Policy advice escalation process (CS) 277-09130000

Service Support Officers (SSOs) and Program Support Managers (PSMs) should independently resolve the majority of routine technical and policy issues for operational staff delivering child support services. SSOs and PSMs follow the technical support procedure and use available resources, for example the Child Support Guide, Operational Blueprint and expertise within the technical support network.

Support from the Child Support Program Advice Team may be required where:

• an issue is not covered in the Child Support Guide
• information in the Child Support Guide appears to be ambiguous or unclear
• the Child Support Guide is clear but assistance is needed to determine the proper policy outcome in a particular case
• a policy issue is especially complex (the case may be very sensitive due to multiple customer escalations or pending/likely litigation)
• a decision of a tribunal or a court is, or appears to be, inconsistent with the policy as stated in the Child Support Guide
• a particular decision requires authorisation by Program Advice

Policy advice can be sought in relation to a systemic issue or issues affecting many cases, or in relation to an individual case with unique facts. While the policy stated in the Child Support Guide is designed to support decision makers in the majority of cases, it does not anticipate every circumstance that arises.

Advice will be provided with consideration of the fundamental principles (legislative, policy including the object and intent of the legislation, guidelines for the use of discretion and administrative law, etc.) to enable a decision to be made which adheres to the policy intent.

For example, policy advice may include, but is not limited to, advice about:

• what to take into account and what to disregard in the making of a particular decision
• which aspects of the policy are legislated requirements and which are discretionary
• where there is discretion, what the intended outcome of the policy is so that decisions can be made that are consistent with the preferred policy direction

The Child Support Program Advice Team will assist in determining what the appropriate policy is and where necessary provide guidance about how to properly apply the policy.

The Child Support Program Advice Team does not manage customer cases. The team will not make the actual decision in a particular case as this is the responsibility of operational staff. Exceptions are 'review and alter' decisions or decisions to declare a decision ‘invalid’. There is no simple distinction between technical and policy issues and when the distinction is blurred, the team will assist with the enquiry. For example, it is the responsibility of Program Support Managers to perform calculations about the effect on the annual rate of a proposed decision.

Child Support Program Advice also coordinates:

• feedback and updates for the Child Support Guide
• requests for legal advice about child support legislation