News
Call to ditch charges on parents seeking child maintenance
Wednesday 25 January 2012
CHILDREN 1ST and One Parent Families Scotland are calling on the House of Lords to support an amendment to remove charges from the new child maintenance proposals in the welfare reform bill.
An amendment has been lodged by Lord Mackay of Clashfern who was previously a Conservative Government Minister when the original Child Support Agency was created in the 1990s. The charities have signed up to a briefing supported by a range of UK and Scottish organisations supporting the move, because they share Lord Mackay’s concern about the financial impact the changes will have on vulnerable lone parent families across Scotland.
Under the UK Government’s proposals, single parents who seek to use the new child maintenance system to claim financial support from the absent parent will be charged an upfront application fee of £100 and could face further charges of between 7 and 12 per cent of any maintenance payments they receive.
Lord Mackay’s amendment seeks to prevent the parent claiming child maintenance to be charged and instead proposes that the charge should paid by the absent or non-resident parent, whose lack of co-operation in reaching an informal maintenance arrangement has caused the involvement of the CSA.
Kate Higgins, Policy Manager at CHILDREN 1ST said:
“We fully support Lord Mackay’s proposed amendment, as it puts the needs of children first. We have a range of concerns about the new child maintenance proposals but this is by far the most potentially damaging. It will penalise some of the poorest families in Scotland and risk causing severe financial hardship, harming the children they are raising, who need the most support.
“We know from calls to our helpline, ParentLine Scotland, that disagreements regarding child maintenance can be very stressful and can undermine contact and residence arrangements. This proposal will do nothing to improve family relationships and place additional stress on some of Scotland’s most vulnerable families.”
Satwat Rehman, Director of One Parent Families Scotland, added:
“One Parent Families Scotland heartily supports the child maintenance amendment brought by Lord Mackay of Clashfern. At a time when savage cuts are being made to the benefit system and families are enduring a rise in the cost of living, child maintenance payments will become increasingly essential for cash-strapped lone parents. Introducing charges to the statutory maintenance system will be a decisive deterrent for those who desperately need it. Children should not be made to pay for the "uncooperative behaviour" of the non-resident parent.”
Last updated: Tuesday 24 January 2012
