TANF and Child Support Cooperation – Have the Rules Changed?
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
2:00 p.m – 3:15 p.m. Eastern
This was a FREE webinar!
Description
Given the recent federal policy guidance on flexibilities within child support cooperation requirements for TANF applicants and recipients, there is more flexibility than before. States are reexamining policies and practices related to child support program referrals of families in the TANF program. This webinar will explore how some states are implementing good cause provisions and other innovative strategies to reduce child poverty and address barriers to accessing support, from both the IV-D and the IV-A perspective.
Thank You to Our Sponsor!
Speakers
Michele Cristello
Deputy Commissioner and IV-D Director
Child Support Services Division of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue
Michele Cristello is the Deputy Commissioner and IV-D Director of the Child Support Services Division of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Michele began her career in the MA CSS program in 1993 and served the agency in various capacities before becoming IV-D Director in 2015. Prior to becoming IV-D Director, Michele was the Director of Information & Analysis and led the initiative to develop and implement CSS’s new, comprehensive child support system. Michele is a past president of the National Council of Child Support Directors (NCCSD), chairs NCCSD’s Audit Committee and serves on NCCSD’s Policy and Practice and Systems Modernization Committees. Michele serves on the NCSEA Board, is a member of NCSEA’s Policy and Government Relations Committee and the co-chair of the NCSEA U Committee.
Jim Fleming
Director
North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Child Support Section
James C. Fleming is the director of the Child Support Section of the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the interim director of the Vocational Rehabilitation Section of HHS. Jim is a past president of both the National Child Support Engagement Association (NCSEA) and the National Council of Child Support Directors (NCCSD) and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Western Intergovernmental Child Support Engagement Council (WICSEC). He is co-chair of NCSEA’s Policy and Government Relations Committee and NCCSD’s Employer Collaboration Committee. Jim also serves as a member of the NCCSD Executive Committee, NCCSD’s Policy and Practice Committee, the editorial committee for the NCSEA Child Support CommuniQue, and the Finance Committees for both NCSEA and WICSEC.
Jim was named an Honorary Life Member of NCSEA in 2024 and has received a Partnership Award for Professional Excellence from the National Tribal Child Support Association and a Government Partner Award from PayOrg (formerly the American Payroll Association). He has also received the 2009 Family Support Council Program Awareness Award and the 2004 Freedom Award from the North Dakota Newspaper Association.
A second-generation attorney, Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Dakota and his Juris Doctorate from Notre Dame Law School. Jim was appointed Child Support Director in 2010 after serving as deputy director and lead attorney since May 2002. He has been an assistant attorney general for North Dakota for 31 years, following a clerkship with the North Dakota Supreme Court. Jim and his wife Terri are the proud parents of four daughters and have been blessed with a perfect granddaughter.
Brett Johnson
Attorney and District Manager
Natrona County Child Support Department
Brett Johnson is the Attorney and District Manager for the Natrona County Child Support Department in Casper, WY. Prior to his work in child support, Brett spent two decades prosecuting and defending family violence cases.
In his two terms as the elected Sweetwater County and Prosecuting Attorney, (2007-2014) Brett became a leader at the national level in the fight against family violence.
Brett has trained hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement, medical, social service and legal professionals in evidence-based investigation and prosecution of domestic violence crimes.
Brett is convinced that, with some training and slight tweaking of systems, child support professionals can make a major difference in the lives of survivors and their children.
Megan Nicholls
Associate Commissioner of Family and Economic Assistance
Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA)
Megan Nicholls is the Associate Commissioner of Family and Economic Assistance at the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) where she manages the state’s cash assistance programs. Megan focuses on streamlining and modernizing programs that work for everyone; individuals and families, agency staff and the public. Megan has implemented numerous reforms to the state’s TANF program including a 100% earned income disregard, the repeal of the family cap rule, the elimination of an asset test, grant increases and a good cause exception to child support cooperation for relative caregivers.
Elizabeth Atwell, Moderator
NTT DATA
Elizabeth started her career as a Child Support Case Worker with the State of Alabama. From there she has worked in over fourteen states assisting them with their child support payment processing and modernization efforts. She currently works for NTT DATA. Elizabeth lives in Leesburg, Virginia with her husband and four dogs, where she is a volunteer at two animal rescue organizations, assisting in animal transportation, application processing and office management.