Child Support Services presents lean budget, stresses family-centered approach

Karen Roy, director of the San Francisco Department of Child Support Services, told the Board of Supervisors' Budget and Finance Committee that the department will absorb funding reductions while protecting client services.

Roy said the department collected and distributed $26,600,000 in federal fiscal year 2013, and that 96 percent of that — $25,400,000 — went directly to families. She described a shift in practice from a punitive model to a "family-centered" approach intended to help parents overcome barriers to employment, housing and stability.

The presentation outlined key budget pressures: rising salaries, benefits and office-space costs, and the scheduled end of a Department of Labor demonstration grant that reduces one-time funding. Roy said funding for the program is drawn entirely from federal and state sources and that the department currently has no county general fund cost. She forecast a 2.6% funding reduction for fiscal year 2014–15 tied to the grant completion and a modest 1.8% net federal increase in 2015–16.

Roy also reviewed caseload and staffing: the caseload declined from roughly 28,000 cases in 2004 to about 13,215 cases in 2014; the department was supported by 104 budgeted positions in 2014 and maintains vacant positions that can be filled if caseloads rise. Roy said direct services now represent 93% of the department's budget and there are no new positions or an overtime budget in the proposed package.

To manage the gap, Roy described three strategies: negotiate more favorable lease terms with the Department of Real Estate and share office space with other city departments; rightsize overhead and nonsalary spending; and pursue alternative grants that leverage a 66% federal match on eligible program investments. "These solutions are thoughtful, viable, and ensure that the department will live within its baseline," Roy said.

Questions from supervisors were limited and Chair Mark Farrell thanked the department; the committee did not make final amendments to the Child Support budget at this meeting and planned follow-up as part of the continuation of items 1–3 the following week.

The department emphasized continued focus on language access, culturally competent case management and prevention strategies intended to reduce new cases and long-term costs.