New laws will give victims of domestic abuse protection from having direct contact with abusive ex-partners about child maintenance. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says parents will be given the choice to allow the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to collect and make payments on their behalf, without the consent of an abusive ex-partner.
The DWP said: "This will prevent perpetrators from using child maintenance as a form of ongoing financial abuse and control and mean survivors will not have to have contact with their ex-partner if there is evidence of domestic violence."
The CMS will also have new powers to report suspected cases of financial coercion to the Crown Prosecution Service to help bring abusers to justice. One-to-one support for survivors will be piloted and domestic abuse training for staff improved.
