Policy and Practice | June 2021

for Designing TRUST Using human-centered design to rebuild trust and improve mission impact

By Amy Freckmann, Tiffany Dovey Fishman, R. J. Krawiec, and Kenneth J. Smith

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comply with their responsibilities, the case- worker needs to earn the trust of both. CPs won’t ask for child support services unless they feel a sense of trust in the process and that there will be a positive outcome. Without trust, CPs required to cooperate with the child support program will be reluctant to divulge all the nec- essary information, such as how the child was conceived and how to find the NCP. Neither CPs nor NCPs may be willing to divulge personal details unless they trust that the caseworker will not judge them, and that the agency will not misuse their personal or financial data. Failure to provide such information can lead to delays or failure in establishing paternity, a child support order, and payment on time and in full.

rust is what brings us, as humans, together. It’s the essential bond that underpins the relationships we have with one another, but also the relationships we have with government agencies and programs. For health and human services (H/HS) and labor programs, trust affects how program partici- pants behave, in ways that help to determine how effective and efficient the programwill be. Trust impacts everything, from howwell enrollees comply with policies and due dates, to howwilling they are to participate in programs, to how likely they are to use digital self-service tools. Take child support, for example. To encourage the custodial parent (CP) and noncustodial parent (NCP) to cooperate, communicate, and

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June 2021 Policy&Practice