csa and divorce

[amylou]

Hi my husband and i split up a while ago, we have a nearly 5yr old who he has being paying a regular amount to each week whilst working.. He has now gone and got him signed off long time sick and stopped the direct debit so he is not giving me any money so its making things tough..
I work and get child tax credit but miss the his regular contribution.. can the csa get money off a person who is signed off sick and gets stautory sick pay? i expect not..
Also could do with getting divorce underway.. we had no assets, we rented property and everything is sorted out really - do I need to do it through a solicitor, whats the cheapest way?
Sorry for many questions - feeling very stressed at the moment!

hi amylou - don't know very much about this but I'm sure someone will be along soon who does - weekends also tend to be quieter than weekdays as well on here.

about the cheapest way of doing things - you would probably be best off looking for a solicitor who does legal aid. if you have a look at the web site for the legal services commission that will have some info on as to whether you would be entitled to legal aid - if you are, then you might not have to pay for your legal fees, or only have a limited contribution towards them.

hth

Hi amylou - wouldn't hold out much hope for csa, they'll probably say his benefits aren't high enough to pay anything.

You should be able to get legal aid to pay for your divorce though. Look in your yellow pages and they'll have a list of legal aid solicitors in your area. Would strongly recommend having a solicitor though - divorce is very hard to sort out yourself, lots of legal minefields. If you don't earn much you probably won't have to pay any legal costs though don't worry. When I split from my ex we were renting so there was nothing like that to sort out but just the access arrangements and reasons for divorce has been enough of a headache - you NEED a solicitor!!!

thanks for your advice - i'll have a look at that website and see whats what..

amylou

being a man who has gone through the nightmare of divorce.i can give you advice .
on long term sick if he is getting incapicity benefit.you will find he will not have to pay anything as it is to low.
get a family solicitor.ideally a member on child panel .you should be able to get legal aid unless you earn lots of money.with no assets ie house no charge can be put on a house if you had one.so ideally best time to get divorce is when you have nothing.is the reason why he is off work due to a work injury.if so and he is thinking of going for compensation dont go for divorce yet as if you get divorced first and then he gets a large payoff .you will get nothing.so becareful.any other questions just fire away

thanks for your advice romantick.. thats a good thought in getting divorced now whilst our incomes are low. Hes off sick due to chest problems which wasnt a work injury so there would be no compensation.
how long does the proceedings drag on for? do you have to go to court?

thanks
amylou

my divorce tookover a year as very complicated.custody battle is still going on which is now upto 2 years.very hard going