Post by nickd on Feb 9, 2011 9:30:58 GMT 1
BBC Breakfast this morning ran some coverage on the new fee paying child maintenance agency which replaces the previous Child Support Agency system. Those expecting to pursue maintenance will be forced to pay an upfront fee and face a reduction in the amount payable - effectively becoming a tax on children. It seems Government wants to encourage estranged families to come to their own agreement rather than use the agency-those that do should expect to pay the agencies fees.
Charity Gingerbread are critical of the new payment system, here's more on what was said........
Parents face fees for child maintenance rulings
Separating couples will get more help to agree child maintenance payments - but will be charged for state help if they cannot under government plans.
Families Minister Maria Miller said the current system "drives a wedge" between parents and leaves 1.5m children without effective financial support.
But there are concerns that charging for statutory help will "hit the poor".
Ms Miller said the system would remain "heavily subsidised" and the poorest parents would only pay £20 up front.
The much-maligned Child Support Agency was effectively axed in 2008 when it was rolled into a new body - the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
Ministers say there is a £4bn arrears in maintenance payments and less than half of children whose parents are separated are adequately supported.
They are consulting on changes to child maintenance in England, Wales and Scotland which they say will "better support families" to make lasting arrangements and will save the taxpayer money - the current system costs £460m a year.
The aim is to encourage parents to come to their own arrangements rather than relying on the state to set child maintenance payments.
Under the proposals parents unable to agree could be charged about £100 - the document suggests those on benefits could pay about £50, £20 of which would be paid up front and the rest in instalments. The charges would not apply in cases where there has been domestic violence.
'More enduring'
Ms Miller told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The real driving force behind the recommendations we are putting forward today is about getting parents to be able to have more support to come to their own arrangements, which we know are more enduring.
"For those people who can't come to their own arrangements we will be making sure that the current system, the statutory system, actually works harder and has more depth."
She said parents were more likely to stick to arrangements made independently and dismissed suggestions warring parents were unlikely to reach an agreement: "All the research we do says the majority of people currently using the system would want to come to their own arrangements if they had the right support in place."
Nicholas Cusworth, vice-chairman of the Family Law Bar Association, said he broadly welcomed moves to help more parents come to their own arrangements and said everyone accepted the CSA had not worked.
But he said it had been set up to deal with absent fathers who were not supporting children whose mothers were on benefits. While couples with assets to divide up may well be able to come to an agreement, he said the change "will hit the poor".
"Scrapping the scheme and starting again is a thoroughly good idea. Charging everyone who uses the scheme - unless there is domestic violence - is not such a good idea," he said.
'Punishing families'
Barnados also asked for assurances on parents unable to reach agreement and who could not afford a charge.
Chief executive Martin Narey said: "If the welfare of the child is to remain paramount then the system must make allowances for vulnerable families whose hands are tied by the strain of living in poverty."
And Janet Allbeson, from single parents' charity Gingerbread, said discouraging people from seeking state help was "punishing those families who need the most help".
"Money can become an incredible source of tension between couples when they separate and the CSA does a very valuable job in insisting that responsibility for your children does carry on after you separate," she said.
Maria Miller
Families Minister
Ms Miller told the BBC: "The new system will have not just support for people to make their own arrangements but the statutory system will be there to help people who can't come to their own arrangements.
"There will be a charge in place for them to use that, but for the poorest people in society, the up front charge will be £20, so we are not talking about an enormous amount of money. This will still remain a heavily subsidised state maintenance system."
Under the proposals parents will get free advice from voluntary and charitable bodies before deciding whether to reach an independent settlement or opt to use the statutory service.
The proposals are designed to build on changes introduced by the Labour government designed to ensure parents living apart fulfil their responsibilities to support their children financially.
The government is reviewing the future of the Child Support Agency, which still handles maintenance cases on a day-to-day basis. It wants more focus on vulnerable children and tackling evasion.
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, which took over responsibility for assessment, guidance and enforcement, says it is making progress in pursuing parents in arrears and more than 850,000 children are now receiving support - 260,000 more than in 2006.
Click on the link which leads you to the article and includes some video coverage.........
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12174121
Charity Gingerbread are critical of the new payment system, here's more on what was said........
Parents face fees for child maintenance rulings
Separating couples will get more help to agree child maintenance payments - but will be charged for state help if they cannot under government plans.
Families Minister Maria Miller said the current system "drives a wedge" between parents and leaves 1.5m children without effective financial support.
But there are concerns that charging for statutory help will "hit the poor".
Ms Miller said the system would remain "heavily subsidised" and the poorest parents would only pay £20 up front.
The much-maligned Child Support Agency was effectively axed in 2008 when it was rolled into a new body - the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
Ministers say there is a £4bn arrears in maintenance payments and less than half of children whose parents are separated are adequately supported.
They are consulting on changes to child maintenance in England, Wales and Scotland which they say will "better support families" to make lasting arrangements and will save the taxpayer money - the current system costs £460m a year.
The aim is to encourage parents to come to their own arrangements rather than relying on the state to set child maintenance payments.
Under the proposals parents unable to agree could be charged about £100 - the document suggests those on benefits could pay about £50, £20 of which would be paid up front and the rest in instalments. The charges would not apply in cases where there has been domestic violence.
'More enduring'
Ms Miller told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The real driving force behind the recommendations we are putting forward today is about getting parents to be able to have more support to come to their own arrangements, which we know are more enduring.
"For those people who can't come to their own arrangements we will be making sure that the current system, the statutory system, actually works harder and has more depth."
She said parents were more likely to stick to arrangements made independently and dismissed suggestions warring parents were unlikely to reach an agreement: "All the research we do says the majority of people currently using the system would want to come to their own arrangements if they had the right support in place."
Nicholas Cusworth, vice-chairman of the Family Law Bar Association, said he broadly welcomed moves to help more parents come to their own arrangements and said everyone accepted the CSA had not worked.
But he said it had been set up to deal with absent fathers who were not supporting children whose mothers were on benefits. While couples with assets to divide up may well be able to come to an agreement, he said the change "will hit the poor".
"Scrapping the scheme and starting again is a thoroughly good idea. Charging everyone who uses the scheme - unless there is domestic violence - is not such a good idea," he said.
'Punishing families'
Barnados also asked for assurances on parents unable to reach agreement and who could not afford a charge.
Chief executive Martin Narey said: "If the welfare of the child is to remain paramount then the system must make allowances for vulnerable families whose hands are tied by the strain of living in poverty."
And Janet Allbeson, from single parents' charity Gingerbread, said discouraging people from seeking state help was "punishing those families who need the most help".
"Money can become an incredible source of tension between couples when they separate and the CSA does a very valuable job in insisting that responsibility for your children does carry on after you separate," she said.
Maria Miller
Families Minister
Ms Miller told the BBC: "The new system will have not just support for people to make their own arrangements but the statutory system will be there to help people who can't come to their own arrangements.
"There will be a charge in place for them to use that, but for the poorest people in society, the up front charge will be £20, so we are not talking about an enormous amount of money. This will still remain a heavily subsidised state maintenance system."
Under the proposals parents will get free advice from voluntary and charitable bodies before deciding whether to reach an independent settlement or opt to use the statutory service.
The proposals are designed to build on changes introduced by the Labour government designed to ensure parents living apart fulfil their responsibilities to support their children financially.
The government is reviewing the future of the Child Support Agency, which still handles maintenance cases on a day-to-day basis. It wants more focus on vulnerable children and tackling evasion.
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, which took over responsibility for assessment, guidance and enforcement, says it is making progress in pursuing parents in arrears and more than 850,000 children are now receiving support - 260,000 more than in 2006.
Click on the link which leads you to the article and includes some video coverage.........
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12174121