Inquiry announced on Child Maintenance

On 13 January 2011 the Department for Work and Pensions published a Green Paper, Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance. This consultation paper sought views on the Government’s strategy for reforming the child maintenance system.

Under the current system, separating parents can agree child maintenance costs themselves under a private agreement. Parents or persons with care of a child can also ask the Child Support Agency (CSA) to calculate the child maintenance costs and set up a payment arrangement. The Green Paper set out the Government’s view that parents should be encouraged and supported to make their own arrangements for the maintenance of their children, before deciding to use the statutory maintenance scheme.

The proposals include introducing charges for parents who use the statutory child maintenance service.

Information on how to submit written evidence can be found here.

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