Speed, Connection and Purpose at ERICSA 2018

Our team returned energized from ERICSA’s annual meeting last month and excited about the conversations and presentations shared among the child support community onsite in Daytona Beach. As mentioned in this preview from Scott Cade, the event theme was “Speeding Toward a Bright Future For Children,” and the time went quickly. We asked our team to pull together some of their key takeaways from the event to share more widely. There were a lot of highlights!

• More than 400 attendees were present, sharing their expertise and best practices as well as the challenges that keep them up at night.
• Each year, this event raises money for a designated charity, and this year’s conference raised nearly $8900 for Food Brings Hope.
• Not only was our own Robbie Endris re-elected to the ERICSA Board of Directors for another term, but our colleague Zach Steed was elected to the Board for a second term as well. Congratulations to you both!
• After a busy day of learning, attendees took the opportunity to unwind at a beach party. The egg toss was a real highlight, with many broken eggs and high entertainment value for the crowd.
• Innovative workshops included the “Child Support Idea Lab:  Customer Engagement.” Facilitators dressed in white lab coats led four groups in brainstorming new and improved ideas to engage child support customers, resulting in better service and outcomes.
• “Fueling Up to Lead Effectively” was very well-received. Workshop attendees were excited to get home and read Jon Gordon’s book The Energy Bus and put some actions in place to get their vision for their team and their team members on the bus going in a positive direction.
• “Branding Your Program From the Inside Out” included three panelists: a corporate partner (Robbie Endris for Conduent); a state workforce training leader; and an elected Clerk of Court.  The three perspectives showed how adopting a vision and mission that all employees embrace brings better results in all aspects of child support work.

New ERICSA Board members Zach Steed; Tanguler Gray, IV-D Director, Georgia DHS Division for Child Support Services; Patti Wood, Director of Field Operations, Tennessee DHS Child Support Program

These were just a few of the many great experiences, interactions and events that made ERICSA memorable. It was a great conference with a powerful spirit of cooperation and a strong sense of purpose. It was also a great reminder of how much we can accomplish when professionals from the public and private sectors come together, committing improving the child support program to provide more support and service for families and children.

Next up for our team is the National Council of Child Support Directors meeting in Norfolk, Virginia, starting May 13. Hope to see you there!