Child Support Agency RIP?
 
Any mention to clients of the CSA over the last few months has been met with the response – “I thought the CSA no longer existed”.
 
For better or worse the CSA is still very much in existence. The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill was introduced into Parliament on 5 June 2007 and is currently being considered in detail by MP’s. 
 
Key changes under the new system include:
 
• giving parents more choice about their maintenance arrangements and providing them with incentives and support
• creating the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to replace the existing Child Support Agency
• simplifying the assessment process, and
• getting tougher on enforcement.
 
If Parliament approves the Bill, it should become an Act around Spring next year. The new Commission will take control of all new cases from 2008 with existing cases to migrate by 2013. 
 
In the meanwhile referrals can still be made to the CSA.  However, in many cases there is no need to contact the CSA as maintenance can either be agreed between parties or via Solicitors.  Whilst the Courts do not ordinarily have power to deal with child maintenance, it is possible for child maintenance to be incorporated into a Consent Order dealing with the overall finances between the parties, ie the marital home etc.  Jurisdiction is also retained by the Courts in certain situations – as an example where the absent parent resides outside the jurisdiction or a variation of an existing order is sought.
 
For further information please contact Julie Wain at our Stafford office (01785 211411) or Shani Carr at our Rugeley office (01889 583871)

This article is for the purpose of general awareness only and the law may have changed since it was originally published.  It does not constitute legal or professional advice and readers should not act on the basis of the information included.  Readers should take appropriate advice upon their own particular circumstances.