Safe as houses?
How one non-resident parent thought telling us he lived in Southern Ireland
would help him avoid paying.
Getting non-resident parents to take responsibility for child maintenance often takes a lot more than a phone call and letter and, in some cases, involves piecing together a jigsaw of evidence. In one case, a non-resident parent claimed he was living in Southern Ireland (outside of our jurisdiction). Whilst his mother did indeed live in Southern Ireland, and the non-payer's name was on utility bills at the property, it was clear that he was resident in the UK.
We conducted a range of checks to establish his address. These ranged from checking out land registry, asking the local water company who was registered at his UK property, checking out local newspapers for references to him and speaking to a building society about his re-mortgage plans. All checks pointed to the fact that the address in Southern Ireland was one of convenience and the non-resident parent has business interests in the UK, owns property in the UK, and sends his child to school in the UK. The CSA continues to pursue the case.
To track down non-resident parents who continue to try to avoid finacially supporting their children we are also using the expertise of private debt-collection agencies and specialist trace companies.
