Child maintenance system under fire as 40pc fail to pay up in Shropshire

The charity Gingerbread, which supports single-parent families, says the current system is not effective in deterring parents from underpaying or paying late.

New figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that about 710 parents were due to pay support through the Collect and Pay scheme in the Shropshire Council area between October and December 2018, covering 1,030 children.

In Telford & Wrekin it was 630 parents, covering 930 children, and in Powys 270 parents, covering 370 children.

The Child Maintenance Service is supposed to take money directly from these parents’ earnings or their bank account if they try to avoid payments, and can eventually take them to court.

Despite this, 44 per cent had not made any payment in Shropshire – up from 39 per cent the previous year.

For Telford & Wrekin the figure was 40 per cent – down from 41 per cent the previous year, and in Powys was 37 per cent, down from 44 per cent the previous year.

National picture

From October to December, the best payment rate was in the Shetland Islands, in Scotland, where only 25 per cent of parents failed to pay.

The poorest record was in Mole Valley, in South West England, where 58 per cent of parents did not meet their financial obligations to their children.

The Child Maintenance Service, which agrees payment of child support with parents, can alternatively calculate the amount of child support to be paid and parents can make the arrangements themselves – a scheme called Direct Pay.

In Shropshire, 1,390 parents made Direct Pay arrangements from October to December 2018, covering 2,070 children.

For Telford it was 1,110 parents, covering 1,670 children, and in Powys 560 parents, covering 830 children.

At the end of 2018, two-thirds of parents paying child maintenance in Britain were using Direct Pay and a third the Collect and Pay Service.

Frustration

Anant Naik, from Gingerbread, said many parents feel frustrated by CMS inaction over outstanding payments.

"These figures are a reality check for the Government and prove that the Child Maintenance Service is failing huge numbers of hard-working single parents.

"Our research has already revealed shortcomings in the system’s design and functionality and that almost seven in 10 single parents are being let down by the Collect and Pay system, meaning they are left to support their children single-handedly.

"Collect and Pay charges must be scrapped for receiving parents, payment compliance must be much more closely monitored for strengthened case management, and transparent service standards should be introduced, backed up by rigorous training for staff."