Conflict of Interest

DCSS-POL-08-2 v.4

  1. POLICY STATEMENT
  2. The purpose of this policy is to provide employees and members of the public a working knowledge of the Department of Economic Security (DES) Division of Child Support Services' (DCSS) requirement that Employees do not access or view Title IV-D and/or Non-Title IV-D case information from the DCSS AZCARES, Tableau, and OnBase systems that contain case information for Title IV-D and/or Non-Title IV-D cases in which they may have a Personal Interest.
  1. APPLICABILITY
  2. This policy applies to all Arizona DCSS employees or contractors performing Title IV-D services.
  1. AUTHORITY
  2. Federal Authority
    42 USC 654 (A)(26) State plan for child and spousal support
    45 C.F.R. § 303.21 Safeguarding and disclosure of confidential information.
    45 C.F.R. § 307.13 Security and confidentiality for computerized support enforcement systems in operation after October 1, 1997.
     
    State Authority
    A.R.S. § 38-502 Definitions
    A.R.S. § 41-1959 Confidential information; permissible disclosure; rules; violation; classification
    A.A.C. R2-5A-501(B) Standards of Conduct
  1. DEFINITION

A person who has been named as the father of a child born out of wedlock, but for whom paternity has not yet been established as defined in the Arizona Judicial Branch, Child and Family Support Law Glossary.

Arizona Case Record System. Arizona's statewide-automated system for the case management of Title IV-D and Non-Title IV-D child support cases.

For the purpose of this policy, means an Employee’s Personal Interest in a Title IV-D or Non-Title IV-D case that may in any way compromise or bias, or appear to compromise or bias, and/or raise potential ethical questions concerning their professional judgment and objectivity when conducting professional duties now or in the future.

For purposes of this policy, a coworker means another person that is an Employee of the DES.

For purposes of this policy, means the drive located on the DES Google platform that provides access to information for all DCSS Employees that have an active DCSS Google Account.

All persons who are not public officers and who are employed on a full-time, part-time or contract basis by an incorporated city or town, a political subdivision or the state or any of its departments, commissions, agencies, bodies or boards for remuneration as defined in A.R.S. §38-502.

Any case concerning paternity, child support, or medical support that is not open through the Title IV-D program. The applicable county clerks of court manage Non-Title IV-D cases.

A person or agency entitled to receive support as defined in A.R.S. §25-500.

A person obligated to pay support as defined in A.R.S. §25-500.

An enterprise content management (ECM) platform that digitizes, manages, and automates document-based processes in a central repository to capture, secure, and retrieve information, streamlining workflows and enhancing compliance. The DCSS employees utilize OnBase to upload and secure case related documents.

For purposes of this policy, a Personal Interest exists if the Employee and/or their Relative is an Obligor or an Obligee in a Title IV-D or Non-Title IV-D case, an applicant seeking services for a Title IV-D or Non-Title IV-D case, or an Alleged Father in a Title IV-D case or Non-Title IV-D case. Additionally, a Personal Interest exists between an Employee and a Coworker.

Please note: the DCSS is not able to document every type of relationship that may present a Personal Interest for an Employee. DCSS Employees should recognize that if a relationship exists with an individual, the Employee should defer to considering that relationship as a Personal Interest and declare any IV-D and/or Non-Title IV-D case that involves the individual as a Conflict of Interest on the Conflict of Interest/Confidentiality Statement (CSE-0169A) form.

The family member of an Employee or Public Officer, including a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, brother or sister of whole or half blood and their spouses, and the parent, brother, sister, or child of a spouse as defined in A.R.S. §38-502. Additionally, a relative of an Employee includes a great grandchild, great grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, and/or first cousin [AAC R2-5A-305(F)].

A visual analytics platform to transform and manage raw data into interactive, easy-to-understand visualizations such as charts, graphs, and dashboards enabling faster driven decisions. The DCSS leverages Tableau by creating case management reports for employees and stakeholders.

The Title IV-D of the Social Security Act as defined in A.R.S. §25-500.

Any case concerning paternity, child support, or medical support that is open through the Title IV-D program.

  1. STANDARDS
  2. Both federal and state laws require the DCSS to establish safeguards to protect against the unauthorized use or disclosure of confidential information in Title IV-D cases, 45 C.F.R. §307.13; A.R.S. §41-1959(F).
  3. A DCSS Employee with a Personal Interest in any Title IV-D or Non-Title IV-D case will not be involved in any aspect of any such case as part of official duties and will not access the case for any reason.
  4. Penalties - A violation of the Conflict of Interest Policy is a class 2 misdemeanor, A.R.S. §41-1959(E). Disciplinary action will be taken if it is found that an employee has released or misused information regarding a Title IV-D or Non-Title IV-D case.
  5. The DES has a separate administrative Conflict of Interest policy (DES 1-26-48) that all DCSS Employees are also required to review at least annually and/or when a change in circumstances results in a conflict of interest as defined in the DES policy. Employees should also disclose applicable conflicts as required by the department administrative policy. The DES Conflict of Interest policy can be found here DES-1-26-48.
  1. PROCEDURE
  • Employees complete the DCSS Conflict of Interest/Confidentiality Statement (CSE-0169A) form when hired, and annually thereafter. The form is available in the DES Document and Resource Center or by requesting it from DCSS HR.
  • If no identified conflicts exist, the employee shall indicate “None” in the Case Information Section.
  • If conflict(s) do exist, the employee shall enter as much known information on the Case Information Section.
  • If a new identified conflict arises during the year, the Employee must notify the DCSS of the new conflict of interest by completing an updated form.
  • The completed and signed form must be emailed to the Employee’s supervisor for review and signature.
  • The supervisor is responsible for meeting with the Employee to discuss any missing information and ensuring the Employee completes any blank fields in the form.
  • Once completed and signed by the supervisor, the instructions on the form should be followed. The form must be emailed to the DCSS HR email box, [email protected] and the DCSS Security Team, [email protected].
  • The DCSS HR team maintains a written electronic or physical record of the employee’s Conflict of Interest/Confidentiality Statement (CSE-0169A) form(s) in a secured file.
  • This policy is also supported by standardized work that identifies steps taken by the Enterprise Access Management Team (DCSS Security Team) and documents responsibilities, time frames, and required actions. Note: The standardized work document for this policy is being updated. When it is finalized, it will be linked in this policy.
 
  • Return to beginning of the Conflict of Interest Policy
Policy Revision Date: 05/04/2026
Policy Review Date: 05/04/2026
Policy Next Review Date: 05/04/2027

Back to HOME