Child Support Enforcement exceeds goals

North Carolina Child Support Enforcement continues to outperform incentive goals set by the federal government as it moves forward with year two of a five-year plan to improve customer service.

“We want to deliver unsurpassed service to more than a half-million children,” said Barry Miller, North Carolina CSE section chief. “This ‘Journey to Excellence’ plan is being implemented statewide by all child support personnel, and it is working. We customized our plan to exceed federal goals.”

Recent data shows CSE is on target for reaching incentive goals in collections, paternity establishment and in the percentage of cases under order.

Collections goal for 2005 was 65.01 percent. Current data indicates collections are at 64.96 percent and climbing at mid-fiscal year. Gross collections for fiscal year 2005 were $597,056,045.00, an all-time high reflecting a 12-percent increase over the past two years. The goal in 2005 for percentage of cases under order was 79.52. The current performance is 81 percent. Paternity establishment’s goal for 2005 was 86.65. Current midyear status is 89.46 percent.

Today, North Carolina has 297 certified DNA agents in 57 offices to collect DNA samples when paternity is questioned by an alleged father. This has improved the turnaround time from sampling to receipt of test results from 15 days to 9 days, a 66- percent improvement. Health coverage will soon become a mandated incentive item, and CSE is making preparations to offer affordable private health insurance to qualified children through group plans.

Child Support Enforcement joined the North Carolina Awards for Excellence program sponsored by the Legislature and housed at North Carolina State University. This is a model of business management that uses criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige Quest for Excellence program. The criteria are based on core values that are embedded beliefs and behaviors found in high-performing organizations. Those values are: focus on the future, visionary leadership, customer-driven excellence, organizational and personal leaning, valuing employees, management by fact, and excellence.

“We believe that by implementing the Baldrige business model into every aspect of the child support organization, we will be successful in achieving the goals on our journey,” Miller said.

In October 2004 Child Support Enforcement received the North Carolina Award for Excellence for executing the Baldrige criteria into our program. Child Support Enforcement continues its pursuit of performance excellence and its commitment to achieve unprecedented levels of customer service for the children and families of North Carolina.

“In the first two years we have made great strides,” Miller said. “North Carolina is committed to consistently collect as much money as possible for the children and families of North Carolina.”

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Last Modified: March 3, 2006