Aggressive CSA will leave our family in hardship

My husband is the father of a soon-to-be 21yo. He has been involved with the CSA as a NRP since 2005. Child support liability ended in August 2014.

In November 2014, the CSA wrote to him with a fresh assessment & claiming arrears of just over £7000. When he questioned the fact that the ‘child’ was now a financially independent adult & out of non advanced education & training they wrote back in January 2015 confirming that liability had ended.

In February 2015, they wrote a very threatening letter demanded arrears of almost £15,000. Over £11,000 of which is from 2005/2006. They have never been mentioned before & my husband paid regular child support to the CSA from 2007-2013. They made no reference to arrears of this magnitude during this time & made no effort to recover them.

To complicate things, my husband lost a well paid job in 2012 & has been earning just under 50% of his previous salary ever since. We live off his (net) salary of £1300 per month & the CSA are threatening to take 40% of this in the form of a DEO.

We have mortgage arrears, are currently paying off all our unsecured debt (massive since the 2012 job loss) at a nominal £1 per month, struggle to keep our heads afloat from month to month & we have a 10 year old daughter.

We wrote to complain to the CSA, explaining our financial hardship,providing them with outgoings/income details & involving our MP. Their response was made yesterday.

A manager phoned my husband and intimidated and harassed him to offer £200 per month or else an immediate DEO of £570 would be applied. She confirmed a review and audit is ongoing, but said he had to show compliance. We do not have £200 spare. She suggested we borrow the money from friends & is due to phone back on Tuesday for the money. If we pay her, my husband will not be able to afford to get to work for the rest of the month & we will have to seek a referral to the foodbank for food until the end of the month.

We accept an underpayment was paid from 2012-14 (we worked out of approx £3500) but are disputing the rest of the debt which is 10 years old.

We’re rightly scared of the DEO since they’re imposed out of court & are almost impossible to appeal. Can you help? We can’t afford to seek legal help but are desperate.

I reiterate: no child will benefit from their aggressive pursuit of this money & we have a 10 yo set to experience great hardship.