The latest CSTP news for you

Volume 2, Issue 2, Spring 2020

Adjusting to a World of Social Distancing

Our personal and work lives have been turned upside down since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. As we all adjust to self-isolation and social distancing, it's important to remember the value in virtual networking. CSTP remains dedicated to connecting members through alternative forms of communication: our quarterly newsletter, quarterly conference calls, email, and LinkedIn group page. Stay safe, stay strong, and stay hopeful!

Cheers to Dad!

Father's Day is still a few months away. But at a time of national crisis, we often turn to "fatherly figures" for guidance and reassurance. This spring's quarterly newsletter is devoted to fathers and the important role they play in their children's lives.

You'll find articles about a variety of programs and initiatives designed to help fathers meet their child support obligations. We include perspectives from both state and tribal organizations.

As a trainer, what can you do to provide child support staff with the tools they need to serve non-custodial dads from a holistic approach?

Quarterly Call Recap

The first quarter CSTP call took place on Feb. 20. Colorado's IV-D Director, Larry Desbien, described how the Division of Child Support Services is working to provide resources parents and families need to be more fully engaged in the child support process and improve the consistency of payments. A recording of the call is accessible below. You'll need to click the arrow in the lower-left corner of the video player to start it.

The next quarterly call will be on May 14 at 1 p.m. Central . Presenters are needed. Consider volunteering for a 10- to 20-minute presentation on a related topic! If interested, please contact Shawn Peterson at [email protected].

Recording

Delaware Fatherhood Program and Training Partnership for NCPs

Across the nation, the issue of engaging non-custodial parents (NCPs) in paying their child support obligations is gaining momentum. In Delaware, the Division of Child Support Services developed and piloted the Delaware Fatherhood Program to serve NCPs in conjunction with an assortment of public and community nonprofit partners. The fatherhood initiative targets low-income NCPs who are potentially at risk of not paying child support or losing contact with their children, as well as re-entry fathers, throughout the state.

FIS: Strengthening Native Families through Responsible Fatherhood

Fatherhood Is Sacred (FIS) is a Native-based program that was developed by the Native American Fatherhood and Families Association (NAFFA) in 2002. The organization sees fathers as one of the greatest untapped resources for addressing family dysfunction and broken homes rather than the cause of such issues.

NAFFA utilizes five core concepts in its curriculum to help fathers navigate the path to self-realization and new beginnings: Creator , Choice , Teachable , Wisdom , and Service .

Join Us!

We are phasing out the online forum and creating a LinkedIn group to connect with other trainers like ourselves; share articles and ideas of interest; and discuss, comment, and collaborate. If you are on LinkedIn, you can search for Child Support Training Partnership .

All requests to join must be approved, so no one should try to sell things to you or spam you. Instead, you have a place for conversations wherever you are, whenever you have time. If you aren’t on LinkedIn yet, jump in, set up a profile, and join us.

F or questions about getting started on LinkedIn, contact Angela Braggs at [email protected] .

Ribbon Shirt Project: Getting Creative with Fatherhood Outreach

Last summer, Stockbridge-Munsee Community Tribal Child Support (SMCTCS) held a ribbon shirt sewing class for custodial and non-custodial parents as part of its Fatherhood Outreach Program. The class served as an incentive for fathers who pay support for their children and are actively involved in their children’s lives and those who are custodial parents raising their children or the children of others in the community.

Training Tips and Tricks

In the rush to move training online, it’s easy to overlook the more academic principles of good teaching. Some might argue that we can’t fuss over details like these, not now. We need video conferencing and project management software, and we need them now. Zoom , Slack , WebEx , Trello , Groove , Scoro —names that might have sounded foreign to us just a few weeks ago are now slipping into our everyday conversations. That’s good news for trainers. The bad news? If you’re already on the Zoom bandwagon (as most of you probably are), you might be starting in the wrong place. That’s because an effective training program begins with learning objectives , not learning tools .

Want to Contribute?

Long before COVID-19 reared its ugly head, we decided to devote our Summer 2020 newsletter to August’s Child Support Awareness Month: Helping Children and Families. As we find ways to adapt and adjust to our “new normal” in this life-altering time, we are soliciting articles that tell us how you have adapted your training routines and schedules to help children and families. If you wish to contribute an article for this newsletter, contact Jalynn Almond at [email protected] or [email protected] by Wednesday, May 15, 2020 . Thanks in advance, and I look forward to hearing from you!