THE VOICE COMMITTEE

The Voice Committee (VOICE) assists California Health and Human Services to implement initiatives that improve awareness of the needs of all Californians across all services provided statewide, and specifically to collect actual customer experiences to help the decision-making process at California Child Support Services.

VOICE sees that over the years some child support policies have had very unfair results for some people and not for others.  VOICE works to make sure every decision made takes into account the possible effects on the parents and families using our services. VOICE’s job is to hear the voice of the customer – YOUR VOICE.

VOICE works to make the Child Support system more empathetic, inclusive, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed, with policies that do not do unintended harm. VOICE aims to:

  • Lift the stories of actual experiences, especially those from historically underrepresented and disadvantaged communities. 
  • Establish authentic conversations and make sure decision-making uses real data. 
  • Educate the people working in child support offices on how best to serve EVERY Californian, no matter their differences.

Activities

  • Facilitating in-person customer awareness training in county and regional child support offices.
  • Creating ongoing, consistent statewide customer engagement efforts.
  • Assisting County and regional VOICE members to conduct trainings within their counties.
  • Meeting with community services organizations to better understand the needs and barriers of diverse populations throughout the state, to help us serve those parents and families in more culturally effective ways.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Voice Committee?

Voice is a group of California child support workers dedicated to making the child support system easier to understand, more helpful, and better at meeting YOUR needs.

2. How will VOICE affect me?

Voice sets up ways to tell us about your experiences when you use the child support program.  By understanding what works well and what doesn’t, we can improve services and provide better support for everyone.

3. What does VOICE do?

Voice will be presenting surveys you can fill out, and creating times you can talk to us, to help us make sure you can access and understand all our services and then will use your input to train the people in our offices to provide those services in more sensitive and respectful ways.

4. Why does this matter?

Effectiveness will be measured by the number of recommendations made, the frequency of collaborative meetings, and feedback from staff and stakeholders. Other key metrics will be new tools, resources and learning opportunities developed and engage with state DCSS and local child support agency staff. 

5. How can I share my feedback?

We want to hear from you! Your experiences and ideas can help us understand what YOU need.  Watch for surveys or opportunities to share your thoughts with us.

Due to privacy restrictions on transmitting case-specific information, questions or concerns should be directed to the child support agency handling your case. For assistance with your case, please visit Customer Connect or call 1-866-901-3212. You may obtain additional agency contact information on this page.