CHILD SUPPORT SPECIALIST II (#BY2 )

$30.76-$38.89 hourly / $5,332.00-$6,741.00 monthly / $63,980.80-$80,891.20 yearly

Under direction, to determine and initiate actions to establish and enforce support orders or to establish paternity in child support cases; to obtain necessary facts and information to support and document legal actions; and to do related work as required. 

Positions in this journey class independently evaluate delinquent and nonpaying support cases, disputed paternity cases and welfare reimbursement cases, select from a wide range of prescribed alternatives the most appropriate legal course to pursue to establish or obtain compliance with support orders, and gather information from a variety of sources to provide documentation for legal actions. These positions also perform the more difficult interviewing tasks involved in gathering information to establish paternity and in negotiating child support agreements when no court order exists. Positions in this class do not generally perform investigative work in the field. 

Review nonpaying child support cases to determine whether legal action is necessary to establish paternity to establish and enforce support. Refer to applicable sections of various California Codes and determines within established alternatives the appropriate legal course. Gather necessary data to document legal actions through interviews, court documents, case records, and a variety of other sources. Explain actions to the client. Draft, from outlined instructions and established procedures, a wide variety of legal documents, such as opinions, contracts, orders, points and authorities, information, motions, complaints, warrants, subpoenas, at issue memorandum, affidavits, instructions to jury, requests for dismissal, notices of motions, agreements for entry of judgments, complaints for reimbursement, civil contempt, modification of existing support orders, reciprocal actions, wage assignments, writs, liens, changes of venue, and witness fee forms. Confers with attorney on difficult or unusual cases. Interview complainants in paternity cases to obtain information substantiating paternity. Arrange for genetic testing. Interview alleged parents, potential witnesses and others and gathers sufficient information to determine whether paternity might be legally proven. Confers with attorney on sufficiency of evidence and where indicated drafts appropriate legal documents. Negotiate pretrial settlements and stipulations, and prepare stipulated orders. Interview absent parents to negotiate support agreements in the absence of a court order. Record pleas, trials, convictions, acquittals, sentences and other dispositions of cases in case records. Enters records of hearings on calendar. Evaluate clients' financial status. May conduct review of case files for compliance with federal and state performance standards and regulations.Prepare correspondence and statistical reports. Occasionally testifies in court to verify records or statements made in interviews. May provide services at co-location centers with Human Resources Agency and other non-profit and government agencies. May participate in the initial orientation and training of new employees. May assist attorney in preparing questions for dispositions. May provide vacation or other temporary relief for other classes as required.  Enter and access information from automated case management systems as well as manual record keeping systems, manage a large caseload by completing required tasks within timeframes, provide customer service to clients.

Knowledge: 

Thorough knowledge of: 

• Interviewing techniques for gathering factual information from a wide variety of people. 

Working knowledge of: 

• Standard office procedures and record keeping practices; 
• Methods of organizing work and caseload management; 
• Common legal terminology, legal documents and basic civil procedures used to enforce payment of funds and compliance of court orders; and 
• Methods and techniques used in determining financial assets and making collections. 

Some knowledge of: 

• Human motivation and behavior. 

Ability to: 

• Independently evaluate data on delinquent or non-paying child support cases and contested paternity cases to determine and initiate appropriate legal actions; 
• Exercise resourcefulness and ingenuity in gathering information from a wide variety of sources to provide documentation for legal action; 
• Read, understand, explain and apply complex laws and regulations; 
• Establish effective rapport with complainants, absent parents and potential witnesses to obtain confidential and personal information and elicit cooperation; 
• Compose correspondence; 
• Establish priorities and schedule work to meet deadlines; 
• Maintain accurate records; 
• Make arithmetic computations; 
• Input, access and analyze data using a computer; and Type at a minimal rate of speed. 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE 

Any combination of education and experience which would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying, unless otherwise specified. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be: 

• One year of experience comparable to a Child Support Specialist I in Santa Cruz County OR two years of experience which would directly relate to the knowledge and abilities listed above. 

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS/CONDITIONS: 

• Special Working Conditions: Exposure to possible hostile reactions from Child Support clients. 
• May work an alternate schedule, including evenings and/or weekend work. 
• Fingerprint/Background Investigation: Ability to pass a background investigation. Fingerprinting is required. 
• Physically and mentally capable of performing the position's essential functions as summarized in the typical tasks.