Tribal Child Support Unit

The 477 Tribal Child Support Unit (TCSU) provides services to all Southeast Alaska villages and communities, with the exception of Metlakatla Indian Community. TCSU is currently the only Child Support Agency in Southeast Alaska. The majority of TCSU cases are opened when a custodial parent applies for and receives Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Due to the 60-month limit of TANF benefits, many TANF cases are transitioned to non-assistance cases, showing a general overall trend for current support to be paid directly to custodial parents. Approximately 76% of child support is distributed directly to families and 24% to the Tribe for reimbursement of funds owed to TANF for assignment of child support Kéilteen rights. In 2021, TCSU’s collection rate decreased by 11.13%, which did not Janae Franklet meet the fiscal performance goal of increasing collection by 8%. Manager TCSU accepts all applications for child support services and makes appropriate referrals when necessary. The majority of TCSU cases are from parents or custodians who receive public assistance, i.e., TANF benefits. TCSU cases are also opened when custodians apply for other tribal services such as Employment & Training and Child Care services. TCSU received 181 applications for the year which, in turn, created 102 new cases; the remaining were added to 79 existing or reopened cases.

2021 Highlights

ƒ Increased active Tribal IV-D caseload to 1,344. ƒ Distributed $1,185,465 in child support. » Reached the benchmark of collecting over $1 million in child support for the fourth year in a row. TCSU specialists manage between 250-500 cases each which continues to result in higher collections. ƒ Successfully closed 118 child support cases. ƒ Provided “Think About It” virtual presentations that shared current statistics and the impact child support can have on life from teen pregnancy for: ƒ 10 Youth Employment Services participants in six Southeast Alaska communities (Craig, Hoonah,

Hydaburg, Juneau, Kake, and Klawock), and ƒ 78 Yadaa.at Kalé (Juneau-Douglas High School) students in Juneau, Alaska. ƒ Submitted 187 Alaska Permanent Fund (PFD) garnishment requests. ƒ Received 71 paternity establishment requests for tribal youth: 25 were not eligible to establish due to case closure or unknown father, 6 were hard to establish due to not enough information to proceed or non-cooperation, and 40 were eligible for paternity establishment. Of the eligible cases, 18 have been referred to other states, 13 are pending, and 9 are in process with Tribal Court. ƒ Participated in the annual WICSEC (Western Intergovernmental Child Support Engagement Council) conference virtually October 28-30. The conference concentrated on interagency collaboration (federal, state, tribal agencies) and shared trends seen in child support caseload, best practices, and self-care. ƒ Implemented a quarterly training/continuing education plan for TCSU staff.

Tribal Child Support Unit

ƒ Successfully expanded off-site staff with approval of Tlingit & Haida President and the Federal

Office of Child Support Enforcement: » TCSU Attorney is working remotely from Seattle, Washington, and » TCSU Manager is working remotely from Bend, Oregon.

2022 Goals

ƒ Increase collections by at least 8%. ƒ Promote staff training and continuing education to strengthen industry knowledge and job performance. ƒ Increase outreach efforts by re-establishing relationships with key organizations in the community (AWARE, Gastineau Human Services, Lemon Creek Correctional Center, and Reentry & Recovery) to assist our clients. ƒ Launch the You Matter program that will focus on assisting noncustodial parents with employment and educational opportunities in order to seek employment opportunities and/or increase their opportunities for advancement in their area of work. ƒ Hire TCSU staff for the Tribe’s new offices in Anchorage and Seattle offices to increase our accessibility to our clients. ƒ Develop a new program to provide employment services to non-custodial parents.