RALEIGH- North Carolina's Child Support Enforcement Program got a hearty pat on the back when the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) declared the program to be the most "outstanding" program in the nation.  Each year NCSEA, the nonprofit membership association representing professionals and organizations within the child support community in the United States and abroad, issues its coveted Excellence Awards.  North Carolina will receive accolades at NCSEA's 53^rd Annual Training Conference & Expo in Palm Springs, CA this August.

"North Carolina really stands out as a dynamic, creative and family-focused organization working hard to get children the money they are owed," said Alisha Griffin, NCSEA president. "It's a program that's made great strides in the last several years, and NCSEA is proud to recognize them."

"We've listened to our clients, and what they say over and again is the need for more and better customer service. That's what we've been trying to do," said Barry Miller, chief, NC Child Support Enforcement. "The good part is, better customer service means more money for children."

Some of the recent changes are:

· The new e-child support website, at www.ncchildsupport.com, is helping parents to check on their cases, whether they are custodial parents or non-custodial parents.  Over 76,950  child support case participants have registered to get case information from the website. About 6,500 people go to the website daily, and send an average of 100 emails requesting such services as case information or address changes.
· Direct deposit of child support has taken off. Currently, 88,856 cases are handled with direct deposit, saving the state more than $50,000 each month
·  The customer service center takes 140,000 calls a week. Ninety-four percent of callers say they are satisfied with the service received and 96 percent agree that the customer service representative was courteous and professional.

• The centralized collection center consistently turns over millions of dollars daily, 99.64%  of which is distributed accurately and without delay.
  
• Employers can now submit wage withholding support electronically, and noncustodial parents can now pay with bank drafts and credit cards.
  

"The success of each of these projects represents the results of exciting teamwork by the central office and the local offices," said Barry Miller, chief, NC Child Support Enforcement Office. "This award is shared by the hundreds, who work on behalf of children across the state."

North Carolina Child Support Enforcement had 416,000 clients and collected $532 million in support in 2003, up 2-1/2 times over 1993. Seventy-eight percent of non-custodial parents currently have a court order for child support, up from 74 percent in 2002 and 30 percent in 1993.