Incorporating Strategies Informed by Procedural Justice into Child Support Services: Training Approaches Applied in the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) Demonstration

The federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) funded the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) Demonstration Grant to explore ways to integrate procedural justice principles into child support enforcement. Six sites were awarded grants. This article shares the lessons learned with respect to training the employees at the six sites. Because this was a new concept, there was an extensive amount of training necessary. OCSE provided the same training to all sites. The training centered on the five elements of procedural justice: respect, understanding, voice, neutrality, and helpfulness. Training approaches included in-person, webinars, and case-analysis calls.