Next Generation
Child Support Employment Services
The goal of the NextGen technical assistance team is to help child support programs develop and refine child support-led employment services for noncustodial parents, with the goal of increasing child support payments through improved employment and earnings in order to improve the financial well-being of children. The approach has three general components:
Site-specific technical assistance to address what your team needs to meet short- and long-term project-related goals
Coordinated learning community calls and annual meetings to share knowledge among peer sites and foster dialogue between programs
Ongoing evaluation support to help your team navigate the NextGen evaluation
GPS's role within the NextGen TA team is to provide excellent assistance to the four tribal child support programs implementing waiver-funded employment services. These four programs, along with their project summaries, are outlined below:
Cherokee Nation
Reaching for Innovative and Stable Existence (R.I.S.E.) will help noncustodial parents gain stability and secure employment. This program will give noncustodial parents a comprehensive range of support services, including job training, counseling, life coaching, and peer mentorship. By addressing these challenges, R.I.S.E. aims to empower noncustodial parents to become active and contributing members of their community and fulfill their obligation to support their children. This program is a significant step towards strengthening families and promoting economic prosperity within the Cherokee Nation.
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
Mino-Bimaadiziwin is a culturally relevant parent employment program. It’s designed to increase successful establishment of orders and obtain reliable support for children whose noncustodial parents face barriers to stable employment. Staff will be trained to help parents with early intervention, case management, and navigator strategies. They will also refer parents to other social service agencies, workforce programs, and community and spiritual leaders to address identified issues. Staff will include domestic violence and personalized substance abuse treatment plans, if needed.
Nooksack Indian Tribe
Partnering with Parents helps parents and caregivers in tribal communities overcome barriers to employment and fulfill their child support obligations. The initiative will address systemic challenges, such as limited access to quality employment, lack of necessary job skills, and economic instability in tribal areas. Staff will proactively engage with parents through listening sessions to understand their unique needs and then offer tailored services such as job training programs, resume workshops, and e-learning resources. The initiative will also give direct financial help related to employment. Partnerships with third-party organizations will improve employability, strengthen family stability, and promote long-term economic prosperity.
Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma
Tribal Holistic Readiness and Inclusion for Vocational Empowerment (THRIVE) will help families overcome barriers to employment by providing services such as emergency funding, employment and training services, financial literacy training, transportation assistance, and work supports. These services are designed to lead to increased employment rates and retention, family bonding, and stable transportation.