Children are being plunged into poverty because of the failing system for child maintenance payments, campaigners have warned.
One Parent Families Scotland made a call for change after research showed that eight out of ten users were “dissatisfied or highly dissatisfied” with the system.
A single mum told the Record: “I tried to claim and received a few erratic payments.
"It had to be collected through earnings arrestment. Every time the dad moved job, payments stopped and wouldn’t re-start for months.”
The Child Maintenance System (CMS) is part of the Department of Work and Pensions and exists to ensure parents receive the right amount of money for their children.
This often involves fathers being chased up to ensure they help pay for the upkeep of their kids.
However, a report published by OPFS paints a damning picture of the experiences of single parents when using the service.
Over 80% said they felt the level of child maintenance was inadequate to meet their children’s needs.
Three quarters of respondents identified payment, collection, and enforcement as an issue for them.
OPFS are making four demands, including the abolition of charges for receiving parents, an improved service for domestic abuse survivors and stronger enforcement.
They also want better case management for parents.
Satwat Rehman, chief executive of One Parent Families Scotland, said:
“Our consultation findings underline what we are continually told by single parents through our local services and national helpline – parents are facing huge delays in hearing back, poor customer service, and ultimately a failure to collect the payments.
“At a time when the cost of living is rising to impossible levels, with many families forced to choose between food and fuel, addressing these issues is more important than ever. No child should have to go without because one parent is choosing not to provide them with financial support when they are able to.
“Parents – mostly mothers – who make claims through the Child Maintenance Service do so because making informal arrangements with their ex-partner would not be possible. Often, this is because coercive control has been involved.
“Despite this, the CMS displays a systemic failure to appreciate these circumstances, for example by arranging face-to-face meetings with ex-partners.”
OPFS insists a “full root and branch review” of the service is required to enforce payments and ensure the process itself does not add to the stress of vulnerable families.
A parent said: “I’ve had to wait more than a year for a response on more than one occasion (despite chasing) which is completely unacceptable. Upon phoning, any random person becomes your case worker and as my case is complex this is soul destroying.
“I’ve had complaints closed down without my agreement. Calculations performed incorrectly. The actual running total has had technical issues twice, so I don’t know how much is owed etc and it’s taken months to sort out. If you don’t chase nothing is actioned. The portal can be like a black hole.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “The CMS puts children first – in the last 12 months a record £1 billion was collected and arranged through the service. Child maintenance payments help lift around 120,000 children out of poverty each year.
“More than a third of separated parents make their own arrangements without any government support which is better for families and the taxpayer, allowing CMS to focus on supporting parents where that arrangement wouldn’t work or those who won’t pay.”
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