Membership is held by each county Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). All staff members in the CSEAs are invited to participate and benefit from the resources provided.

Membership is also open to key partners including courts, prosecutor’s offices, adult probation offices, and stand alone JFS agencies.

We provide three main services to county CSEAs:

• Education: We keep a pulse on what is happening with the child support program to help keep our members informed. We provide trainings, conferences, educational resources, case law updates, and more in an effort to share timely and relevant information with our members.
• Advocacy: We advocate at the local and state level for the child support program to both ensure the long-term success of the program and to educate the community on its importance.
• Support: We are always looking for ways to support the county CSEAs by providing valuable resources (i.e., statewide contracts, partnerships, etc.) and offering networking, leadership, and mentoring opportunities.

On a county level, we can tailor our assistance based on the individual needs of the counties — large and small, metro and rural, etc. We are the go-to child support program resource for the county CSEAs.

We are a non-profit association that serves as the unified voice and resource for all child support professionals in Ohio. When needed, we serve as the liaison between the state Office of Child Support and the individual county CSEAs. We do not interact directly with children and/or families involved with the child support program.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' Office of Child Support supervises the state’s child support program, and county child support enforcement agencies (CSEAs) administer cases locally.

The Office of Child Support establishes policies and guidelines based on federal and state laws. It also processes support payments and provides leadership and guidance to county CSEAs.

We do not interact directly with children and families in the child support program. If you need information or have specific questions about an individual case, we encourage you to get in touch with your county CSEA.

Yes! Membership is open to all child support professionals of member counties. If you are interested in being involved, please reach out to your county director or email us at admin@ocspa.org for more information.

As a leader, you have the opportunity to encourage your staff to be an active member of the association. While attending a conference or training is incredibly beneficial, there are other many other ways for members to be involved. We encourage you to share our communications via email and/or Microsoft Teams with your team when relevant.

Also, we’ve heard from many members that one of the biggest benefits of our association is professional development. If you have a staff member looking for a leadership opportunity, you can encourage them to join a committee and/or volunteer with the association. This can help them gain new soft skills to help develop their career.

The Ohio Child Support Professionals Association is a nonprofit association governed by an 11-member volunteer executive board, which follows a Code of Regulations originally approved and adopted as Bylaws on July 25, 1990. The executive board is composed of association officers, district presidents, and a member-at-large. Association officers on the executive board are elected annually by our membership.

The day-to-day operation of the association is managed by a staff of four, which includes an executive director, director of public policy, director of operations, and membership services coordinator.

We’re always looking for members to volunteer their time and expertise. Currently, there are three main ways to volunteer.

Committee Opportunities

All members are eligible to join a committee, which can be a great way to give back, network with your peers, and learn new skills to help you grow in your career. Below are the following committee opportunities:

• Legislative Committee: Responsible for reviewing and actively participating in legislative initiatives.
• Conference and Training Committee: Responsible for developing an annual training calendar and executing spring and fall conferences.
• Training Subcommittee: Develops county trainer tools and skills and manages a central repository of county training materials.
• Hearing Officer Subcommittee: Oversees the association’s accreditation program.
• Fiscal Committee: Responsible for developing an annual fiscal training model.
• Public Education Committee: Responsible for maintaining and updating public education communication initiatives.
• Employer Outreach Subcommittee: Develops educational materials for employers and shares best practices for outreach.
• Association Development Committee: Responsible for monitoring and assessing the fiscal condition of the association and overseeing the mentoring and training of county child support leadership.
• Metro Committee: Responsible for identifying best practices and sharing for broader implementation.
• Early Involvement Committee: Responsible for analyzing current early intervention and engagement strategies and identifying opportunities for development.
• Case Manager Collaboration Committee: Responsible for supervisor/case manager roundtable trainings and conference sessions.
• Technology Committee: Responsible for overseeing discussions and learning on technological needs.

District Leadership:

We have four districts, which each have officers and quarterly meetings to discuss statewide or regional-specific topics. There is a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer within each district. Typically, these roles are only available to directors or their designees.

Executive Board:

Our association is overseen by an 11-member volunteer executive board. These positions are only available to directors or their designees.