Child Maintenance Service
Child Maintenance Service
Recent survey reveals customers’ satisfaction and experience of the Child Maintenance Service
When separated parents are unable to agree on how much financial support one should give to the other to help meet the basic needs of the children, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is the organisation most will turn to. The CMS are able to carry out initial assessments to determine how much one parent should pay the other based on their gross weekly income (i.e. before any tax or national insurance is paid out – pension contributions are not counted), how many nights a week on average they have the child or children stay with them and whether or not they have any other dependants in their household that they are responsible for.
Once an assessment is carried out, the CMS will try and encourage the parties to reach their own terms on how payments will be made and received. However, if this does not work out, the CMS can be involved further in collecting funds from the paying parent and transferring to the receiving parent. In this case, both parties will be charged for this CMS service. The CMS also have the power to go to HMRC for data on the paying parent to make sure the assessments are correct. This is especially important when the paying parent is self-employed.
Sadly, in the recent DWP Experience Survey for 2022 to 2023, less than half of customers are satisfied with the CMS and the overall performance of its services. Only 45% of all CMS customers said they were either fairly or very satisfied with the overall service. However, since there are two customers for each case (a receiving parent and a paying parent), often with an opposing position about their maintenance arrangement, in many instances, when a positive result for one customer is achieved, the other customer may be less satisfied.
54% of customers agreed that staff did what they said they would and that staff provided accurate information. 62% of new customers were satisfied with the time it took the CMS to tell them the outcome of their application. For 76% of customers, it was easy to find information. 61% surveyed found it easy to make a new application or report a change of circumstances. 41% did not have to contact CMS more than once to explain the same information and 54% said they got information needed first time.
When asked about communication, 57% said CMS communicated clearly with 55% stating they had a good understanding of what would happen next. 64%t said that the CMS provided timescales for processing the decision around their application and 62% said that decisions about their application were clearly explained.
For any separated parent, child maintenance payments are only one aspect to be sorted out and many other issues can arise with children. Getting legal advice at an early stage from an experienced family law solicitor will help aid discussions and negotiations and could ultimately keep matters away from the CMS and court.
Contact our family law team today to find out more at Kerseys Solicitors in Ipswich at [email protected] or telephone 01473 213311 or Kerseys Solicitors in Felixstowe at [email protected] on 01394 834557 or Kerseys Solicitors in Colchester at [email protected] on 01206 584584 for more information and to book an initial fixed price consultation.
