I recently took a new position at the Jackson County Friend of the Court (FOC), growing my perspective of Michigan’s child support program beyond that of my previous roles with the Office of Child Support (OCS) and with the State Court Administrative Office’s Friend of the Court Bureau (SCAO-FOCB). My former colleague, who is editor of “The Pundit,” asked if I would be willing to write an article about what I have learned from this transition.
Truth be told, after working in the child support program for over 15 years, with employment experiences in three different partner agencies, my great insight is this one simple fact: we are rich!
We are rich when it comes to what matters most, and that is great people. No matter which agency issued my paycheck, I can honestly say that I have been surrounded by dedicated, caring, and knowledgeable people. Our child support professionals truly have the best interest of other program partners, coworkers, and parents at the heart of their job. I consistently see these people go above and beyond to reflect our program’s values of excellence, integrity, professionalism, respect, collaboration, accessibility, responsiveness, and empathy.
I first saw this dedication to our program’s values when I started working as a support specialist with OCS. In 2003, as a newly-hired state employee, I was unaware of the recent organizational changes that had centralized my fellow employees’ positions from county offices across the state to central offices in either Lansing or Detroit. In addition to this systemic change, a new computer system was being rolled out for the entire state – the Michigan Child Support Enforcement System (MiCSES).
Even small changes can be difficult for anyone under the best of circumstances, and these changes were monumental and probably under less than ideal circumstances. However, my fellow OCS co-workers tackled the uncertainty of a new computer system and the long commutes from places like Grand Rapids, Alpena, and Roscommon with dedication and humor. And they continued to provide excellent customer service to parents at the cusp of the child support process.
I look back on those days now with more appreciation than ever before for the sacrifices that those colleagues and their families made to provide stability and expertise to me as a new employee, and to program partners and parents.
My exposure to what makes our program rich – our great people – did not stop when I found new positions in the OCS Policy division or when I took a job with SCAO-FOCB as the Friend of the Court Association (FOCA) liaison. Instead, I gained a new perspective of our program’s values from the leaders of our Program Leadership Group (PLG) and FOCA. These groups dedicate endless hours to creating and communicating not only the vision of the program, but also ensuring the program is complying with all state and federal laws, regulations, and court rules.
Our leaders are working collaboratively and creatively to guide the program through unforeseen challenges while remaining open to feedback from all program areas. This openness comes in many forms, but my favorite is the phrase: “What do you think?” This powerful question has created opportunities for positive outcomes for child support professionals across the state and, more importantly, for the families we serve. It takes great leadership to create a vision that others want to follow, and we are lucky to have this leadership in our program.
My employer today could not be closer to my heart. As a 15-year commuter from Jackson to Lansing, taking a position in my hometown with the opportunity to serve my community is extremely meaningful. As a new employee of the Jackson FOC, I am grateful to be welcomed into a community of dedicated, caring, and knowledgeable staff.
Our office’s mission statement is: “In keeping with the best interest of children, the Jackson FOC will provide quality services in a fair and respectful manner." Our staff have challenged themselves to memorize this mission and live it in their daily work. I have witnessed this through their intense attention to detail and desire to provide quality service. Their commitment to having a positive influence in their community extends beyond office hours through active volunteerism at local events, such as accompanying senior citizens to the county fair, and adopting families at Christmas.
Life is good when you are with good people. I am grateful for and excited by this wonderful continuity in our community of child support professionals, and because of all of you, I can say, “We are rich!”
