It’s not just NRP’s who have the problems, we have them too

November 6, 2010

Well here’s my little story…

My childs father has been in and out of my childs life since birth, having nothing to do with her one moment then demanding contact and taking me through the court system the next. We are currently at the stage where he doesn’t want to see her again due to his new partner having a child and my daughter being made redundant. He hasn’t had contact since the week before her birthday this year (5 months) and although it’s been hard on her we’ve got through the worst of the heartache.

Now onto the CSA part of the story…… I had a private arrangement with her father which was a small sum of £40 a week which had run without much error for a number of years, (weirdly the money had never stopped even though contact had) and we split school uniform and birthday parties etc. This came to a halt in April 2009 as her fater called me to say he had come out of work and was unable to make any contributions, and he would be entering the benefit system. I thought this would be unfair but as I already had a holiday booked for August 2009 if he could give her some spending money that would be highly appreciated. When the holiday came around five months later he refused to give any money whatsoever. I was enraged that he couldn’t offer any money when I had been so lenient to the fact he wasn’t earning and he had another family to pay for.

I then painfully entered into the Child Support Agency system and boy has it been a rollercoaster..! I have still not received ONE payment from her father in the whole fourteen months. I make weekly phone calls, he has entered three separate change of circumstances which has set my case back by at least tweleve weeks each time. My case had actually been refered to the Enforcement Team twice and been thrown out at the last hour due to another change of circumstance being entered.

I have in the fourteen months only received four phonecalls relating to my case and at present do not have a caseworker. I have spoken to 26 different people since April 2010 (this is the point I started keeping a log) and have made four separate complaints one one to my local MP. I have now been told my case MAY be sorted within the next three to six months, how is this good enough? He is using the change of circumstance loop hole to deter paying for as long as possible.

Has anybody ever had their case fast tracked? I need hope.

I just want my daughters father to step up to the mark and take responsibilty for her, she deserves it.

Comments

  • Char says:

    very similar circumstance, Father using this loophole to avoid payment.
    The case has been going on since June 2005 & only received regular payments for about 10 consecutive months about 2 years ago.
    Firstly the Father wangled a false income declaration, said he was earning £150 per week when in fact it was in excess of £600…. he got away with it despite the fact that I had evidence & reported it to the CSA.
    Now he just keeps using the ‘change of circumstances’ loophole which allows him to keep stalling the enforcement payments.
    Now he is about £7,000 in arrears & has refused to See our son for over 2 years.

    It’s absolutely disgraceful & so sad & frustrating.

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