Kenosha County expands child support safety efforts for domestic-violence survivors under federal grant

Kenosha County Human Services Committee members heard a presentation on a federally funded Safe Access for Victims Economic Security Demonstration Grant intended to make child support services safer and more accessible for domestic violence survivors.

The program, described by Dustin Feeney, director of the Division of Workforce Development, and Laura Irvin, Kenosha County Child Support Services manager, has funded a child-support safety coordinator, improved screening and welcome materials, expanded staff training and new case-triage procedures to protect participants who fear contact with other parents or public court filings.

"Child Support's core mission is financial security for families," Feeney said while explaining why the county pursued the grant and the service improvements it supports. Feeney and Irvin told the committee the county has been piloting safety questionnaires, a welcome letter, a triage process and an in-house safety coordinator to reduce barriers survivors face when deciding whether to pursue child support.

The county is one of three Wisconsin sites selected for the federal demonstration; Brown and St. Croix counties are the other two. Kenosha hired a child support safety coordinator, Stephanie Wirkus, in December 2024 to run training, help triage high-risk cases and monitor a domestic-violence screening tracker the office is beginning to populate.

Irvin said the office has trained about 40 child-support staff to recognize non-physical domestic violence cues, to slow processes when needed and to use a conversational guide and referral resources rather than immediately pushing standard timelines and requirements. She said staff aim to build relationships first so survivors can disclose barriers and choose whether to pursue child support or request a protective administrative option called "good cause."

The county also developed a "safely obtaining support" flyer, a quick-escape button on its child support web pages and a welcome letter that explains the program, lists documents recipients will receive and includes the national domestic violence hotline. The office said it sends a safety questionnaire with initial case paperwork and tracks responses to see whether respondents subsequently pursue child support safely or opt for good cause.

Feeney told the committee the grant supports model practices, increased participation among survivors and better collaboration with courts and local advocacy organizations; the county continues efforts to formalize partnerships after one local advocacy group reduced services earlier in the grant period.

The presenters noted some program limitations: filings and certain state-generated forms may still be mailed, and courts ultimately control litigation steps. The county said it is working to minimize exposure by requesting participant-protection measures from the courts when appropriate and scheduling separate testing or court times for survivors who request them.

The county reported roughly 11,340 child-support cases in its system and said the pilot aims to give survivors safer options and, where possible, routes to longer-term financial stability.

Committee members did not take formal action during the presentation. Staff said they will return with updates as data from the screening tracker and pilot implementation accumulate.