Partnering for positive outcomes.
The child support program, under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act of 1975, is often perceived as a system that is punitive and one-sided. While strong enforcement action in the mid-1980s through the early 2000s yielded record-breaking performance numbers, the longer-term impact on low-income families was mixed. Over the past 20 years, child support agencies have examined how their policies and practices impact family outcomes, not just program performance.
Our Work in Louisiana
Since the fall of 2020, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has engaged with Public Knowledge® (PK) on several consulting efforts. We have:
- Completed an equity-focused operational assessment
- Co-created a family-centered child support policy framework
- Facilitated workshops with agency leaders, staff, and stakeholders
- Co-designed department-level restructuring recommendations
- Delivered self-paced Implementation Science training
- Designed program improvement and innovation implementation roadmaps.
Implementing Evidence-Based Programs
One outcome of our work together is Louisiana DCFS’s rollout of its Child Support Enforcement Employment & Training (CSE E&T) program. The program is grounded in evidence-backed initiatives tested nationally and part of “family-centered child support services.” CSE E&T will connect parents to stable employment, enable them to become financially self-sufficient and provide consistent support to their children. Louisiana DCFS has partnered with PK to finalize the program model and policies to uphold fidelity to the model. We are collaborating with them to develop a CSE E&T participant tracking and program performance tool.
We Delight, Collaborate With, and Empower Our Clients
PK has walked side-by-side with Louisiana DCFS as they have modernized their child support program and launched innovative family-centered services. Our extraordinary ability to delight, collaborate with, and empower our clients to tackle complex problems sets our consulting work apart from others. Our diversity of expertise enables our team to provide a wide range of consulting services. We become trusted advisors and catalysts for positive outcomes.