The government has announced big changes to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS).
We've written an open letter to Baroness Sherlock, the Minister responsible for the CMS, calling on the government to ensure our 5 core principles are embedded in the changes.
While the government's changes could strengthen protections for domestic abuse survivors, enable better compliance monitoring, and help more children get the maintenance they're entitled to, the changes must be made in the right way to avoid the risk of large numbers of families leaving CMS and ending up with private maintenance arrangements or no arrangement at all.
Our 5 core principles are:
✅ Harness full potential to reduce child poverty
✅ Clear communication to all users
✅ Support for those leaving CMS
✅ Sufficient resources for transitions
✅ Measurable targets for success
Join us in supporting single parent families by signing our open letter.
👇READ OUR FULL OPEN LETTER TO THE MINISTER
Open Letter to Baroness Sherlock OBE
Dear Minister,
Re: Five core principles to embed in the consolidation of the Child Maintenance Service
We write to you to welcome the announced consolidation of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) into one service type that monitors and transfers all maintenance payments, and to propose five core principles that should be embedded into its implementation.
The consolidation is a positive step forward that has the potential to significantly improve the CMS, by strengthening protections for victim-survivors of domestic abuse and enabling better compliance monitoring. The change paves the way for enforcement action to be streamlined and for more children to receive the maintenance they’re entitled to.
This could have a substantial impact on child poverty levels. It is well documented that where child maintenance is received, it cuts the child poverty rate by 25%.1 And with 43% of children in single-parent families living in poverty in the UK,2 it is crucial to ensure that the CMS is operating as effectively as possible.
However, if it is not implemented with extreme care, the move poses considerable risks, including inadvertently alienating users who currently use the Direct Pay service and a reduction in the quality of customer service. Additionally, if the consolidation is not coupled with a transformation in enforcement efforts against arrears, then the impact of better compliance monitoring will be severely limited.
With this considered, we have identified five key principles to guide the consolidation as set out below.
In the meantime, we would like to see immediate implementation of the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023. Gingerbread understands that the announced reforms will require legislative change, with an introduction expected in 2027/28, and it is essential for the CMS to safeguard victim-survivors of domestic abuse on Direct Pay now.
- 1. The consolidation of service types must harness the full potential of the CMS to reduce child poverty
Ensuring that children receive the full amount of maintenance they’re entitled to, thereby reducing child poverty levels, must rest at the centre of the service consolidation. This means a transformation in enforcement efforts, including action to better assess income and to close loopholes that allow non-resident parents to avoid payments. The abolition of all service fees is also crucial as they reduce the amount of money available for children.
- 2. All CMS users must receive clear, accessible and timely communication about the consolidation of service types and their available options
Before and, where appropriate, throughout all stages of the consolidation CMS users must be made aware of the changes being implemented. They must receive clear, accessible and timely communication from the CMS, giving them opportunities to address any concerns and knowledge of their next steps and available options. To facilitate this, CMS staff must receive vigorous training to ensure that accurate information is conveyed.
- 3. Appropriate monitoring and follow-up mechanisms must be developed to identify and support users who leave the CMS
To avoid inadvertently alienating CMS users and leaving them with dysfunctional private maintenance arrangements or no arrangement in place at all, the CMS must develop appropriate monitoring and follow-up mechanisms to identify users who leave the CMS and support them where necessary. This is particularly important for safeguarding victim-survivors of domestic abuse.
- 4. Sufficient resources must be employed to facilitate the effective transfer and ongoing management of current Direct Pay cases
The consolidation will result in the CMS being responsible for managing a significantly increased caseload. To drive forward the scale of change needed and ensure that it does not negatively impact the quality of support currently offered, the CMS must employ sufficient resources to effectively handle the transfer and ongoing management of current Direct Pay cases. This includes increasing the number of caseworkers available and improving the online portal so that CMS users can communicate with caseworkers digitally. Single-named caseworkers should also be introduced to improve the quality of support available.
- 5. Clear and measurable targets must be set to allow for a full evaluation of the success of the consolidation
There must be clear accountability for the appropriate handling of the consolidation. The DWP must set clear targets and expectations for the number of cases that will remain in the CMS, the timeframe for the consolidation, the resources to be employed and user satisfaction levels. These must be measurable and allow for a full evaluation of the success of the consolidation, enabling any areas of concern to be identified and addressed.