Number of cases handled by the CSA falls

June 1, 2010

The Child Support Agency is helping more of the single parent families that approach the organisation to claim support money, but the number of cases handled by the CSA has fallen over the past year, new statistics have shown.

In March 2009, CSA help was given to 1.24 million different families within the UK regarding claiming child maintenance payments following a family separation. However, in March 2010 the organisation only dealt with 1.15 million cases in total – a significant fall on the same month the previous year.

However, CSA advice is proving useful to those that are able to seek it, as more than 600,000 parents were found to owe money for ongoing childcare and successfully started paying maintenance – with more than twice as many cases resulting in the demand for financial support than ruling it was not necessary.

Although there were still an alarming number of cases with no resolution, as 135,000 parents failed to pay child support despite being asked for money.

In addition, despite an increase in the number of new applications for maintenance payments between 2009 and 2010 – 27 thousand versus 24 thousand – the figure is still considerably lower than the CSA’s past record, as it received more than 70,000 new applications during March 2008.

As it stands, there are currently more than 22,000 child support cases being assessed with no resolution. On average, parents not living with their dependant children are paying £21-31 per week, with more than 800,000 young people benefitting from maintenance payments in the UK.

Comments

  • chall says:

    One assumes that, the repeal of section 6 on 27th October 2008, which originally obligated a PWC in receipt of benefit to authorise the Secretary of State to take action under the Act OR face a reduced benefit decision, has greatly assisted the significant fall in applications.

    chall ~ afairercsaforall

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