As part of the Safe Access for Victims’ Economic Security (SAVES) project, the Office of Child Support Services funded 13 demonstration sites to develop, test, and implement model practices for safe access to child support, parenting time, and establishment of parentage. SAVES demonstration sites are conducting the following work over five years:
SAVES Demonstration Sites
- Outreach and education to the public and domestic violence survivors
- Staff and partner training
- Development of responsive good cause protections for survivors who access public benefit programs that require child support cooperation
- Implementation of comprehensive domestic violence expert-informed case processing policies and protocols for survivors and people who use violence
- Establishment and assessment of specialized domestic violence triage teams
The SAVES Center provides technical assistance, training, and research support to state and Tribal demonstration sites. The demonstration sites also participate in peer-to-peer technical assistance and learning opportunities. Below are descriptions of the 13 SAVES demonstration site projects.
Colorado Department of Human Services – Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) leverages existing partnerships with courts, employment and benefits staff, and domestic violence service providers to enhance child support services for survivors of domestic violence by becoming more trauma-responsive and family-centered. Their SAVES project supports Colorado DCSS’ ongoing shift from enforcement to a holistic supportive service for the whole family. It equips child support staff with the skills to understand the needs and barriers faced by survivors, safe access practices, and tools for staff to address their own vicarious trauma.
Contact: Lisa Sage-Lowe, Grant Administrator – [email protected]
Georgia Department of Human Services – Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) is using expert-informed resources to revise comprehensive policies and procedures to incorporate safe access to services for domestic violence survivors. Georgia DCSS’ approach for the SAVES project is centered around implementing domestic violence training for staff and court personnel, enhancing domestic violence policies to better protect survivors using a triage team, and partnering with domestic violence agencies.
Contact: Ineabel Santiago, Grant Specialist, [email protected]
Lac Courte Oreilles Child Support Program created the Gaawiin Geyaabi project—which means “no more” in Ojibwemowin—to end domestic violence and promote community-wide healing for the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe and community. In Sawyer County, which surrounds Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal lands, Native Americans account for about 19 percent of the population but 42 percent of the victims of domestic violence and 45 percent of the suspects. To address this overrepresentation, the Gaawiin Geyaabi project is drawing on the collective insight and practical experience of local partners and people with lived experience of domestic violence and the historical trauma Native Americans have endured. Together, the project team and their partners will create policies, procedures, and program services that are comprehensive, effective, and culturally relevant, all with the end goal of community-wide healing.
Contact: Sue Smith, Project Executive, [email protected] and Jennifer McFaggan, [email protected]
CSR Article: A Logo That Says “No More” to Domestic Violence
Michigan Office of Child Support (OCS) implements comprehensive domestic violence policies, procedures, and program services to increase safe access to child support services for survivors who are not currently receiving child support services. Through the SAVES project, Michigan OCS uses a two-pronged approach. The first prong focuses on improving local offices’ delivery of safe access to child support, custody, and parenting time for survivors. The second prong involves the Michigan State Court Administrative office implementing a statewide workgroup that will examine the intricacies in the state’s approach to domestic violence cases through a trauma-informed lens. The workgroup will provide recommendations to child support, custody, and parenting time policy groups on changes in court procedures that can assist survivors navigating court processes.
Contact: Elizabeth (Liz) West, Grant Manager, [email protected] and Tracey Bankhead, SAVES Grant Manager, [email protected]
Minnesota Child Support Division (CSD) is building a SAVES Advisory Council and creating strong collaborations with domestic violence programs, courts, public assistance agencies, legal aid providers, survivors, and other partners to respond to the needs of domestic violence survivors. Minnesota CSD is also creating a series of subcommittees focused on policy, practice, outreach, in addition to piloting domestic violence triage models with enhanced protections for survivors. These collaborations will instill confidence among partner programs and their clients in the child support program’s ability to respond appropriately to domestic violence concerns, making it safer for people to seek out support services, maintain safety while receiving services, and understand their options if it is not safe to receive services.
Contact: Valerie Lunderville, Grant Coordinator, [email protected]
Missouri Child Support Program educates and assists the public, selected domestic court participants, and clients of affiliate organizations of Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence on domestic violence issues and enhances safety for survivors of domestic violence in the Missouri Child Support Program. The program uses public education and outreach strategies, staff and partner training, development of a safe access point with responsive good cause protections for survivors, implementation of comprehensive domestic violence case processing policies and protocols, and the establishment and assessment of specialized domestic violence triage teams.
Contact: John Ginwright, Project Manager, [email protected]
The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance – Division of Child Support Services (DCSS), in partnership with the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV), aims to: 1) enhance survivor access to child support services through a detailed review and revision of policies, procedures, and staff training using a survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive lens; 2) develop and implement ways to educate the public about available protections for individuals receiving child support services; 3) increase the number of individuals who seek and receive child support services; 4) improve partnerships between county-level child support administrators, domestic violence service providers and other systems or organizations that may come into contact with survivors; and 5) establish cross-program teams and implementation plans that are the foundation for sustaining the key elements of the project after the period of federal funding ends.
By mapping the pathways survivors take when seeking child support, key touchpoints will be identified for enhancing effective engagement between the individual and the Child Support Program, putting survivors on the path to economic security.
Contact: Sara Hirsch, Project Manager, [email protected]
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services – Office of Child Support (OCS), in partnership with Cuyahoga County Office of Child Support Services, Franklin County Child Support Enforcement Agency, and the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, is expanding on their current domestic violence initiative that focuses on providing education, awareness, and policy and procedure advancements to all child support enforcement agencies throughout the state. The SAVES project is providing opportunities to further develop and implement consistent safe services to families in Ohio. Ohio OCS is working closely with the SAVES Center, state child support enforcement agencies, and public partners in domestic violence awareness, training, technical assistance, screening tools, and improvement and development of policies and procedures to implement safeguards for receiving child support services.
Contact: Katherine Kausek, Human Services Program Administrator, [email protected]
Oklahoma Human Services – Child Support Services is improving their services to survivors of domestic violence through implementation of comprehensive domestic violence safety policies, procedures, training, and outreach activities to enhance safety for victims of domestic violence in the child support program. Their objectives are to 1) improve awareness of options to safely pursue child support among domestic violence survivors; 2) increase public awareness of domestic violence; 3) work with the SAVES Center to measure the impact of interventions implemented on baseline measures of domestic violence; and 4) train of staff and judiciary of both administrative and district courts.
Contact: Victoria Harrison, [email protected]
Texas Office of the Attorney General – Child Support Division (OAG-CSD) is enhancing internal policies as they relate to domestic violence cases, collaborating with external partners on best approaches to assist survivors, training staff on new case management strategies, and advancing the child support process for survivors of domestic violence. To accomplish this, Texas OAG-CSD is partnering with the state domestic violence coalition, a statewide legal service and advocacy group, and individuals with lived experience to develop a risk assessment tool that will be applied by case navigators for cases assigned to Cameron, Hidalgo, and Webb counties. Alongside this tool, system enhancements, policy revisions, training material, course development, and reporting databases will be created and implemented for sustainability.
Contact: Amanda Vasquez, Executive Project Oversight, [email protected]
Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE) is improving their child support services by increasing awareness of abuse, identifying barriers to treatment, closing systematic technological and policy gaps, and, ultimately, providing support, guidance, and resources to keep families safe. Virginia DCSE is collaborating with the SAVES Center, the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Research Institute for Social Equity, and local domestic violence service providers to systematically revise policies and protocols, while centering the voices of survivors through a permanent advisory council.
Contact: Taylor Ashe, Policy Program Consultant, [email protected]
Washington State Division of Child Support (DCS) develops expert-informed child support education, outreach, policies, and procedures for survivors of domestic violence. Through the SAVES project, Washington DCS is testing multiple strategies designed to increase safety for survivors currently receiving child support, and increase understanding and access for those interested in receiving service. Washington DCS is working with domestic violence experts and individuals with lived experience to increase understanding of risks, mitigate barriers to seeking services, and communicate more effectively with survivors of domestic violence.
Contact: Brandon Glover, Grants Project Manager, [email protected]
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families is developing and implementing an innovative, trauma-informed, culturally respectful, and equity-focused program called Wisconsin’s Network for Safety (WINS) in Child Support. WINS addresses needs to 1) ensure families have safe and full access to child support and parenting time services; 2) remedy the underreporting of domestic violence in the child support system; 3) enhance case management strategies to manage interactions with survivors and people who use violence; 4) strengthen ties between state, Tribal, and local service providers; and 5) enable children and families to thrive financially and to live violence-free lives.
Contact: Caroline Schultz, [email protected]