MiChildSupport & FOCA Technology Team Providing Solutions during the Pandemic

By Sandra Vanderhyde, Muskegon County Friend of the Court & Circuit Court Administrator, and Kim Lubbers, Office of Child Support (OCS), MiChildSupport Product Owner 

What happens when partner agencies collaborate? The customer reaps the benefits.  

The Friend of the Court Association Technology Team (FOCA Tech Team) and the MiChildSupport Team have been meeting quarterly for several years to identify and implement ways to improve the customer experience. With a focus on MiChildSupport, our public-facing website, the teams have worked together to build on existing features and to generate new ideas for engaging child support customers. And then came COVID-19. 

MiChildSupport landing page.

COVID-19 Pandemic 

When friend of the court (FOC) offices were temporarily closed, the MiChildSupport website experienced nearly a 30 percent increase in activity and visits. Users have been keeping in touch and obtaining real-time information about their cases, and Michigan’s child support program has remained steadfast in delivering payments during this unprecedented time. 

The SMILE video is now available online.

The most notable recent solution created through team collaboration involves the SMILE (Start Making It Livable for Everyone) coparenting video. COVID-19 FOC office closures made in-person viewing of the video impossible. County FOC offices expressed the need for a mechanism to have parents view the SMILE video, as many offices require parties to a new case to view it. Together, the FOCA Tech Team and MiChildSupport team quickly landed on a solution to make the video available on the website. In addition, users can generate a certificate of completion on MiChildSupport that is electronically submitted to their local FOC office to prove they watched the video. 

This solution, developed to meet a need caused by the pandemic, will be permanent and has caused some FOC offices not previously using the SMILE video to start doing so. The customer reaps the benefit.

Access Improvements 

MiChildSupport has had pain points in getting users access to all its features. For security purposes, full access for users consists of mailing a PIN letter via mail, which is a lengthy process and one that has resulted in some users never receiving a PIN due to a bad address and hundreds of PIN letters ending up in return mail bins. With the transition of MiChildSupport to a new user management system (MILogin, the State of Michigan identity, credential and access management solution) on the horizon, the FOCA Tech Team and MiChildSupport team worked together again to develop interim ideas to assist users in quickly gaining full access to MiChildSupport – especially useful during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MiChildSupport team and FOCA Tech Team, along with the newly-formed OCS Customer Remote Interaction group (CRI), explored more efficient ways to provide users with their PINs, meeting the program’s need for proper user verification. With the aid of OCS Policy and Michigan Child Support Enforcement System (MICSES) developers, we came up with a solution. The PIN was unmasked on the letter preview in MiCSES. This allowed FOC and other child support program workers to provide the PIN to verified users verbally 24 hours after the user has requested the PIN online.

The continued enhancements to the PIN solution are two-fold.  First, in an October 28th MiCSES release, the PIN which is currently visible within MICSES was made available in real time via the MiChildSupport Customer Communication Dashboard. At this point, workers can now immediately provide it to users after properly verifying them. Then, on December 2nd, when the MILogin goes live, it will provide single sign-on capabilities and identification proofing meeting security and compliance needs. This single-sign-on capability allows public users to use the same credentials for many other state websites such as MDHHS Bridges, unemployment services, and Pure Michigan Talent Connect accounts for jobseekers, to name a few. If users are unsuccessful with MILogin, the PIN alternative will remain available to assure as many users as possible have complete access to MiChildSupport.

Collaboration Continues

The pandemic has proven how important it is to continue to focus efforts on making remote technology less futuristic and more realistic. Collaboration continues, and with assistance from the CRI team, we will stay focused on the pursuit of new ways to keep customers engaged and active with their child support cases. Future ideas we’re talking about include a MiChildSupport app – complete with a user dashboard, a scheduling tool, and integrated videoconferencing. Team collaboration helps put our program at our customers’ fingertips.  

The FOCA Tech Team has FOCA members and State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) personnel; the MiChildSupport team is OCS and contract developers; and the CRI team is OCS, FOC, prosecuting attorney, Department of Technology, Management and Budget, SCAO, and contracted technical personnel.

Sandra Vanderhyde has served as the circuit court administrator in Muskegon County since 2017. In this capacity, she also serves as the friend of the court and the family division director. Sandra previously served as deputy circuit court administrator for Muskegon County from 2012-2017. Ms. Vanderhyde was in private practice for three years prior, practicing in the areas of family law, criminal defense, and as lawyer guardian ad-litem and representing respondent parents in neglect and abuse cases. Ms. Vanderhyde is the lead chair of several problem-solving courts, grants, and committees.

Ms. Vanderhyde received her bachelor’s degree in secondary education in history and social studies from Western Michigan University and her juris doctorate from Michigan State University College of Law. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Vanderhyde was a high school social studies and history teacher. Sandra and her husband have a thirteen-year old daughter and a six-year old son.

Kim Lubbers is a State of Michigan Administrative Manager. She currently oversees the Office of Child Support’s Central Operations Unit and serves as the Product Owner for the MiChildSupport website. Kim’s seventeen-year career with Michigan’s child support program started out with her serving as a contractor with Policy-Studies, Inc. in 2003. Her previous work experiences were in the private sector and include OEM product distribution and emergency services communication specialist.  

Ms. Lubbers is a Hope College graduate and received her bachelor’s degree in communication/psychology. Kim is married and has one stepson. She and her spouse spend their spare time in Canadian Lakes boating and enjoying year-round recreational activities.