Date: April 8, 2009

The State Information Technology Consortium (SITC) announced that it has been awarded a 3-year grant to work with the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), 10th Judicial District, Raleigh, NC to transfer knowledge on child support problem-solving court techniques. This Special Improvement Project (SIP) focuses on collaborations between child support enforcement agencies and the courts. OCSE selected the 10th Judicial District’s Wake County, NC problem-solving court, Judge Kristin Ruth presiding, as a replicable model for family courts hearing child support cases. The grant will allow Judge Ruth to offer innovative, sustainable judicial education and to oversee expanded statistical data analysis of additional problem-solving court sanctions.

Under the leadership of Judge Kristin Ruth, SITC will:

• Develop a “How To” manual for initiating child support problem-solving court practices based on Judge Ruth’s problem-solving court model.
  
• Provide event management for a “Knowledge Transfer Workshop” for approximately 10 new or experienced judges from across the nation who are responsible for hearing child support cases.
• Produce a series of live Webinars and on-demand Webcasts to support judges’ learning and to communicate problem-solving court techniques and benefits to a wider audience.
• Expand data analysis for the substance abuse treatment component of the NC 10th Judicial District’s child support problem-solving court.

Under the grant, Judge Ruth also will lead the development of a “Think Tank” Website to showcase collaborative problem-solving techniques, innovative child support practices, training materials, success stories, and other key judicial - child support resources. SITC will help maintain the Website content.

David Popovich, SITC’s Vice-President and General Manager, stated, “SITC is delighted with the opportunity to participate in this important project for problem-solving court education and expansion. The Wake County, NC child support court collaboration has a demonstrated record of success in improving the consistency and effectiveness of court-ordered child support payments. This grant will help OCSE create the tools, training, and an ongoing Community of Practice to multiply these positive results for children and families.”

For more information, contact:
Viv Lees, Director, SITC
(703) 742-7132
lees@systemsandsoftware.org
http://www.state-itc.org

SITC is a national non-profit organization that provides technology and collaboration services to federal, state, and tribal government agencies to promote efficiency in human services programs.