To think the government should scrap the Child Maintenance Service and start all over?

[PatSharpIsMyBoyfriend]

I wish they would take this issue more seriously, and come up with an efficient way to collect maintenance from absent parents. The CMS seems just as incompetent as the Child Support Agency, except now you have to pay £20 a time to feel frustrated.

I have had a case open since May 2015 with no payments made from my ex partner. I received a call today, to say that my case is going to be 'adjudicated', because I need to fill out a form with my bank details and send it to them, so they can send it to my ex partner. So back to square 1 we go. This is just a formality apparently, as he already has my details, but why couldn't they tell me this 6 months ago?! On top of that I've been told not to ring in for another 2 weeks, and even then not to expect that any progress will be made. They have had his details from the beginning, they know he is working. Every time I ring in, I am told the same thing, wait 5 days, 30 days, letter A or B needs to be sent etc. The whole thing, and amount of red tape you have to wade through makes it just seem like a complete joke.

It's disgusting that govt won't give them the teeth to do the job. And that applies to all parties.

My ex didn't pay for 2.5 years when we first split. He's regularly not paid in November (to play the generous father at Christmas which dd never fell for especially as gifts never cost how much he should have paid in maintenance), he's now not paid since October, is leaving his job in military. CSA said they'd send an aoe but apparently military don't have to comply with this. Given divorce rates in military plus easy for them to move and not tell ex where they are there should be more powers in dealing with them not less!

In addition I'd love to know who decided on the paltry amount they're calculated as having to pay anyway as in majority of cases it's nowhere near half the cost of raising a child which IMO it should be.

I'd welcome the American system, if losing their car means losing their job they'd be less likely to withold payment and if they're not paying anyway them losing their job makes no difference to children or RP!

We should be allowed to publicly name and shame too.

Yanbu at all. It's disgraceful that children have to go without because one of their "parents" decides they aren't going to take responsibility for their own kids. And it's disgraceful that the cms or whatever they are don't have any powers at all.
Many single parents struggle doing everything alone as it is. Financial support should be there for them at the very least.