Child support redesign
The Child Support Agency is to be replaced with a tougher, more streamlined body, Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton announced today.
The new system will be simpler to use and administer, and tougher on parents who do not face up to their responsibilities. It will be designed to maximise the reduction in child poverty while delivering value for money for the taxpayer.
Mr Hutton said the key changes will be in line with the recommendations of an independent report on child support in the UK presented to him today by Sir David Henshaw.
What is the background to this?
In February, the Secretary of State, John Hutton, announced the publication of the Operational Improvement Plan, to stabilise and improve the performance of the Child Support Agency in the short term. At the same time he asked Sir David Henshaw to fundamentally redesign the child support system.
Sir David's report has been published today, along with the Government's response. The Secretary of State has also announced his proposals on the future of child support policy in the Houses of Parliament.
What has been announced today?
There will be
- a simpler system of child support that enables and encourages parents to make their own maintenance arrangements with firm and effective state intervention where that is not possible
- tougher enforcement measures where parents do not meet their financial obligations to their children
- a fresh start for child support arrangements. A new organisation will be established to deliver child support in the future
What does this mean?
Firstly, it means that the new system will enable and encourage parents to take responsibility for making their own maintenance arrangements.
Secondly it means that we will create a new organisation to deliver child support.
Thirdly, we must carefully manage the transition from the Child Support Agency to the new organisation.
When will all this happen?
None of these changes will happen immediately. Over the summer the Department for Work and Pensions will be consulting widely on the proposals and will then publish a White Paper in the autumn. We will do more analysis to assess the most appropriate way to enable existing Child Support Agency clients to either move to private arrangements or make a claim under the new system.
What will happen to my case?
For now there will be no changes to your case. We will continue to implement the Operational Improvement Plan. We are not walking away from enforcing the law or from families who depend on maintenance.
Nothing will be allowed to disrupt the maintenance that already supports half a million children - neither today nor in the future.
How will my case transfer to the redesigned scheme?
Sir David Henshaw is proposing that both existing schemes are closed down and people are asked to re-apply to the new, simplified system. We believe this approach has merit but will be considering this over the summer.
Can I still make a claim and how do I do this?
Yes, the process for making a claim has not changed. You will find information on applying for child support here.
What happens if my circumstances change?
You should continue to report any changes of circumstances in the normal way.
My ex partner says there is no point in paying child support now. Do they still have to?
Yes. During the period where we are setting up the new organisation we will not let up on compliance and enforcement. In fact these efforts are increasing as we implement the Operational Improvement Plan.
My ex-partner owes me a lot of money in child support
We will build on the initiatives we have already put in place with the Operational Improvement Plan which are already improving our ability to pursue people who owe maintenance and will strengthen our enforcement powers further.
My case is still an old scheme one - will this now transfer to the new scheme?
We have always said that we could not consider transferring the bulk of the old scheme caseload onto the new scheme until the new scheme was working well. We will do more work on this over the summer to assess the best way forward.
I would like more information about Sir David Henshaw's proposals.
Sir David Henshaw's report and the Government's response are available on the Department for Work and Pensions website.
Will I be kept informed?
We will keep clients and stakeholders updated throughout the consultation process.
