DCS gets grant to connect families to child support

Oct. 16--Indiana'sDepartment of Child Services has received a $170,000 digital marketing grant that will enable its Child Support Bureau to test new digital tools aimed at connecting more Indiana families to child support services.

The grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child Support Enforcement. It will support the IV-D child support program, which seeks to ensure children have the financial support of both parents, regardless of whether they live together.

"We're incredibly excited to have been awarded this federal digital marketing opportunity," DCS director Terry Stigdon said. "This will provide helpful insight to enable CSB and county child support offices to implement well-tested digital tools and messages to help families statewide."

CSB will use the money to begin targeted digital marketing campaigns to raise awareness about the child support program as well as better serve existing families by simplifying access. The agency will begin testing a variety of messages to see which ones resonate with eligible families as well as introduce and test online chat forums as another tool for Hoosiers who participate in the program.

"We are eager to reach out to families who aren't aware of child support options and to further improve service," said Child Support Bureau deputy director Cynthia Longest. "CSB always likes to test-drive new ideas to see what works and what doesn't, and this federal grant is the perfect opportunity to do so in the digital marketing arena."

For more information on the IV-D program and for a list of local child support offices click here.

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