LEGAL ASSIST CHILD S

This position organizationally falls under the Child Support Department as operated by the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, the incumbent is under the direct supervision of the Child Support Director.  Operational hours are Monday through Friday; 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., or as needed to serve the child support programs to better serve the tribal members. The incumbent is responsible for the oversight of all stages of case management, performs paternity and child support establishment processes, enforcements and modification processes, assures coordination of other staff for efficiency, accuracy and timeliness and functions as liaison to the local CSED agency for cross referencing case information with the state system.  Successful candidate shall assess child support cases to determine appropriate actions to be taken and respond to routine inquiries and complaints regarding child support cases.

Tasks are as follows, but not limited to:

1. Assesses child support cases to determine appropriate actions to be taken.
2. Interviews parties in cases to obtain information to establish paternity, enforce court ordered child support, locate absent parents, and determine financial status.
3. Initiate legal proceedings for paternity establishment, child support establishment, order modification, or enforcement of court order.
4. Evaluates and verify various sources of case information.
5. Monitor assigned cases to ensure that support obligations are being met and that individuals are in compliance with court orders.
6. Prepare correspondence, reports, and legal documents.
7. Provide mediation information to parties if necessary.
8. Research and maintain personal, financial, and legal information regarding children and their custodial and non-custodial parents.
9. Draft payment plans of support obligations and debts.
10. Perform routine locate work.
11. Documents all action taken.
12. Respond to routine inquiries and complaints regarding child support cases.
13. Respond to moderately complex telephone inquiries concerning child support cases.

The incumbent must be flexible in order to undertake a variety of miscellaneous duties as

assigned by the supervisor or team leader.

Education and Experience:

Education: Associate's degree in legal assistance or a closely related program of paralegal education; or completion of an American Bar Association approved paralegal education program; Three year of previous experience in a child support program.

Additional Qualifications:

• Ability to do the work of the position with or without direct supervision.
• Must be able to read and write.
• CONFIDENTIALITY IS A HIGH PRIORITY.

• Skills:  All applicants must have excellent clerical and computer skills must be knowledgeable in computer skills including PowerPoint, Excel, Access and Microsoft Word.
• Must have excellent record keeping, attention to detail, and data collection skills.

• Ability to coordinate schedules and have excellent communications skills, both oral and written.
• Ability to speak the Kickapoo language, preferred. 

Mandatory Requirements:

• Must possess a valid Oklahoma State Driver’s License, throughout employment.
• Must possess documents that establish both identity and employment eligibility.
• Must submit to and pass a pre-employment and random screenings throughout employment.
• Must submit to a Federal background investigation (fingerprinting), and a Public Trust investigation, No Felonies, Applicant must have a favorable adjudication.

Bachelor’s degree in any discipline; or completion of an American Bar Association approved paralegal education program;

Four years of professional law enforcement, child support enforcement or social work experience can substitute for the bachelor’s degree.

Ability to work under pressure and maintain personal composure evaluates situations and act/react appropriately, use tact in dealing with clients, business associates, staff, visitors, and tribal members in difficult situations.

There are constant deadlines associated with this position.  The employee must be able to multi-task, and interact with a wide variety of people at various times and on complicated and diverse issues.

The work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the primary functions of this job in a child support office setting.  Normal child support office conditions exist as do conditions with other associated programs and services; Noise levels, stress, client/visitors flow, frequent interruptions, and number of cases directly managed will vary but may be considered high.  Administrative workload will be managed daily with additional hours required from time-to-time.

The physical demands described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the primary functions of this job.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to frequently stand, walk, sit, bend, twist, talk and hear/listen, attend court hearings.  There are prolonged periods of sitting, keyboarding, reading as well as standing. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to fifty (50) pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include reading, distance and computer and color vision.  Talking and hearing/listening are essential to communicate with tribal members/clients/staff and peers.  

In performance of their respective tasks and duties all employees of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma are expected to conform to the following:

• Uphold all principles of confidentially to the fullest extent.
• Adhere to all professional and ethical behavior standards of the Child Support services, must be compliant with the personnel policies.
• Interact in an honest, trustworthy, and dependable manner with co-workers/clients.
• Must be culturally sensitive and respectful to the beliefs and traditions of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
• Meet or exceed the performance standards as set out by organization
• Work independently and as a team member; consistently demonstrating professionalism, courtesy, efficiency, excellent internal and external customer service, high ethical standards and behavior that contribute to harmonious relationships.
• Uphold the Policy and Procedures of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma and associated programs services and the Kickapoo Tribe Employee Policy and Procedures.
• To report and document accidents/injuries immediately to supervisor
• Maintain high standards of personal appearance and grooming
• Attends all scheduled employee meetings/trainings and brings suggestions for improvement.

The Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma is committed to Equal Employment without regard to race, religion, color, gender, national origin, age, disability or sexual orientation.  However, in accordance with the Indian Preference Act (Title 25 U.S. Code 472 and 473) preference in filling vacancies are given to qualified Indian candidates.

In reference to Personnel Policy, Section 1-24, Employment At-Will.  All employees who do not have a written contract with the employer for a specific fixed term of employment are thereby employed at the will of the employer for an indefinite period. Employment with the Kickapoo Tribe, without a written contract, is voluntary and therefore employees are free to resign at any time with or without cause or reason.  Likewise, the Tribe may terminate the employment relationship at any time with or without notice and for any lawful reason deemed appropriate by the Tribe for good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all.  This policy is commonly referred to as “employment-at-will.”