To think this should have more media coverage and political support?

[Theemeperorsnewclothes]

How many women are bringing up their children without any financial input from the other parent? How many women are fighting the CMS system because their child’s father is self employed/Ltd Company Director/job hopping. How many absent fathers are asked in news reports, “where are you with regards to financial support for your child? Yet, regardless they will retain all parental legal rights to their child. If over 90% of resident parents (mothers) opted out of financial support for their children, the children would be in care, and the mothers would be in jail. Is it time that fathers who very clearly, and wilfully, and criminally avoid financially supporting their children should face much tougher penalties. Surely that brings some sort of equality to parenting?

Bad news – but Gingerbread will fight on!POSTED 15 DECEMBER 2023

Today, the court has ruled in the case on the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) that we have been involved with. We’re sorry to say it’s not good news.
The case was brought by a group of single parents and the children of single parents. Together they argued that problems with the CMS are causing them “significant and prolonged financial difficulties”. They argued that the way the CMS operates, including the insufficient enforcement of payment obligations against non-resident parents, was discriminatory and unlawful. They also argued that the Government needed to better support victim-survivors of domestic abuse in running the CMS.
We had hoped to see significant reform of the CMS as a result of the case. But we’re incredibly disappointed that today, the judge ruled in favour of the Government and agreed with them that the way the system is being operated is lawful.
Gingerbread got involved with the case to share our expertise and knowledge. We hear day in, day out from single parents who tell us that they are owed thousands of pounds from their child’s other parent. All too often they tell us that the CMS is failing to put enforcement action in place. And what’s worse, we hear from single parents who say the system is allowing their ex-partner to perpetuate economic abuse. We also know that:

• 140,000 children are not receiving a penny of the maintenance they are legally entitled to
• since 2012, when the CMS began, £590.6 million in unpaid maintenance has accumulated
• if child maintenance were paid in full to all children in separated families living in poverty who currently do not receive financial support from their other parent, it would have the potential to lift 60% of them out of poverty.

We believe that there’s something seriously wrong with a Child Maintenance Service that leaves so many children without the support they deserve. It’s clear that we have an uphill struggle to change the system. Right now, we’re looking ahead to the next election. . We’ve been talking to all political parties about the need to reform the CMS. But we know that there are other issues which matter to single parents too. We’re running a survey on what our priorities should be. We’re asking single parents to tell us what matters to them, so we can make sure your voice is heard! We’re also about to start a new project researching the challenges of the CMS and developing with single parents clear recommendations for reform. This will help us make the case for change with any new Government. More information will be available on this in the new year.

Yanbu. It's a total scandal.

I can not fathom how a person in a relationship, who knows that the child is theirs refuses to support them adequately.
Enforcement needs to change. Needs to be brutal, impound cars, sell, homes or assets if necessary.
Also needs to be extended to support the child through university.
Maybe staffing resources could be pooled and transferred between government departments, to support the backlog.

I’m sure I read that children in the UK are owed £4ion by NRP. Disgraceful. Even on the States they have harsh punishments for his, I’m not sure why the fuck CMS continue to fail children

YANBU at all. The lack of political will on this front is depressing.

I am childfree, so this doesn’t affect me personally but I believe it’s a national disgrace and it should be prioritised by at least one political party. We need to see what other countries do and what works well and implement something that actually works. It’s disgusting what the resident parent is left alone to cope with and that yet again the government ignores the best interests of children.

I looked into the legal case and it appears that the Judge was more sympathetic to the fact that the NRP might have the care for another child (any child) over the children that they should have financial responsibility for in the first relationship, regardless. It is very clear that there needs to be an independent investigation into the way this system operates, with an objective first and foremost of the welfare of the child, and secondly implementing some sort parity of esteem.

It's an absolute disgrace and personally I think that money should be taken from their wages automatically. If the person is self-employed and clearly has funds but doesn't pay I think they should go to prison.

This should be a national scandal.

I do t know why the political parties are t making it the number one top priority in their manifestos.

The Tories because it costs the tax payer billions to pay out uc when DCs aren't financially supported by both parents. Also the moral aspect of deadbeat dads as a scourge on society.

Labour because it's a major cause of child poverty with many long term health and social detriments.

Single mothers are still the pariahs of society it seems.

People have sympathy for poorly treated asylum seekers not having their rights met but ignore the bigger problem of abandoned children left destitute!?

I am broken by this system. Mentally, physically and financially. There is very clear data that supports the fact that this ‘system’ co opts in economic abuse. The foundations of this ‘system’ were built on a patriarchy of Christian ideals that permeate the ‘service’ today. It is not fit for purpose. We need a louder voice. We need our children to be put at the centre. It is not happening. Thanks for your input so far. I’d love to hear more stories and get everyone behind a campaign for change. It is desperately needed.

Why isn't it linked to your tax, either code or self assessment. The hmrc should know eat you earn either in paye or in dividends etc it should then be collected via your tax.
My ex doesn't pay a penny. He tried to cone after me for half the house ( my house before we married and not married long) and I made him a reasonable offer which he refused.he kept threatening to ask for spousal support and to take our child away. I haven't bothered to claim as I know he will use it as an excuse to contact me and abuse me again and I am lucky to have a decent salary. He also hasn't bothered seeing his child since I told him he had to use a contact centre due to his violence.

I am so sorry, I hit report there when I meant to hit reply! Very good question! Why is all of this not linked to HMRC. There is some link now but not enough. SME’s are a massive part of the economy in the UK and we are reliant on them properly and honestly filing their tax returns to HMRC to fairly calculate child maintenance. At present there is a massive ‘loophole’ in the system where dividends or Directors loans are not considered or asked for unless the receiving parent raises a variation request. What a ridiculous archaic, patriarchal, exploitative system. CMS will tell you to report them to HMRC, utter stressful wild goose chase. HMRC are closed to this type of correspondence. Call me cynical, but I wonder why?

YANBU! Doesn’t affect me personally but I can totally see how these (mostly) men wriggle out of paying for their own children. And the utter heroes mostly women) who pick the children up and bring them up by themselves.

Agree 100% it's sickening. I am luckily not affected. This is currently under reform in Ireland with plans to link payments to revenue. See this article:
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2024/01/08/child-maintenance-payments-could-be-collected-by-revenue-as-part-of-shake-up/

My ex uses it as a way to continue abusing and controlling me. At a point I had to cover the whole mortgage and nursery payments after he left (why aren't men asked to pay half nursery costs too I don't know) he used to withhold it for the most spurious reasons (I packed the wrong t shirt... Etc), or just withhold it because he fancied booking a weekend away instead (and he'd tell CMS he had no money and apparently the fact he had booked a holiday wasn't relevant as it could have been paid for by family -well maybe they could have coughed up for the maintenance then...)

I often skipped meals in the early years as a result. I also know for a fact he gets paid a lot in cash which of course doesn't get included in the calculation

I've worked hard to be self sufficient , but men shouldn't be allowed to financially abuse women post separation like this

I do wonder what percentage of nonpaying fathers are bloated capitalist company directors and what percentage are unemployed or cash in hand tradesmen.

Certainly it sounds better in the US when failure to pay by an absent baby daddy results in criminal prosecution and possibly in jail.

I have personal experience of this. High earning ex not paying and having the knowledge and ability to avoid paying. I don't believe the will is there to change this. On mumsnet plenty of people will agree that NRP should pay. In real life not so much. Mothers are viewed as grasping for expecting fathers to pay even the bare minimum. Mothers are routinely told they are 'lucky' to get anything at all. There is still a perception that the money is for the mother and not for the maintenance of the child. While these attitudes prevail nothing will change.

There should be more awareness. Little chance given the number of absent dads or feckless ones in the Tory party, such as the one who would not tell you how many children he has fathered.

Those not paying should have a meaningful sanction. Most would feel inconvenienced if their passport was withdrawn until they paid up.