CSS Onboarding Process

Onboarding Mission Statement

“The purpose of the Onboarding process is to
work closely with new Child Support professionals
to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills
to become effective, successful public servants.”

 

Getting on Board the CSS Onboarding Process

Onboarding is very important to help our new staff acclimate well to Child Support Services. The Center for Professional Development helps local office management to onboard their personnel in several ways by giving guidance during their first year to the new hire and their supervisor.

Onboarding Timeline: Year One

• Hire Date
• Message One – Welcome and CSQuest
• Message Two – Individual Learning Plan (ILP), Important Computer Screens, and CSS Academy
• Message Three – Training Requirements and Individual Learning Plans
• Six Months – Mid-Year Interviews and Survey
• One Year – Congratulations and Opportunities for Growth within CSS

Onboarding Orientation

The first contact in the Onboarding process is through your immediate supervisor. The Center for Professional Development (CPD) also supports you and your supervisor in developing a plan of action to assist you during your first year by sending you a series of emails over the course of your first year of employment.

CPD receives information on a weekly basis regarding newly hired staff. After a new hire receives their User ID, they will receive an email each week for their first three weeks from CPD with the following Subject lines:

1. Welcome to Child Support Services
   1. This email welcomes the new hire and includes a link to the CSS Onboarding Handbook. It also includes information about CSQuest which is our searchable online resource for training and information.
2. Preparing You for Work
   1. This email gives you information about ILPs which should help you get oriented to the specialty area in which you will be working.
   2. This email discusses the most important OSIS computer screens.
   3. Lastly, the email introduces you to CSS Academy which is a virtual half-day for 2-weeks overview of CSS that each new hire is required to attend.
3. Training Requirements and Individual Learning Plan (ILP)
   1. This email gives an overview of the CSS Training Requirements and ILP, including links to the CSS Division Memo as well as the initial ILP.
   2. It is at this point where the supervisor (if they haven’t already) should begin meeting with the new hire to work on their initial ILP.
   3. This email also discusses helpful IV-A/PS2 screens which are screens within the Adult and Family Services computer system.
   4. Lastly, the email again mentions the use of CSQuest and the need to learn how to navigate and use this website.

Orientation Follow-up

The employee will receive three welcoming emails.

After the employee has been with CSS for six months they are asked to take the online Mid-Year Survey, and invited to a 30 minute Teams session to discuss their experience with CSS so far. The mid-year contact reviews the employee’s ILP, their usage of CS Quest, and provides resources for professional development.

At the end of the first year of employment the employee receives a gift bag that includes a congratulations letter from the CSS Director. They are asked to take the online One-Year Survey, and invited to a 30 minute Teams session to discuss their experience with CSS. The one-year contact reviews the employee’s ILP, their usage of CS Quest, the CSS certification program and provides resources for professional development.

As we are all one team the Center for Professional Development is pleased to assist local offices. Our staff is our greatest asset and we could not accomplish our mission without everyone being confident of their abilities and engaged in their work. We welcome any suggestions on ways to improve the onboarding experience in CSS.