Tackling child poverty
critical for CSA reform
Summary
The Child Support Agency (CSA) was established on the
principle that, when parents neglect their responsibilities, the Government
must safeguard children’s interests.
However, the performance of the CSA
has largely been found to be unacceptable, with the current system often
working against parents and with significant numbers of children not getting
the maintenance they need.
This White Paper from the Department
for Work and Pensions puts forward proposals for the delivery of a new child
maintenance system.
The Government accepts the principal recommendations
from
‘Recovering
child support: routes to responsibility’ (Cm 6894), Sir David Henshaw's
report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
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How does it affect me?
If you are a
customer or an employee of the CSA, or work in the child support, child
protection or childcare sectors, this may affect you.
Four new
principles for reform are established:
- Help tackle child poverty by
ensuring that more parents take responsibility for paying for their children
and that more children benefit from this
- Promote parental
responsibility by encouraging and empowering parents to make their own
maintenance arrangements wherever possible, but taking firm action – through a
tough and effective enforcement regime – to enforce payment where
necessary
- Provide a cost-effective and professional service that gets
money flowing between parents in the most efficient way for the taxpayer
- Be simple and transparent, providing an accessible, reliable and responsive
service that is understood and accepted by parents and their advisers and is
capable of being administered by staff.
Primarily the White Paper
proposes that the Child Support Agency be replaced by a new independent
organisation, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (C-MEC).
Other proposals include both parents being registered on birth certificates
and a more streamlined assessment process.
Enforcement options being
examined include withdrawing passports and driving licences, and collecting
maintenance directly from financial institutions.
Want to contribute to
the consultation? The Government is collecting responses to these proposals:
contributions deadline is 13 March 2007. Contact details are:
Child
Maintenance Redesign Team,
Department of Work and Pensions,
5th
Floor,
The Adelphi,
1-11 John Adam Street,
London WC2N 6HT
Tel: +44 (0)20 7962 8128
www.dwp.gov.uk/childmaintenance
Alternatively, visit the Child Support
Agency website for more information.
See the full list of current
Department for Work and Pensions
consultations here.
