child support agency hell

News

We’ve received this press release asking for people to give their child support agency stories and issues to the media for potential publication. If you’ve had problems with the CSA, this might be of interest.

Tell your tale and boost your income by a potential £5k per year

- new website helps people earn cash from their real-life stories -

Continued growth in the women’s weekly magazine market, coupled with heightened demand from national newspapers for human interest stories, means there is now more scope than ever before for people across the UK to earn a profit by selling their real-life stories. Aiming to bridge the gap between the media and those individuals with a story to tell, a former Daily Mail journalist has launched TalkToThePress.com.

Founder, Natasha Courtenay-Smith explains, “Story-selling isn’t limited to just the ‘kiss-and-tell’ market as you might imagine, in fact, newspapers are increasingly seeking genuine case studies to illustrate the latest trends such as cosmetic surgery, as well as topical issues like MRSA and the credit-crunch. Women’s magazines continually hunt for inspirational tales from ‘normal people’, ranging from surviving an affair to dealing with addiction.”

“The market for honest stories and authentic case studies is continuing to expand,” continues Natasha, “but many people don’t know where to begin when it comes to talking to the media. Indeed, simply picking up the phone to a journalist can feel like a frightening experience. That’s where TalkToThePress.com comes in: advising people on whether they have a story which may be of interest to the national media, helping them decide which publications to aim for and managing all their contracts and fees.”

Natasha has ten years experience of writing individual, personal and often emotional stories for UK national magazines and newspapers. Since launching TalkToThePress.com in January, she has successfully placed a variety of stories in the national press, including: a woman trying to find a sperm donor; a man who has survived breast cancer; a woman who discovered she was the secret love child of a sixties rock star; a wronged-wife who underwent £5,000-worth of cosmetic surgery after her husband left and a self-confessed sex addict. All received payment for their interviews and, most importantly, achieved their personal goal of talking to the media.

“For many, just having their say and getting their story out there meets a deep-seated need,” explains Natasha. “This is either because they raise awareness about a subject close to their heart, raise money for charity or they quite simply get the opportunity to set a record straight. Some people talk to more than one publication, in fact I know of one woman who’s been a mistress for the past decade and has talked about it to numerous magazines – and why not? She has a fascinating tale to tell and magazines are willing to pay her to talk about her experiences which will doubtless be of interest to their thousands of readers.”

Natasha estimates that the savvier story-seller can top up their income by as much as £5,000 per year if they appear in just one magazine or newspaper per month.

TalkToThePress.com deals with a vast range of stories and can also help individuals who wish to keep a crime in the public eye. Individuals with a story to tell should visit the website http://www.talktothepress.com

Advice

When you have children by more than one partner you may wonder how much you should pay each ex partner for the children they have. Eric Connoly has emailed us to ask that question.

Eric says:

I have two children with one partner and we split up 5 years ago. I pay her £350 per calender month in an informal agreement plus incidentals ( shoes, clubs etc.)

My new partner left me and I have been contacted by the CSA on her behalf concerning maintenance for our son.

How can i find out how much I will pay and how to be fair to all three children?

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Many thanks, Eric

Generally Eric if you have three children, which you say that you do, you will be expected by the CSA to pay 25% of your income (after tax) to the CSA for them. This would be divided between the children.

As you say you were paying £350 per month for your two children with your first partner, according the the CSA you should have been paying her 20% of your income.

This does mean that your first partner should get less now than what she was receiving before, as instead of getting 20% she’ll be receiving a 2/3 share of 25%.

Make sure though that you inform the CSA that you are paying for your first two children. They will most likely want to get involved there themselves and take a cut of the money.

That’s how they operate I’m afraid.

If you don’t tell them however you may end up paying too much and not be able to afford it.

Mistakes

In a frightening display of callousness, the child support agency hang up on a guy being wrongfully hit with a DEO for £550, that means he cannot meet his mortgage payments. The woman refuses to speak to him once she realises the call is being recorded and hangs up, regardless of the fact that the man is facing repossession due to a mistake the CSA have ALREADY admitted to.

This phonecall follows on from one previously made into a video, and we’ve been promised a third one in the trilogy.

Complaints

In a frightening display of callousness, the child support agency hang up on a guy being wrongfully hit with a DEO for £550, that means he cannot meet his mortgage payments. The woman refuses to speak to him once she realises the call is being recorded and hangs up, regardless of the fact that the man is facing repossession due to a mistake the CSA have ALREADY admitted to.

This phonecall follows on from one previously made into a video, and we’ve been promised a third one in the trilogy.