What is the point of the Child Maintenance Service?

[Lollylucyclark101]

My son is 17, he will be 18 in about 5/6 months.

I left his bio-dad in 2009 - when my son was 18 months old. He has seen my son twice in his lifetime. We were married. Divorced in 2010. Anyway, he never really worked after we got married, always in/out of jobs and never really paid anything towards the bills etc. I worked FT until my maternity leave and paid for everything.
I went back to work when my son was 2 and have worked all of my life FT.
bio-dad didn't work. He then became a security guard and was working for about 15 months. I therefore applied for CSA and was awarded £60 a month (he has 8 other kids after my son). Anyway he didn't pay it and wracked up a £600 + bill before being sacked and going back on the dole. Payments then went down to £2.28 - YES TWO POUNDS TWENTY EIGHT PENCE A WEEK!.

So I stopped the claim - like, what was the point? It didn't even cover his monthly pocket money of £10! - I did say I wanted the pack pay recovered.

I haven't heard anything off the CMS for years, and suddenly I get a text message today asking me to log in to my online account as there was an update. This update basically said that they are aware I'm owed money and they are "going about" recovering it. So I have called them..... and they have basically said that because he has other debts to pay and is still on the dole, they cannot recoup any monies owed. When I asked what debts, they couldn't give specifics, but added "they are more important than your debt".

It really infuriates me because not only did he get a FAT pay-out from the NHS for medical negligence, but he's also been going on expensive abroad holidays - but cant afford to pay the £600 he owns for 16 years worth of financial contributions (realistically its more than that, but I didn't claim) for my son?

I don't actually "need the money" - however for me, its the damn principle! This person has done NOTHING for my son at all, all of his life and it would be nice to put that £600 in my sons ISA for when he turns 18, so he has slightly more money than what's in there now (his child benefit has been going in there since he was born, and I've put in money here and there when I have been able to, so he has a nice wedge!) and I can feel like I haven't been "done over" by this bloke!
Yes- I married him and had a baby with him - that didn't mean I knew about his abusive behaviour and the alcoholism that happened during the relationship!

What is the point of this service? They don't have the child at the heart of what they do. They either absolutely decimate a GOOD FATHERS finances by awarding silly amounts of money to the other parent, or they do sweet FA for parents that actually really need it!

It so infuriating!

I have a friend she thinks it's the best service going 600 pounds in her account every month on the dot.

I on the other hand have always used collect and pay and barely get one payment a year and they're always sending me new calculations.
Arrears are like 3000.

The difference is her ex husband listens to authority and is scared of any reprocutions .
My ex husband is a ducker and diver and doesn't give a shit.

For the later the service doesn't work unfortunately 😞

From what I can see CMS is truly pointless. I agree with the PP who said we need to be more like America. I genuinely think this would make such a difference.

I am very lucky to be amicable with my ex and we don't go through CMS, he pays me privately. So we don't need the service. Yet it seems that if you DO need the service - you don't get it anyway as they are totally toothless!! It's really unfair, I wholeheartedly sympathise.

I had an open claim until my Dd was 18. Her "father" had disappeared off to the ROI when she was 2. Each year they sent me a nice letter saying he'd paid nothing and owed nothing.

The CMS spent more on paper, postage and admin that I ever got in maintenance. Fabulous service.

And yet they wonder why birthrates are falling. I won´t encourage my daugthers having children unless they truly want them, are happy to take care of them all alone and are financially able to do so. Because there´s a fair chance they will have to.

this!

my husband and his ex girlfriend do it all privately! I usually send her the money each month lol 😂, because we get paid different days so it either comes out of my wages or his…. But is our “income”

just annoys me that my sons father is getting off Scott free!

I agree. There needs to be tougher consequences for those who don’t listen to what the CMS is asking.