County of Alameda

DESCRIPTION

Incumbents under general supervision, use independent judgment to perform the scope of duties, which emphasize specialized clerical duties. They are required to know a large variety of forms and computer screens. They have responsibility for case file maintenance, producing inquiry correspondence, making telephone contact with employers and others who may know the location of NCPs, serving as a receptionist, and/or processing incoming responses from employers and health insurance providers.

Incumbents may rotate throughout various units of the Alameda County Department of Child Support Services (ACDCSS) as needed to accommodate further employee development and staffing needs of the department.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

These positions are located in the Alameda County Department of Child Support Services (ACDCSS). Positions allocated to this class series receive, examine, prepare, process and maintain a variety of child support documents; provide assistance to Child Support Caseworkers; and perform other work as required. Child Support Assistant I’s are distinguished from Child Support Assistant II’s in that the former are responsible for entry level clerical duties whereas the latter are responsible for more specialized clerical work that requires the exercise of initiative, analysis, and judgment, beyond that of the entry level classification of Child Support Assistant I. This classification series differs
from the Child Support Caseworker series in that the incumbents in these classifications perform a wide variety of clerical work in support of Child Support Caseworkers, as opposed to the full range of case management activities.

Incumbents of the class of Child Support Assistant I are expected to gain experience and demonstrate proficiency which qualifies them to promote to the higher level after the equivalent of one year of full-time service.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

NOTE:  The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification.  However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level.  Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.

 

1.  Receives and sorts incoming mail, correspondence, forms, legal documents, etc.

2.  Determines appropriate action for all incoming mail including how to record and where to route for action.

3.  Tracks and logs all contacts, updates and maintains child support related information in appropriate systems.

4.  Assists Child Support staff by accessing and retrieving child support related information, locating individual documents, and gathering necessary information in preparation for legal action and casework activity.

5.  Takes action to locate case participant using a variety of federal, state and local restricted databases, as well as numerous public databases.

6.  Takes action to determine case participant employment, income, health benefits coverage, etc. using a variety of research of research and investigation methods.

7.  Records detailed information in child support records and on appropriate forms to document case activity and the outcome of investigations.

8.  Conducts interviews with case participants and others to gather information.

9.  Assists the public with a wide variety of customer inquiries in a professional and courteous manner.

10.  Performs research in various computer systems and programs, reviews documents, and identifies and corrects errors.

11.  Distributes, receives, prepares and processes child support and other official documents according to specific legal guidelines or criteria in order to process documents on behalf of the Alameda County Department of Child Support Services.

12.  May receive and process child support payments.

13.  Authenticates child support related documents for processing.

14.  Arranges for paternity tests.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Graduation from high school or possession of a Certificate of Proficiency issued by the California State Board of Education, or possession of a G.E.D. certificate.

AND

EITHER I

Experience:

The equivalent of one year of full-time experience in the class of Customer Services Representative, DCSS or in an equivalent or higher level clerical class in the Alameda County classified service which must have included public contact or customer service.

 OR I

Experience:

The equivalent of two years of full-time clerical experience which must have included responsibility for applying policies, rules, codes, laws, ordinances, and/or procedures in support of technical or professional staff.

 

Substitution:

the equivalent of an associate degree (completion of 60 semester or 90 quarter units) form an accredited college or university may be substituted for 6 months of the required experience in any pattern above.

 

Special Requirements:

1.  Accurately type a minimum of 40 net words per minute from clear copy.

2.  Lift and move objects up to 20 lbs.

3.  A thorough pre-employment background investigation will be conducted of all candidates who have accepted a conditional offer of employment to ensure sustainability for child support related work.  A felony conviction may be disqualifying.

 

NOTE:  The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Knowledge of:

• Modern office practices and procedures including business correspondence, filing, and standard office equipment operation including use of a desktop computer.
• Laws, regulations, and codes governing the access to, and use of, confidential information and legal documents.
• Legal terminology applicable to child support documents.
• Deal tactfully and courteously with people from diverse backgrounds and effectively manage customer interactions.

Ability to:

• Work effectively under pressure.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, peers, other agencies, and the public.
• Exercise independent judgment in determining proper work methods and procedures, and assembling and evaluating information.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Analyze, evaluate, and draw logical conclusions.
• Maintain work area, procedures, policies and other information in an accurate, well organized manner.
• Use a desktop computer or laptop and a variety of databases and applications common to Child Support activities in an efficient manner.
• Perform detailed office support work.
• Prioritize work and coordinate several activities to meet critical deadlines.
• Perform accurate arithmetic calculations.
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Draft and compose standard business correspondence including proper English usage, spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Understand and follow complex oral and written instructions, policies and procedures.
• Interpret and apply complex rules, codes, laws, and ordinances.
• Perform detailed and accurate office support work; review documents for completeness and information and conformance with requirements.

CLASS SPEC HISTORY

BG:pf 4/11/02
Newspec: 1165-1166.doc
CSC Date: 4/24/02
SG:po Revised 1/26/07
CSC Date: 3/28/07
SG:po Revised 5/9/08
CSC Date: 9 /24/2008
AS:cs Revised 11/20/14
CSC Date: 12/10/14
LC:ac Revised 02/01/19

CSC Date: 06/05/19

BENEFITS

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees) 
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 12 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.