Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To receive, respond to or redirect telephone inquiries, take appropriate passive enforcement action and assist Enforcement Services Officers (ESOs) to aggressively enforce and manage the resolution of client support issues. To review, update and interpret incoming court order correspondence and prepare cases for enforcement action to be taken by ESOs.

Duties / Responsibilities :

1. Receives and responds to incoming calls and makes outbound calls, taking appropriate follow-up action to deal with inquiries as per applicable legislation, policies and procedures and ensuring that any information released is appropriate under program and ministry confidentiality provisions. Directs more complex inquiries to ESOs as appropriate. (Note: Must adhere to established client service standards for the return of client calls).

2. Conducts case related follow-up activities including: providing documentation required by clients (e.g. VAPs, direct deposit forms, Pre-Authorized Payment forms, affidavits for lost cheques, name changes and direct payments); preparing outgoing system-generated correspondence to providing basic information to clients and stakeholders; reviewing files and initiating routine passive enforcement action; preparing case files and forwarding cases to ESOs for further aggressive enforcement; and clarifying payment issues with finance staff.

3. Performs a variety of support services by: carrying out routine trace and locate functions (e.g. MTO search, credit bureau, PPSA search); documenting action taken/results on manual and/or computerized data bases; and contacting income sources regarding remittances and obtaining personal information of the support payor.

Note: Incumbents work on a case management team which provides service 9.5 hours a day (8:00 AM - 5:30 PM). Incumbents must be able to work on any assigned 7.25 hour shift to provide service coverage which is the primary access point for clients of the Family Responsibility Office.

Staffing and Licencing :

For the bilingual positions: Proficiency in oral and written French at an advanced level.

Knowledge :

Job require knowledge of the Family Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act 1996 and related legislation, policies, procedures and program service delivery standards and guidelines to provide explanations to clients regarding support requirements and issues, carry out routine passive enforcement action and assist ESOs in aggressive enforcement and management of family support issues. Job requires knowledge of the functions and legislation of related areas (e.g. courts) to obtain and assess accuracy and currency of legal documents, resolve related issues and explain process requirements and status of cases to clients. Job requires knowledge of program and ministry confidentially provisions to ensure non-release of restricted information. Job requires knowledge of the operation of computer hardware and software and financial systems to enter and update data, conduct trace and locate functions, document action taken/results and prepare routine system generated correspondence to provide basic information to clients and stakeholders.

Skills :

Job requires reasoning and problem solving skills to assess client inquiries regarding support issues and taking appropriate follow-up action based on an understanding and application of program legislation, policies and procedures. Job requires analytical skills to review and prepare files for enforcement action, ensuring that all current and required documents are available. Job requires computer skills to document action taken/results on appropriate computerized data bases and prepare routine system generated correspondence. Job requires organizational and administrative skills to set own priorities and review and process a large volume of family support and related legal documents within tight deadlines and in a high pressure environment. Job requires communication and interpersonal skills to explain/disseminate detailed information on enforcement actions to and from clients and stakeholders and deal tactfully with often very sensitive issues and confidential information.

Freedom of Action :

Work is performed under general supervision of the Manager, Enforcement Services and within program legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines for the enforcement of support orders. Latitude for decision making exists in: determining appropriate follow-up action when responding to client inquiries regarding support issues; deciding when to direct inquiries/issues to ESOs; determining confidentiality of information and when release is appropriate within established guidelines; deciding information and document requirements and ensuring most current court order is available and information updated when preparing cases for enforcement action; and ensuring all passive enforcement, as appropriate, is in place. Although performed independently, work is randomly reviewed by the manager for soundness of actions taken, advice provided and overall adherence to established program policies and procedures. Incumbent refers to the ESO or manager, problems or sensitive issues that vary from established procedures and guidelines. Errors could have impact on clients and the credibility of the program.