I can see that it’s not fair on all people but don’t for one moment think they always screw the dads over!!

I can’t find any positive stories about the CSA, but then perhaps no-one needs to write it down when things are going well?

I was married to a top rate tax payer, he earns good money and gets at least 25% of his salary as a bonus… We left him when the violence started on the children and went to a refuge, I filed for divorce when he punched my father in the face.

For well over a year my ex lived in the nice family home whilst 3 children, our baby and I lived in what is delightfully described as temporary accommodation. Eventually (over a year later) the courts awarded the children and me the house (complete with its killer mortgage), no maintenance for me (that’s cool, the house was a reasonable swap) and the “CSA rate” maintenance by court order for the children. In return I had to pay him a large lump sum in cash as a deposit on his own property, with the assurances that the court system would make him pay………..

You guessed. I paid, he didn’t. It took 4 months to get it back to court, where he was ordered to pay……… He paid for 4 months and then decided that as his new partner was pregnant he should stop paying!

Back to court it went, where the court said (despite their earlier promises to protect the kids) that it was a matter for the CSA, who were “a very effective organisation” – What planet does that judge live on, does he not read the papers?

Two months later, the CSA make a decision and they use the wrong salary figures and ignore the bonus, expense payments, etc. etc. etc. I supply the correct ones and they say “yes, that matches our paperwork.” I reply to say in that case, how do you get the figure to be almost £200 less than your on-line service.” The reply is that since they have no new evidence, they can’t do anything else…. I asked them why they didn’t use the old evidence properly, and their response was that if I was going to be unreasonable they could refuse to talk to me!

I will now be going to tribunal to challenge their process. I’d much rather have had the child support as a lump sum, not had such a big mortgage etc. etc. but I was told I could not forfeit the children’s rights to “proper and reasonable maintenance” – yes, the maintenance that the children don’t get and have not had for well over 2 years…

Clearly the right to screw up a child’s right to proper support lies solely with the government…

Why are the good dads who want to pay bulied and fleeced, whist the rubbish ones are allowed to ride roughshod over the system?

Facts are totally irrelevant to the CSA and it seems that there is no real right to challenge their arrogance!

Time for a change?

I had one with my ex and it lasted peacfully for years, It included an agreement that neither of us would ever use the CSA again. All was fine until she demanded more money and i said NO. next I know those theiving scum are on my back again. Their reply to my complaint “its up to her if she wants to use us”

So these agreements are only binding on the farther and as always they will ignore facts to pursue you

cooka – From the 27th October with the Section 6 changes, the Parent with Care on Benefits will now get £20 of the Child support per week instead of the previous £10 and can keep any more on top of that, which is paid but has to inform the Benefits Agency who would reduce her entitlements accordingly.

Now that would be fair.