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CSA unable to make my ex pay for his child

September 5, 2012

My son was born in 2002, his father initially denied paternity to avoid CSA payment. Due to the insult to my son and myself and the fact he had no interest in seeing him I refused paternity testing until 18 months later.

At this point I realised he was claiming to be part of my sons life to family friends etc. Regardless of this he did not want to pay maintenance (OR SEE HIM) and so I went ahead with the test.

Of course he was the father as was proven by the test. He continued to not contact my son or the CSA and continued to claim to others he was part of his life.

The ”CSA system” would not allow for my son’s fathers living costs be entered and a calculation could not be done! The system changed (twice I believe since then) and still there was a problem with the system.

In 2008 after numerous calls and complaints the case was ”sent clerical” after I apparently agreed to re-start the claim at the same time agreeing to discount any back pay from 2004.

You could say it was the system’s fault, the CSA’s fault or you could be reasonable and accept that his father is a working adult who was able to make voluntary payments. The latter is true, but, isn’t the CSA a service that is funded to help stop absent parents from avoiding their financial responsibilities for their children??

Anyway, he did actually start making voluntary payments of £20 a week around 2006/2007. Apparently because this is how much ”someone on benefits would be able to keep”: I AM NOT ON BENEFITS!!

So as you can imagine he was still avoiding large amounts of payments. At one point myself and his girlfriend worked out from his earnings that he should have been paying a minimum of £250 per month (she was quite disgusted with him after years of encouraging him to be responsible).

When speaking to the CSA at this point in 2008 they asked whether I was sure I wanted to continue with the calculations as he was self employed and I could most likely end up getting less than £20 per week. I was disgusted. It was calculated and he was asked to pay £13 a week! Which he did, knowing full well he was lying.

He eventually stopped these payments too. He owed thousands, but he contested the amount he owed; then ignored letters, phone calls and visits until the final warning then answered to them.

Once he’d spoken to anyone he re-started the cycle of ignoring CSA staff all in order to keep buying time and avoiding payments.

In 2010 I reported his employment and in 2012 I received his re-calculated payment plus £10 weekly towards re-payments.

He’s contesting it for the second time! Firstly it was reduced from £46 a week to £38 a week. The second time he contested he did not turn up to the tribunal and re-arranged many. This is ongoing…. He does not make regular payments so I cannot rely on the income to support my son.

Since all this started he had contact for 4 years, encouraged my son to call him Dad. Stopped contact when he was planning another child and psychologically damaged him. He has owned convertible sports cars, avoided years worth of payments followed by minuscule irregular weekly payments which wouldn’t have even paid for school dinners!! He ‘bought presents’ such as quads and x boxes; but funnily enough kept them all for himself. He sent him home in damaged clothing and shoes and never replaced them. Kept his clothes that fit and sent him home in ‘hand-me-downs’ from his cousins. He also managed to pay for a wedding, but still can’t support his child.

The system isn’t against men or women for that matter. It’s against those who care!! Men who feel guilt are made to pay unreasonable amounts to women who often squander the money on themselves and so that same parents pays out twice to ensure their child/children have what they need.

The fact is; the country is funding an organisation that does not work. It is ridiculous that a healthy PERSON can get away with not working to avoid paying for their child. Even more so, it is ridiculous that a PERSON can work and still avoid paying for their child.

I feel for the people who are left in hardship due to maintenance costs. When so many people get away with not paying. These are children who need financial support to prevent them living in poverty and to help them flourish in life.

BOTH MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE THE ‘ NON-RESIDENT PARENT’ SHOULD REMAIN FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR CHILD.

Written by Selina Allonby · Filed Under CSA Complaints 

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Comments

  • chall says:
    September 6, 2012 at 7:20 am

    Selina,

    Quote ; The ”CSA system” would not allow for my son’s fathers living costs be entered and a calculation could not be done! The system changed (twice I believe since then) and still there was a problem with the system.

    The CSA have the ability to apply a penalty or default assessment to cases where info is not forthcoming.

    Quote; In 2008 after numerous calls and complaints the case was ”sent clerical” after I apparently agreed to re-start the claim at the same time agreeing to discount any back pay from 2004.

    It appears the above was the best course of action for the agency to cover up their short comings.

    Have you officially challenged this or are you content to accept such?

    chall ~ afairercsaforall

  • Carol says:
    September 6, 2012 at 12:28 pm

    The Agency yet again failing! Really you would not think that one Agency, only having to deal with child maintenance could be so difficult but time after time the Agency gets it so so wrong.

    The CSA have failed you and you should consider lodging a formal complaint and following the complaint procedure through to Independent Case Examiner. It can be a lengthy process but really you have nothing to lose.

    The thing I find ridiculous about the Agency is the problems they have created, yet the new system soon coming in will be a system where you have to pay.

  • Carla says:
    September 6, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    My ex partner and I split up 12 years ago. My ex is a successful business man who drives a top of the range Range Rover and owns a £500,000 apartment in Chigwell. One of his business of which he has several has assets of over 6,000000 in the bank (all details have been have supplied to the CSA) I’ve always worked but they were always low paid jobs because of the hours I needed to fit in with school times. We have always had a personal arrangement of £560PM I have always relied on this to pay my mortgage, of which my ex new. Subsequently I have had to phone him several times each month to ensure the money was put into my account to pay the mortgage for 12 years, as you can imagine this is Totally DEGRADING!!! I decided that I couldn’t take any more of the verbal abuse that I always received from him when I asked for child maintenance so I decided to go through the CSA. I started the case in June and this is my experience of dealing with them.
    Opened the case in June: EX stops paying child maintenance: to date 6/9/12 nothing has been done!!!
    The first thing that will irritate you about the CSA is the ridiculous security questioning of which I have failed several times. It’s actually easier accessing your bank!
    Its then speaking to many people who don’t have a clue what they are talking about – would it not make sense to have a team allocated to your case? Not just random phone monkeys!
    When I opened the application I did expect it to take a few months, I now have to phone the CSA on a weekly basis and go through the ludicrous security question’s. One them being “when was the last time you contacted the CSA” The other most stupid one is “when did you receive a payment from the CSA” How about never!! Sorry you have failed security of which you are then hung up on!! And then have to go through the whole automated/security ordeal again. Aarrrrgh!!

    You then have to speak to different people each time because there policy is that everyone deals with every case. So now we are two months in.” I’ve started taking from Paul to pay Peter” and still no light at the end of the tunnel. This particular time I was told my case was on hold, because there a letter which was supposed to be sent out at the beginning of a new claim asking if EX was the father of my Son had not been sent. They did admit this was an oversight on their part and I would be able to raise a complaint. The CSA also said the case would not continue unless I agreed to the DNA test. Off course I agreed! Now my ex is a particularly nasty individual who luckily I didn’t marry, but he is named on my son’s birth certificate( This means he would of had to of been at the registration office) and has taken me to court several times, the first time for a parental responsibility order. Which was granted to him. I just got of the phone to the CSA asking them if the calculations could still be made as I’m now in danger of my house being repossessed. I have been told today that the case can not be progressed because I agreed to the DNA test. WHAT!!!!!!! At no point was i informed of this in the letter I received or consistent conversations that I have had that this was the case!!! In fact I was told if I didn’t agree the case would not be progressed.

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