This is mainly in regards to two people I know but it got me thinking about why Csa is not included as income when claiming benefits. Now I'm not dense, I realise that the main reason is for absent fathers who disappear or try and get out of paying. In these cases fair enough. But when there is doubt about whether or not the individuals involved are a still a couple then I think something needs to be done, and that they deduct the Csa off of the mother's/father's benefits.
A person who I classed as a friend (she no longer is) is, in my opinion cheating the system but she's played it clever. The father of her children who she's been in a relationship with for years now technically lives at his father's house. I say technically because whilst he may be registered on the electoral roll and leaves his belongings there he still sleeps at her house almost every night, they spend time together as a couple, and it's pretty much business as before.
Another person I know (dh cousin) has five children, refuses to work and keeps finding loopholes not to work ie claiming carer's allowance even though she doesn't do much carIng, spacing her kids out purposely so she can stay on income support. Now that she has split up with the father of her kids (genuinely split as far as I know) she still refuses to get a job because the amount in benefits she receives plus the very generous amount of Csa from the father of her kids means that she lives a very cushy lifestyle.
Aibu to think that in cases like these were it's questionable whether the individuals are still a couple, or were the person refuses to work even though they could, the Csa should count as income and be deducted from benefits directly or payments reduced over time.