure and content of the English language.
- Basic mathematics and business arithmetic, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, percentages, and decimals.
- Apply specialized Federal child support laws and procedures as they apply to intergovernmental and international cases.
- Explain child support procedures, regulations, and requirements to individuals from a wide variety of educational and cultural backgrounds.
- Use effective interviewing techniques to interview a wide variety of people, over the telephone and in person.
- Use patience, tact and courtesy in firmly dealing with people who may be uncooperative, unreasonable, angry, upset, or hostile.
- Collect DNA samples to establish paternity.
- Use sound independent judgment to analyze factual information, situations, and people.
- Understand financial records such as tax records, income and expense reports, and employer earnings records to determine the amount of child support payment obligations.
- Compile multiple pieces of information clearly and concisely into an organized and understandable written report or oral presentation.
- Organize work and set priorities in order to meet critical deadlines with minimal direction.
- Exercise initiative within the limits of assigned duties.
- Maintain the confidentiality of sensitive or personal information.
- Establish rapport and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers, courts, attorneys, other agencies, and the public.
- Be flexible and supportive of change.
- Ability to prioritize multiple assignments having conflicting deadlines.
- Effectively use computer and other resources to prepare and manage cases.
Two (2) years of full-time clerical experience which included interaction with the public;
OR
One year of full-time experience performing debt collections duties which included interviewing others for the purpose of collecting information;
OR
One year of full-time experience performing duties of a Child Support Assistant I or Office Assistant II in a Child Support Services Department;
OR
Completion of 60 semester or 90 quarter units of college.
Qualifying experience or education may be combined in order to meet the above requirements. When combining education and experience; fifteen (15) semester units or twenty-two (22) quarter units equals six months of experience.
The Training & Experience Examination is designed to elicit a range of specific information regarding each candidate’s knowledge, skill, abilities, and potential to effectively perform the duties relative to the classification. Responses to the questionnaire will be assessed based on pre-determined rating criteria. All applicants must complete the entire examination to receive a score. In order to obtain a position on the eligible list, candidates must receive a minimum rating of 70% on the examination.
If conditions warrant, an Experience and Education Examination may be conducted in lieu of the Training and Experience Examination. Please review the Education and Experience examination information below: The Education & Experience examination is based solely upon information provided from the application and supplemental information (e.g., resumes, transcripts). Information provided from the application and supplemental information will be assessed compared to a standard developed in relation to the elements of the job. Special care should be taken to submitting a complete description of your education and experience relevant to the typical tasks, scope, and minimum qualifications stated on this bulletin. Supplemental information will be accepted, but competitors should read this bulletin carefully to determine what kind of information will be useful to those individuals completing the evaluation. In order to obtain a position on the eligible list, candidates must receive a minimum rating of 70% on the examination. Examination administration and processing time is approximately two weeks after the closing date of the job bulletin. Examination administration and processing time is approximately two weeks after the closing date of the job bulletin.
A departmental open eligible list will be established for the county of Merced. The list will be utilized for 12 months after it is established unless the needs of the service and conditions of the list warrant a change in this period.
Once you have taken the examination, you may not retest for SIX (6) MONTHS from the established eligibility date.
Special testing arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants for disability, military, or religious reasons. If you require such arrangements, please contact CalHR at mssprogram@calhr.ca.gov or 916-909-3701 upon notification that your application has been approved. Documentation from medical, military, school or church officials outlining the accommodation request must be received by our office a minimum of five business days prior to a scheduled examination.
If you are using education to meet the minimum qualifications, you must attach your transcripts to your application. Applicants with foreign transcripts must provide a transcript evaluation that indicates the number of units to which the foreign course work is equivalent. Transcripts and evaluations may be unofficial; official transcripts may be required upon appointment. Please redact birthdates and social security numbers.
This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment.
The Merit System Services program is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.
Some positions in this classification may require possession of a California driver’s license. Employees who drive on County business to carry out job-related duties must possess a valid California driver’s license for the class of vehicle driven and meet automobile insurability requirements of the County. Eligibility for employment for those who do not meet this requirement due to disability will be reviewed on case-by-case basis by the appointing authority.
Merced County is located in the northern part of the San Joaquin Valley in central California, an area earning worldwide acclaim for its rich agriculture, and spans from the coastal ranges to the foothills of Yosemite National Park. The City of Merced, the self-proclaimed Gateway to Yosemite, has a population of approximately 81,102, yet retains the charm of a small town with amenities routinely found in larger communities. Merced's revitalized downtown is emerging as the entertainment center of the area. The County is representative of the rural heartland and Gold Rush remnants underpinning the state's heritage. It is a peaceful, quiet, and friendly area with an abundance of beautiful bike paths and offers choices of higher education in UC
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