Child Support Officer

Legal Case Activity

• Determine which cases need action and type of action required.


• Calculate income based on hourly wage, potential earning ability, and self-employment tax returns, case history research, review of party supplied data, review of information available in PRISM.


• Prepare legal documents, prepare referrals and supporting documentation for the county attorney's office.


• Conduct pre/post hearing conferences with clients and/or attorneys.


• Attend and testify in district court and expedited process hearings.


• Initiates interstate actions to establish and/or enforce court orders when one of the parties resides outside of MN.


• Negotiates out of court child support related settlements for approval by appropriate authority. 


• Initiates necessary legal action to establish a court order for support and/or reimbursement, or to enforce an existing court order. 


• Selects and refers appropriate cases to the county attorney for legal action. 


• Prepares legal documents for review and signature of the county attorney. 


• Interviews witnesses for trial as necessary. 


• Testifies in court on behalf of agency or client, prepares court documents, provides financial and current case status information. 


• Gathers information, reviews finances and makes recommendations for the amount of child support to parents, attorneys and the court. 


• Participates in modification of child support and appeals hearings. 


• Processes cases to comply with court orders regarding income withholding, cost-of-living adjustments, liens and medical insurance provisions. 


• May assist in the preliminary investigation of suspected fraud cases and preparation of those cases for fraud prosecution. 


• Takes appropriate legal action to establish an order for medical support or to enforce an existing medical support order. 

Case Management

• Interview custodial and non-custodial parents on phone or in person to discuss current case status, discuss upcoming/past legal action, party's current personal situation regarding employment or otherwise, provide payment information, or other case status questions.


• Arranges interviews and appointments for genetic testing of alleged fathers, mother and child to establish paternity. 


• Locates absent parents through cooperative efforts with law enforcement agencies, Department of Human Services, the post office, employers, custodial parents, relatives and other information sources. 


• Interviews parents to obtain case information, employment status and to determine their ability to pay child support. 


• Initiates interstate/intrastate actions to establish orders or enforce existing child support orders from other jurisdictions in order to secure child support payments. 


• Gather information from and provide information to clients. Maintain up to date case files and PRISM.


• Process cases and complete updates in PRISM to comply with court orders regarding income withholding, health care coverage, cost of living adjustments, and administrative enforcement remedies.


• Locates obligors through PRISM, custodial parents, other MN government agencies and computer systems, by locating and searching publicly available information (court, property records, birth/marriage, etc.) for MN and other states, and other information sources.


• Analyze reports to determine which cases should be reviewed for additional work, locate problem cases, or to prepare for annual cost of living adjustments. Monthly reports analyzed to determine which cases should be reviewed for additional administrative enforcement or possible legal action.


• Contacts clients who have received overpayment of public assistance money, sets up recovery payment plan 


• and monitors compliance. 


• Handles case correspondence and all necessary case maintenance. 


• Retrieves, enters and changes information from paper and computer files (including use of the statewide child support and income maintenance computer systems) in order to obtain and correct case information, monitor case status and oversee the progress of enforcement actions. 


• Responds to inquiries about the child support program from any inquiring party, including employers, attorneys and clients. 


• Make referrals to other agencies such as social services, legal services, job service, etc., as appropriate. 


• Provides data to supervisor regarding work processing/flow and problem cases. 


• Implements program changes as mandated by the legislature and the Department of Human Services. 


• Monitors billings and payments on accounts and contacts obligors to resolve delinquent payments expeditiously. 


• Determine if cases meet closure criteria.

Customer Service

• Provide customer service on-site, by phone, by email or written correspondence to clients who are often in difficult personal and financial situations.


• Give and receive information regarding clients/cases to appropriate persons including court workers and other governmental organizations.

While these are the primary focus of the position, we believe strongly in teamwork and employees will be called upon to perform a variety of duties as part of their role with Fillmore County.

Position Requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Team player with the ability to collaborate and implement effective customer service


• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing


• Ability to perform accurate mathematical calculations
  
  
  
  • Considerable knowledge of child support laws, rules, regulations and policies. Considerable knowledge of the legal process related to child support orders and hearings. 
  
  
  • Considerable knowledge of the laws and rules pertaining to data privacy. 
  
  
  • Considerable knowledge of rules of evidence and court procedures. 
  
  
  • Knowledge of federal and state income maintenance program laws, rules and regulations. 
  
  
  • Knowledge of legal terms, forms and substance to be followed in drafting/writing orders of judgment and contempt actions and other legal documents. 
  
  
  • Knowledge of community resources. 
  
  
  • Knowledge of personal financial management techniques. 
  
  
  • Knowledge of debt collection approaches and laws. 
  
  
  • Knowledge of human behavior. 
  
  
  • Basic computation skills. 
  
  
  • Ability to organize and prioritize work. 
  
  
  • Ability to handle hostile or uncooperative people. 
  
  
  • Ability to analyze facts and evidence to make sound recommendations 
  
  
  • Ability to explain and interpret complex laws, rules and regulations and court orders. 
  
  
  • Ability to process a large volume of work quickly and accurately. 
  
  
  • Ability to work independently. 
  
  
  • Ability to conduct an effective interview. 
  
  
  • Ability to enter and retrieve data from a computer system using a keyboard. 
  
  
  • Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing. 
  
  
  • Ability to develop effective working relationships with attorneys, child support magistrates, co-workers, clients, court personnel, human services staff, personnel from other organizations and employers. 
  
  
  • Ability to maintain effective working relationships with individuals from all cultural, occupational and socioeconomic backgrounds. 
  
  
  • Ability to establish and maintain thorough case files in compliance with state and federal laws, both for on-going collections and for audit process. 
  
  
  • Ability to prepare clear, concise and comprehensive reports. 
  
  
  • Ability to prepare court documents in a paralegal capacity. 
  
  
  
  

Education

An associate of arts in criminal justice, law enforcement, paralegal, social work, psychology, human services, or business administration or completion of a technical or community college child support AAS or diploma program
 
OR

A high school diploma, or GED, AND one of the following: 

Two years of experience working in child support programs and having responsibility for carrying out part of child support collections (i.e., as a Support Enforcement Aide, Collections Officer) or experience in a government agency with responsibility for collection of fees

OR 
 
Three years of experience providing clerical or other support services to child support staff, or experience as a legal secretary or paralegal (performing research on cases, gathering necessary documents for trials, preparing documents and pleadings, assisting attorneys in court, etc.)  

OR

Four years of experience in collections work in the private sector. 

Licenses/Certifications

Must possess valid Minnesota Driver’s License.

Requirements

• E-mail and Microsoft Outlook


• Web Browsing


• Microsoft Office Products

Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge of PRISM software desired, but not required


• Knowledge of interviewing techniques


• Knowledge of legal processes and systems, including administrative law


• Knowledge of laws and ethics pertaining to data privacy


• Ability to explain laws or legal processes


• Ability to prepare and present legal documents


• Skills in mediation, complaint resolution and problem solving

Physical and Mental Requirements

Positions in this job typically require: sitting, feeling, manual dexterity, grasping, talking, hearing, typing, and seeing. This position encounters stress and pressure from dealing with emotional issues and conflicts. There is also sustained exposure to computer keyboards and video screens. This position is generally light-duty and may require the exertion up to 20 pounds of force on occasion and the ability to lift, carry, push, pull and move objects.

The physical demands described here are representative to those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.  Reasonable accommodations can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in an office setting. Driving and client visits is required. Exposure to angry persons, environmental and health issues may occur.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative to those an employee encounters while performing essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations can be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Competencies Common to All County Positions

• Develop, maintain a thorough working knowledge of, and comply with all departmental and applicable County policies and procedures


• Demonstration by personal example the spirit of service, excellence, and integrity expected from all


• Develop respectful and cooperative working relationships with co-workers, including willing assistance to newer staff so job responsibilities can be performed with confidence as quickly as possible.


• Confer regularly with and keep immediate supervisor informed of all important matters which pertain to the applicable job functions and responsibilities.


• Represent Fillmore County in a professional manner to the public, outside contacts and constituencies.