About CSDA
The Child Support Directors Association of California (CSDA) was established in 2001
as a non-profit association to represent the local child support directors of California's 58 counties.
The association strives to be of service to local child support agencies (LCSA) in their effort to
provide children and families with the financial, medical, and emotional support required to be productive
and healthy citizen in our society.
Find out more about CSDA below:
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Mission
CSDA promotes and supports the county child support agencies in their efforts to provide for the economic well-being of the children and families served by California's Child Support Program.
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2008 Association Goals
CSDA Shall...
- Continue to advocate for program improvement initiatives before the California State Legislature and continue to educate stakeholders about the benefits of a fully funded and robust child support program;
- Continue to advocate for adequate program funding;
- Continue to understake activities that support the successful conversion and implementation of CCSAS;
- Continue to work with LCSAs and State DCSS on activities that contribute to the successful certification of CCSAS, thereby permanently stopping federal automation penalties;
- Continue to advocate for system improvements to CCSAS that will support the efficient delivery of child support services;
- Continue to support efforts at the federal level to educate lawmakers about the benefits of reversing provisions in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 that negatively impacted funding to the Title IV-D Child Support Program;
- Continue to actively engage with State DCSS and other program stakeholders on initiatives to improve short and long-term program performance.
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Message from CSDA President Connie Brunn - Got Support?
Greetings and welcome to the Child Support Directors Association website. I am honored and excited to serve as President for this association.
By the end of 2008, all California counties will have transitioned to a single statewide child support system. This will be a truly remarkable feat. California has been subject to penalties until the state has a system that meets federal automation requirements. Penalties are currently held in abeyance until a formal Certification Review is conducted by the federal government. Once certified, continuing penalties will be eliminated! It stands to reason that the main focus for CSDA this year is to actively support compliance with the requirements associated with this federal certification process.
The Association's mission is to support child support services across the state that promote child well-being and family self sufficiency by helping parents meet their mutual obligation to provide financial and medical support for their children. Accomplishing this ambitious mission requires a number of things:
- Adequate Program Funding
- Education
- Partnerships
Adequate program funding is essential. This year a reduction in funding is anticipated. After six years of flat funding resulting in staffing reductions, this is a big blow. CSDA will continue to advocate for adequate program funding in order for the counties to have the resources needed to meet State and Federal performance standards.
Child support work is people-resource intensive work. Child support professionals are unsung heroes in the social services network. Statewide last federal fiscal year, over $2.4 billion was collected to support children and families, either through direct payments to custodial parents or through the public welfare (CalWORKS) program. There is a direct correlation between number of staff in county agencies and total child support dollars collected statewide.
It is necessary to educate our stakeholders about the value of a robust child support program. The importance of financial and medical support to the development of children, and hence our communities, is beyond dispute. Such support raises the quality of life, improves outcomes, school performance, and general health. It strengthens our communities overall when we raise kids into adulthood who are starting off on higher ground than they would have without this support. In this way then, child support has a generational impact, an often under-appreciated aspect of the program.
This year, the Association is participating in a number of important collaborations between local child support county agencies and the State Department of Child Support Services, including a Business Plan Steering Committee and Workgroup, a Finance Committee and best practices forums to support the roll-out of California's first statewide automated child support system. As we look past the transition to a new system, CSDA Committees will continue to work together to seek the most effective and efficient ways to provide services to our customers and improve program performance.
It will be a remarkable year, a milestone on our path to improved performance. There will be challenges with the new system, but I am confident that the over 8,000 child support professionals across the state are up for the challenge. We can collectively improve program performance in California and better provide needed services to those families relying on us. I look forward to this exciting year.
Thank you for your support!
Connie Brunn,
President, Child Support Directors Association
Director, San Bernardino DCSS
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Message from CSDA Executive Director David G. Oppenheim
Welcome to the Child Support Directors Association web site. CSDA is your association.
It was founded with the purpose of providing maximum professional support to LCSA directors in
the areas of public policy, research, and advocacy. CSDA also provides a forum for Directors to
work directly with top-level state officials from the DCSS.
Additionally, CSDA provides a venue for Directors to share their ideas and experiences through our monthly membership meetings. These meetings typically focus on a number of priority issues that are either of statewide or local importance to the membership. So that these issues can be fully and thoughtfully discussed, trained CSDA facilitator members assist in some discussions. CSDA strongly values and encourages all points of view to be heard, and promotes a philosophy of inclusion, participation, and respect for fellow CSDA members.
CSDA strongly encourages each of its members to be an active participant. To that end, there are a number of issue committees you may choose to join, depending on your particular interests. CSDA's eleven standing committees are:
- Annual Conference
- Appellate
- Attorney Faculty Training
- Automation
- Finance
- Judicial Council Forms
- Legal Practices
- Legal Publications
- Legislation
- Policy and Regulations
- Research
In terms of leadership, CSDA's Board
of Directors largely directs our activities. The Board of Directors
includes nine Directors and two non-Directors. CSDA officers include the
President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
If you need any additional information concerning the
association, or if you have any questions about CSDA, please feel free
to contact me.
Sincerely,
David G. Oppenheim
CSDA Executive Director
(916) 446-6700 x102
doppenheim@csdaca.org
Child Support Directors Association
925 L Street, Suite 1402
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-446-6700 telephone
916-446-1199 facsimile
CSDA Staff
David G. Oppenheim, Executive Director
Natalie Dillon, Deputy Director
Natalie Metzger, Policy/Communications Analyst
Lisa Bispham,
Event Coordinator & Office Manager
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