Child Maintenance Reforms

11th Jul 2011

The Works and Pensions Select Committee have published a report on Child Maintenance reforms. They have recommended that the non-resident parent should be required to pay child maintenance through direct deductions from their salaries or bank accounts.

The Committee calls upon the Government to establish a more efficient way to administer the Statutory Maintenance Service, they indicated that the current system leaves many separated parents without adequate child maintenance arrangements and many parents with care do not receive payments on a regular basis or receive no payments at all. The report recommends a requirement for a non-resident parent to pay child maintenance through direct deductions from salaries or bank accounts.

 This would ensure that parents with care receive agreed child maintenance payments on time and at the correct level. Also, the report stated where a parent with care has taken all reasonable steps to reach a voluntary agreement, both the proposed application and collection charge for the service should be borne by the non-resident parent.