Child Support - Get it Right First

The Government is trying to sort the appalling mess which is known as the Child Support Agency.

Janet Hopkins, senior family solicitor at Lawson-West, is concerned about the
enforcement measures announced in the press, in the light of the CSA’s record of inaccuracy in their calculations.

“It is clearly the case that many absent parents – of both genders – fail to pay their child support. But, before the Government launches severe enforcement powers such as removing passports and driving licences from what they see as ‘offenders’, it is absolutely vital that the CSA (or its successor organisation) gets its sums right.

A significant part of the work of the CSA is taken up in re-doing their assessments of child support liability. I have acted for numerous individuals who have come to me with calculations that are simply wrong. It has become standard practice to appeal against the sums assessed because there is a very good chance that they will be wrong. This takes up much of the CSA’s time, and has contributed hugely to the
failure of the organisation in my view.”

Solicitor, Mrs Hopkins, comments further:

"Imagine the devastation to an individual’s life to have their passport and/or driving licence removed. A man might have to drive in order to sustain his employment. If his licence is removed he could lose his job. Bang goes the child support. If the assessment is also wrong, who is going to sort that out?

If an absent father or mother is supporting a second family, or step-family, what hardships will those children suffer while the CSA re-do their sums?

Of course parents should continue to support their children. But the essential key to making this happen is to make absolutely sure that calculations are correct. It may be
the case that this can only be achieved by making links with the Inland Revenue so that the person’s real income is known. At the moment, the CSA seem to act on assertions from one side or the other, and that leads to incorrect assessments.

And if there are to be draconian enforcement measures like removing passports and driving licences, there must be a right of appeal.

The CSA’s successor organisation has its work cut out to build any degree of trust in the public mind. The experience of the agency is going to be a very difficult hurdle to get over, and we need to reach a point where we believe that we can rely on the organisation to get its calculations right and deal fairly with all concerned – including the absent parent.”