from http://www.dwp.gov.uk/childsupport/
24 July 2006 - More streamlined and tougher child support system to replace CSA
Following the recommendations of an independent report on child support in the UK by Sir David Henshaw, Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton today announced the government will replace the Child Support Agency with a more streamlined and tougher new body.
Sir David today presented his report on the future of the child support system in the UK to Mr Hutton, who has accepted his recommendation to establish a new system for child support which will be simpler to use and to administer; will be tougher on parents who do not face up to their responsibilities; will maximise the reduction in child poverty and will deliver value for money for the taxpayer.
Mr Hutton said:
“We need a fresh start that is not burdened by the failure of the past. So I propose to replace the CSA with a new organisation that is simpler but tougher on parents who do not pay up.”
He outlined the key changes, in line with Sir David’s recommendations, that would underpin the new system:
- Allow more money to go to children by significantly increasing the amount of maintenance that parents with care on benefits can keep;
- Lighten the load on the new body by providing better advice and guidance to parents and encouraging them to make their own voluntary arrangements;
- Further reduce the caseload for the new organisation by ending the rule that means parents on benefit are forced to use the CSA – whether or not they have a voluntary arrangement in place;
- Enforce tougher penalties on parents who do not meet their responsibilities to their children – we will seek powers to suspend passports and impose curfews on parents who persistently avoid their responsibilities;
- Explore all methods of publicising enforcement action, including the feasibility of naming those successfully prosecuted;
- Examine a range of options to ensure that more fathers take responsibility for their children, including changing the law on registration of births to encourage or require joint registration;
- Further strengthen parental responsibility by increasing the support we give to help lone parents back to work.
Mr Hutton said:
“It is not acceptable for any child to grow up in poverty in this country in this day and age. Too many children are not receiving the maintenance they are due.“There are four million children who could benefit from child support, but only one in three do so. The payment of child maintenance currently lifts 100,000 children out of poverty, but we know we need to do better.
“I want the new system to be more effective, both in tackling child poverty and giving better value for money.”
Sir David Henshaw said:
“Today I am recommending that ministers create a new system of child support to replace the CSA, which can never be made to work properly.“Parents want the freedom to make their own arrangements, but they need to know the government will get tough on parents who refuse to pay up if they need help in sorting out child maintenance.
“A streamlined system that focuses on the harder cases could save up to £200 million a year in running costs and help tackle child poverty by getting more money to children."
Mr Hutton thanked CSA staff and warned there would be no let up on parents who do not pay during the move to a new organisation.
He said:
“I want to thank staff at the CSA, who continue to do their best in very difficult circumstances. There will be big changes ahead, but in the meantime, if any parent thinks they can avoid paying maintenance they are very wrong. We will not relax our efforts as we move to the new system, in fact we will be getting tougher and have already started contracting out debt to debt collection agencies.”
Mr Hutton said:
“more analysis would be carried out to inform decisions about how the new organisation should be structured and the most effective means of moving towards it.“
“Sir David has proposed a radical approach to conversion – closing all existing claims and asking people to reapply. We do need a clean break to ensure the new body does not get dragged down by past failures. But I am conscious of the need to ensure that where arrangements are working properly through the existing CSA, the flow of money to children should not be disrupted.
“This is one area I propose to look at in detail before deciding a way forward,” he said.
Within the government’s response today are questions for consultation – the DWP wants to hear views from across the board so a way forward can be reached which has the best interests of children at its heart.
A white paper will follow in the autumn.
