Position Information
The Department of Child Support Services is looking for energetic, detail-oriented, candidates with strong customer service skills to join their highly innovative team as a Child Support Specialist.
Starting salary up to $38.43/hour, and a competitive total compensation package!
Department of Child Support Services is currently recruiting to fill multiple positions at either the I or II level, depending upon qualifications. If you are interested in applying at multiple levels of this opportunity, you must submit separate applications to each recruitment.
About
To learn more about working in our Child Support Program as a Child Support Specialist, view this Bay Area Region Child Support Collaborative video
Child Support Specialist II is a great opportunity to continue a rewarding career with the County of Sonoma where you can enjoy the satisfaction of making a difference in your community.
The Sonoma County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) works directly with parents and legal guardians to establish paternity and ensure children and families receive court-ordered financial and medical support.
Additionally, You Will
As a Child Support Specialist II, you will enforce policies, procedures, and relevant child support laws and regulations.
- Establish, review, research, prepare, and monitor child support collection cases
- Prepare legal documents
- Compile information from documents, financial statements, and other appropriate sources regarding child support cases
- Prioritize and manage a large caseload while meeting mandated time frames and compliance standards
- Interview custodial and non-custodial parents
As the ideal candidate to join DCSS, you enjoy working with the public, are detail-oriented, and possess:
- Experience handling and interpreting legal documents, including wage garnishments and/or liens
- Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills, in order to communicate effectively by phone, in person, and in writing
- The ability to remain calm and assist individuals who may be uncooperative, confused, or frustrated with the system
- Superb organization and prioritization skills, as well as the ability to focus on complicated tasks and projects in a fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions
What We Offer
Benefits
You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including
When you join the DCSS, you become part of a challenging and rewarding work environment where you gain the satisfaction of knowing that you are working to better your community.
- County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
- May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment
- A hybrid telework schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on assignment
- An annual Staff Development/Wellness Benefit allowance of up to $500 and ongoing education/training opportunities
- Retirement fully integrated with Social Security
- Eligibility for a salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
- County paid 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
- Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
The DCSS is currently recruiting to fill multiple Child Support Specialist positions. The employment list established from this recruitment will be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help positions as they occur during the active status of this list.
Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment. The Civil Service title for this position is Child Support Officer II.
- Salary is negotiable. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits directory .
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.
Minimum Qualifications
Education: Academic course work which relates to knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, this would include courses in investigation, interviewing, paralegal or legal assistant and social and behavioral science.
Experience: Experience which would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, one year of full-time experience as a Child Support Officer I with Sonoma County or equivalent position in another county would provide such opportunity.
License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level, including necessary endorsements as required by the State of California to perform the essential job functions of the position.
Special Qualifications: The ability to speak, read and write Spanish fluently may be required for certain job assignments.
Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities
Considerable knowledge of: civil and criminal law, procedures and regulations that pertain to the enforcement of child support cases; child support collection procedures and methods of collecting and adjusting delinquent accounts; methods and techniques used to effectively locate noncustodial parents, relatives and related persons; interviewing principles and techniques used for obtaining factual information; financial record keeping procedures; modern office practices and procedures.
Working knowledge of: basic accounting; legal terminology; court procedures; mandated child abuse laws and reporting procedures; community services and resources of use to case participants.
Ability to: apply federal, state or local laws, ordinances, codes, procedures and rules in order to secure current and delinquent child support payments and establish paternity; effectively interview individuals in order to secure information required to collect support payments; explain legal rights, alternatives, and implications of chosen action to affected parties; process, organize, and prioritize a large caseload while maintaining legal time lines and due process standards; maintain confidentiality; effectively use computer and other resources to prepare and manage cases; recognize the needs, attitudes and problems of people from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds; provide information and referral to case participants about appropriate community services and resources; effectively locate individuals, assets and court orders for support; make logical determinations from financial statements on the amount of child support payments; monitor child support payment records to ensure compliance with court orders; prepare appropriate legal documents; recognize and report suspected child abuse and possible welfare fraud; conduct Orders of Examination; testify in court; prepare correspondence and convey facts and information; establish and maintain effective working relationships with individuals, co-workers, and public and private agency personnel; extract pertinent information from records; exercise independent judgment within general guidelines; prepare clear and concise written reports and memoranda; deal with stressful situations and hostile people; perform arithmetic calculations; effectively use electronic information systems and equipment; analyze and interpret electronic information system data.
Some case assignments require the ability to: learn and apply specialized federal child support laws and procedures, such as UIFSA,URESA, FFCCSOA, and PRWORA, as they apply to interstate and international cases; the child support laws, ordinances, codes, procedures and rules from other states and countries; and the more complex accounting processes as they deal with diverse interest issues of other states and countries.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying
- Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.
- You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
- Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
- You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.
Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.
The Selection Procedure Will Consist Of The Following Examination
An
Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.
Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.
Additional Information
A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.
Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.
How To Apply
Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org . Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.
The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.
HR Analyst: JT
HR Technician: RR
