Child Support Agency
 

I am interested to know what you good folk of Accy think the purpose of the C.S.A. is.

Re: Child Support Agency
 

To be completely bloody useless?
To cause as much stress to parents as humanly possible?
To ignore phone calls or let their microwave answer it?
D) All of the above?

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To cost the taxpayer a fortune to not collect money from people and then not distribute it to those who should recieve it?

Nice idea, usual incompetant implementation.

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Erm easy ****** all, done nothing will do nothing & see nothing BUT great at draining the taxpayers money for................erm NOTHING!

Still waiting 7+ years on & still received NOTHING! Im a lone parent relying on getting nothing from them either! as by the way violence pays - well avoids all responsibility apparently.

Takes 2 to make a baby only flipping 1 parent to get the wack of responsibilty!! & ive 2 huge responsibilities.

Grrr Neil what a thread sorry in my opinion you will find all government agencies designed to get money for you or entitlements all the flipping same slow rubbish outcome little or nowt BUT they're soon darn fast enough when they want money off you though oo they spring to action!!!! :(

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LOL perfect description to the point ive given up ringing them nor do they even bother to acknowledge me either by any form of contact for past few years.

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Isn't the C.S.A's soul purpose to encourage a revengeful ex spouse to financially crucify an absent parent until they wonder if it's worth working at all? :rolleyes:

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the purpous is to screw and harrass the fathers who already pay towards their child and get enough money out of them so as not to need bothering to track down absent fathers

the C.S.A will mainly target a father that wants to see his children and contribute yet will not bother persuing a father who simply dosnt want to know

shoulda stuck to using the courts it was a much fairer system and fathers who refused to pay went to jail

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agree completely with you. My dad has two other children and as gone through hell with this so called system. He pays or payed a good amount a month to my half brother and sisiter and now because he fell out with their mum she as decided to go back through the csa and he mite as well not work now cause they are tring to take every penny near enough that he earns and she will not get all that. A real selfish underneath b...h she is.

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I am with Chav on this. They have made my life hell for years and if I was to just have a basic wage I am allowed my rent and money to live on. Idont get allowance for poll tax at all. At present I have to declare any pay rises over time bonuses etc to be reassessed approx time to do that 6 MONTHS by which time I have arrears and have to resubmit as I have no O/T etc. I am also on the 25% deduction with the end result if I play by their rules I am worse of than an unemployed person if I dont I risk the dinging me for more money. :(

I am fed up of the whole carryon I pay for my daughter yet others get away scot free. As its a govenment agency it is easier to make thew figures look good harrasing those that do pay. As for those that dont I pay twice as its my tax the govenment is spending to chase them and support their kids. :mad: :(

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another aspect of what the C.S.A does

well you could say kills fathers and in some cases it kills children

quite a few fathers have taken their children and killed them along with themselves and to be honest although it is a terrible thing to do i can see how much distress and anguish the CSA can cause somone that it would drive them to suicide and desperation etc

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When we live in a world filled with political correctness, and supposed sexual equality, the law regarding children's welfare, following seperation or divorce, is clearly weighted more towards the mother.

In theory the CSA was a good idea, in as much as absent parents of either sex should contribute to the upkeep of their children. Clearly it hasn't, and isn't working, and the whole thing should be scrapped.

If I was a parent denied access to see my child, because of the vindictiveness of a former partner, who had the law totally on their side, I'm afraid you'd also see me in tights scaling Buckingham Palace, dressed as Batman.

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its silly bitches like this that cost the tax payer millions upon millions in legal aid just so that they can use the courts to carry out personal vendettas against fathers who are in some cases much better parents than the mother ever could hope to be

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Yes in theory the CSA was a good idea but its as well run as most govenment departments. A lot of people think that is the mother and child that suffer yet I am financially worse of than my ex who works full time gets working tax credit family allowence and my contribution. She can run a car and afford a morgage I cannot yet I am still considered a bad guy. I have never shirked my responsibility of financial support so why if my circumstances change do I always feel I am in the wrong. The set up is so buracratic its beyond belief to the extent I turned a payrise down in October because of the hassle it is with them.

Even if the split is amicable and there is no initial contact for payments through the CSA as soon as the parent with the child applies for say WTC then they become involved wether the parents like it or not. It is still split between the old and new rules (me I am under the old rules) and the easiest way to get off the old rules to the new is have another child and be 5% better off and thats the advice they give.

Some fathers will be pushed over the edge and people seem indiferent so maybe they should try it for a year and see how they feel.

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Personally, I think that the whole farcical system is a national disgrace. I think that it is about time that someone called a halt to this shameless waste of public money. I also think that the law on custody and divorce should be subject to serious and wide-ranging review.

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What if the do get rid of the CSA what then? It was there for the kids and though it is failing some do benifit. Could the answer being tightening the law and giving them the legal right to chase non payers as criminals? I hate the whole setup but then I am paying and would without them being there but some would stop paying as soon as it became defunct.

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Excuse me not all of us are using silly bitches may i add yeh i agree there are a lot of so called parents [not im not being genderist] that use children as weapons of money & control, im on enough specific forums to know its not a gender issue just to put the complete record straight !! The trouble is the issue is always with 'the other parent' when do kids themselves decide? where's children for justice?

But unfortunately its the kids lose out to one parents selfishness, be it mother be it father.

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Well theres 2 options they have been looking at, csa being transferred to DWP dept to widen the options of obtaining payments via various methods using the systems in place thus putting more strain on DWP; & theres debt collector style chasing up non payers. Which ever way not sure whether it would work or not.

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I can hold my hand up and say my daughter comes first and formost. If there is one thing me and the ex agree on is she comes first. Me ranting over the CSA is how all suffer and not just the ones who have the child and no pament.

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I appreciate we all suffer those that pay & those that dont get ****** all, the one thing we have in common with csa is the fact at either end your stung but its those that flout the system & pay nothing towards their kids upkeep that grinds me & must grind you too - nevermind tax payers too.

Your daughter is one of the lucky few that have parents that put them first & its the way it should be but unfortunately many children dont have that & are fortunate to have one parent put them 1st.

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i did say "silly bitches like this" which dosnt cover all women :)



from my oldest childs case i can say that they will listen to a child at age 5 but even then if the child decides it wants to live with daddy it is still very difficult

as the law is set out now a woman can have an affair , pack up and leave , take the kids and the father can be messed around that much by the mother not attending court , false accusations towards the father and generaly been a bitch it can be years before they ever see their children again

i have a friend who has not seen his daughter for 3 years because the courts simply fail to force the mother to sort somthing out , even if teh mother breaks an order enforced by the courts it is very rare that the mother is puinished as the punishment is jail and teh courts are very reluctant to jail a mother , what shoudl happen is the mother should be thrown in jail and full custordy given to the father

when it comes to children the whole system is a joke , a prostitue addicted to drugs who neglects her child will be given help and preference over a father who works and has a healthy lifestyle

yes some women do need to use the court system for various genuine reasons but the system is so open to abuse by the mother it is ridiculous

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I had to go through the csa 8 years ago when my marriage broke up suddenly. To be honest for both me and my ex it worked ok. He ended up paying less than he thought which was completely against all the stories which were going around at the time. In the end the csa set the amount he had to pay and we decided he would pay that amount direct by standing order to me each month which he has done (not plain sailing for first few months, less said about that the better). The csa have contacted me twice since then to ask if I would like the payment amounts reviewed but on both occasions I have said no, even though I know the amount was likely to increase. I manage well enough and really don't feel the need to rock the boat, which it would if I had said yes.

If the CSA were disbanded I could seriously see me losing out on the money I do get now.

After saying all that I know I am one of the lucky few and all in all the csa system for most has been a nightmare

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H you are lucky. My work means that I do not have a steady even income due to the business being up and down. I once followed the rules and waited for the 2 year review only to be told I should have informed them. Outcome several grand in arrears based on what I earned and the constant need to inform them when my average pay is up or down. This time it is beyond a joke and I declined a payrise. It takes them 6 months to reasses my payments thus arrears increase and I suffer for it financially. The misfortune is I pay at the old level of 25% not the new 15%.

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It is weird that cos my ex has never been asked to contact them when his wages have changed. as I said the amount he pays is the amount set 8 years ago!! Strange how they seem to have differing rules :confused:

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The rules are a pain and seems to differ were ever you are. I have no objections paying its just the rigmarole involved if circumstances change. Still belive those that do pay without objection but have a flutuating income are easy targets for them.

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Yeh too right its open to abuse & is far too often that judgement happens before the case is set, i do concern with some judges desicions & to be honest there are only circuit judges in family law whom basicially are judges that can preside in many different cases they are not specialist lets say they overview law jack of all trades & yeh i think thats a problem because mis-judgements & facts being led to personal or popular view [publicity pressure] & even by the opposing councel, there should be some proffessional judges with specialist knowledge of family law practiced only as does barristers/solicitors specialise in certain aspect of law so should judges be so too & then but then it again come down to money & the law lords. In all 3 districts i know nearly most of the circuit judges [circuit being right they've all been pass the parcel in my case hence they are circuit judges] & got to know that they can differ in their approach too.

But back to the point is that its so open to abuse by faulting parties that the ones trying to do right have a lot to prove unfortunately, & i lost faith loads of times with the system till eventually the evidence proved but it was a battle that im glad i didnt give up on - my kids are far too important.

Re: Child Support Agency
 

That has to be the best statement mel but shame so many others don't see it that way and use the kids to get one up on the ex partner.

Lets remember its the kids that are the most important thing in all this and keep the bickering as far away from them as possible!

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I pay as required but also spend money on my daughter as though she was still with me. A lot of people think I am mad to do so but it is still my duty.

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I may not have success with Csa but a friend of mine is having better luck & was getting regular payments from csa collecting maintenance for him, then his x changes her mind & wants to pay direct rather than having to pay csa, since she got his bank details to transfer payments to him direct & he hasn't seen a penny since a couple of months ago since last csa payment has now to ring csa to get them to chase payments as shes avoiding it with empty promises.

Seems you just cant win & many will try owt to avoid paying for their kids until csa chases them:confused:

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My daughter will always get the money she is entitled to regardless of circumstance or varying pay levels. First and formost she is still my resposibility regardless of how me and her mother get on. I will always bend over backwards for her and be sure she has what she needs.

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Well they have been since the day they was born & always will be:D

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hence the karma given :)

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Thank you:D :D :D

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Well there is now a young girl who is stuck in the non paying father mess who is now very happy. She always wanted a bike but her mother could never afford one for her so my daughter gave her old one to her and she is over the moon. Mind you switched the phones off because my ex will fry me. Yet I know that this act of my daughters was from the heart and that she has not suffered from all the agro and strife between me and her mother.

Looking for some advice on a little reward for my daughter for what she did.

Re: Child Support Agency
 

Sometimes the best reward is nothing to do with anything of monetary value but letting her know how proud of her you are can be the best reward of all :D

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I am gushing with pride but might give her a little something anyway.

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Aw you have done well & i bet your gushing with pride its shows she's bloomed really well, maybe a little treat but lots of affection shown should be the ultimate reward:D

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We had a representative from the CSA at the event yesterday. If you'd have been there you could have spoken to her and found out everything you wanted to know!

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Wonderful but call me cynical [yep] but would it be what we want to hear stuff, empty promises & the usual avoidance of the real issues & problems, like the usual we get when we have to contact the csa:rolleyes:

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I honestly don't know - I have never had the need for the CSA so didn't go into depth talking to them about it. However, they were there and were willing to talk to people so I don't know what else to say. One of those 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situations possibly?

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And thats on a good day. Some are so full of their own self inportance that they make TB look like a novice.

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Well to date CSA have allowed my ex to get into 8,000.00 in CSA arrears. He started work and they managed to catch him. He started to pay maintainance at 35.00 a week and 4.00 a week off his arrears. He did this for a little over 12 months then he decided he wasnt paying it anymore.
He isnt claiming any benefits and isnt paying any stamps either as they have been searching the IRS since 2002.
This means he has been working cash in hand.
Ive now demanded they should stop sending letters to him and pay a visit. I have now also reported him to the Inland Revenue.

The benefit i am on means i am allowed maintainance from my ex partner.
8 thousand quid is a hell of a lot of money when you aint even got 8 quid left in the bank.

He is living the life of reily. He is often seen on the canals at weekend on his motorbike crossers, even when his and my son has called down to his house hes told Alec to go away as he is buisy and has his mates in having a smoke on the old Bob Hope.

Im having to really restrain myself here from printing his name and address, name em and shame em ...thats my motto ! :mad:

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Just had a gander at the website for this bunch of overpaid useless desk jockeys and there is a bit about the reforms. Now to me this is more spin and it is meant to make those "having trouble" feel better, and they wonder why we think they are a waste of space.

Thursday 9th February 2006

I am pleased to tell you that John Hutton, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has informed Parliament today of the action the Child Support Agency will be taking to ensure more children receive the child support to which they are entitled.
Alongside the Operational Improvement Plan the Secretary of State has announced that he has asked Sir David Henshaw to develop proposals for the future to provide the best possible arrangements for delivering child support. The terms of reference for this redesign are:
This will be led by Sir David Henshaw and he will deliver his findings to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions before summer recess. He will consider the longer term policy and delivery arrangements for child support, including:

• How best to ensure that parents take financial responsibility for their children when they live apart
• The best arrangements for delivering this outcome cost effectively
• The options for moving to new structures and policies recognising the need to protect the level of service offered to the current 1.5 million parents with care

Re: Child Support Agency
 

The original idea was to save Court time and Legal Aid money by taking the award of maintenance outside the existing system. It hasn't really worked in all cases, but it can also be difficult getting a case to Court.

There are sanctions regarding mothers who ignore Court Orders regarding contact, and the Courts are becoming a lot hotter on this. Incidentally, Judges do practise in a particular area, that being the area they worked in when at the Bar. Family law Judges have all been specialist family law barristers, so they do have a good grounding.

Also, just by way of interest, there is no such thing as custody anymore. It was abolished by the Children Act. Both parents now have equal rights. Who the child lives with is known as residence, usually decided by consent, but you can get a Residence Order if necessary.

My fee note is in the post ............

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Well I wish that would be put into practise then, because it clearly isn't in many cases.

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Its a bit like spliting something in 2 its classed as being halve but it could be 80/20 hence some being more equal than others.

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It was formed by the tories to try and decrease the benifts for "one parent families".. but Dave the coke head fox hunter will sort it out

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The only way to fix it is to scrap it and find a fairer way. That is for mothers fathers and the kids caught up in this mess. All suffer and we are paying throgh our taxes for the biggest botch up specialists department ever. Its that bad that Captain Manwaring and his troops could have made a better job even if Corperal Jones thought up how to run it and collect the cash!!!

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Well I started this thread while on the phone to the CSA, I thought after 47 posts I best say somthing else.
I am interested in this post.
How can he be £8000 in arrears? I ask from an un-biased point of view because I do believe that absent parents should pay towards their children.

Re: Child Support Agency
 

Dispite being a govenment agency they are very poor at collecting outstanding money. There are measures they can take including wage arrestment but without that info they are stuck. There are proposals to use tax payment records as well as driving licence removal, which seems a bit wierd as it could impact the liable partners ability to have a job. It is still easier to use the ones paying but in arrears to make their figures look good. As they do not have a central fund to pay from then the parents who are due money lose out. If it was from a fund of their own they might suddenley find it easier to chase. All absent parents are required by law to pay but due to the in-efficiancy of the CSA few do and there are loopholes especially for the self employed.

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Funny thing is I attended a course today and one of the subjects was about serving injunctions in the case of domestic violence. The solicitor said because of the urgency to serve the injunction they don't use court bailiffs they actually use what they call a process server (they are actually private detectives really) they get paid for serving the injunction and not hourly so the onus is on them to serve it quickly. they don't always know where the person is as they may have left and the alleged victim has no idea where they are. After all that they still manage to serve the injunction usually within 48hrs in over 95% of the cases. So if they can do it surely a governmental department with all the info they have within the inland revenue should be able to track the majority of these absent unpaying parents!!!!!! Slaps of pure laziness and as spuggie says it's easier to just keep targeting the ones that actually do and want to contribute!!

Rant over!!!

Re: Child Support Agency
 

Hi Neil
Hes got so much in arrears because before Alec was born he was a grafter. He worked untill CSA tracked him down, left work. Ignored letters from CSA and was then self assessed by them. He appealed eventually and won and went back to work. Paid for a year and then has ducked and dived the csa really for years.
I think he thinks that once Alec is 16, the debt becomes nil and void. Well ive got news ...it dont as Alec is going onto college.
Im wondering if i could get legal aid and go and see a solicitor to serve papers on him. Why is he being allowed to get away with this. Its a joke.
The whole system has let me down, The CSA, IRS. :mad:

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That is an interesting point you raised. The debt should not vanish when your son leaves full time education, not including higher education or reaches the age of 19 as stated in law. He owes you the money from when he was younger so should owe that money forever until he pays it.
The worse thing you can do is not pay. If you return the papers promptly you actually get 3 months free without paying, now that is a kick in the teeth for the parent with care if you ask me.

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In answer to Jimmi5bellies, the general rule is that once you apply to the CSA you cannot then go to Court unless the other party agrees, and obviously fat chance of that. Have just checked this with one of our assistant solicitors. Sorry.