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Do I pay CSA if ex puts children in a boarding school?

February 27, 2012

I wonder if you could please help me with a question I have with regards to paying child maintenance through the CSA

I pay the CSA monthly towards my children – this money obviously in turn gets passed onto my ex partner.

The children live with my ex partner.

My question is, my ex partner is going to be putting the children in a boarding school and I was wanting to know if I would still be required to pay the child maintenance that would go to her if the children are in boarding school?? She is not actually paying for the schooling – she is claiming through the government for a grant as she has said she is not mentally stable enough to look after the children And therefore this means they would be in boarding school full time and would not be in her care.

So could you please tell me if I would still be made to pay the maintenance if she would not be looking after the children at all?

As mentioned – she is paying nothing towards the boarding school, this would be funded by the government, and she would not be having the children stay with her as she has said she is not able to care for them.

Please could you give me some advice

Many thanks

Written by Kirsten Leigh · Filed Under CSA Help 

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Comments

  • chall says:
    February 27, 2012 at 8:27 am

    Kirsten,

    Where would your children go during school holidays and who would be buying their clothes etc?

    Payments would still be required from yourself, whether such would be to the parent with care OR the local authority if they are sharing the care.

    chall ~ afairercsaforall

  • jay. says:
    February 28, 2012 at 7:30 am

    Are you ok with the children going to boarding school, as you say because the pwc can’t care for them, why can’t you? Like chall said they will still need clothing and school holidays, your ex must still be claiming child benefit for them, hence the csa payments not stopping. If you disagree with this, my advice have the kids stay with you in the holidays, provide clothing etc, if she really can’t cope and get child benefit put in your name. Poor kids, should be sent to school for a chance if they are gifted, not because the pwc can’t care for them…which I find odd as normally they be placed into social care, not boarding school. Did they get a scholarship?

  • Kirsten says:
    February 28, 2012 at 10:14 am

    Hi there

    Thank you very much for replying to my question.

    The situation is a little more confusing than normal because as far as I am aware – the children would be put in boarding school basically on a permanent basis as the mother is saying she is “mentally incapable” of looking after them – which is the reason why she is looking at getting a grant from the government for free boarding school on the basis she is mentally incapable. This means that she would not have the children in her care as she is basically saying she cannot cope

    The reason why I was querying this, is because if the children would not be with her at all – why would maintenance need to be paid to her if she didnt have the children?
    I mean I could understand paying the maintenance to the government, but I cannot see why she should benefit if the children would get nothing from her?

    Is there no way that I could buy the children clothes, shoes etc… to avoid her getting the money that wouldnt go to the children?
    I obviously will be looking into other options for the children should this happen.
    The only reason we are hesitant to pay her the money is because as far as I am aware she has a drug problem and the money being paid is not going towards the children. I have asked the CSA the question and they actually do not care how the money is spent as long as the PWC gets the money. We asked if we could rather buy the children clothing, shoes, food etc…with the money we are paying the CSA so at least we know the money is being spent on the children and they said no!
    Its very frustrating knowing the money you are paying towards children is not getting used on them.

  • JO says:
    April 21, 2012 at 3:40 pm

    This is a whole fix between the 2 parents! mummy sends kids to boarding school because shes claiming she is mental – but still able to fill in application forms for grants for boarding schools with posh kids! and daddy now thinks great – can i get away with not paying for them! i know that us taxpayers are being used and abused – but boarding school fees for kids! please – look after your bloomin kids, you both had them! state school, school meals, u minding your own kids! thats life darling!!

  • Steve Vella says:
    September 6, 2017 at 11:46 pm

    Sometimes us fathers would love to look after our kids.
    But it just doesn’t come about that way.
    JO try and be a bit more compassionate to someone reaching out to you.
    We are only the stupid Fathers, but we have feelings too.
    Don’t worry most of us pay our dues.
    I read a stat last week that in the last 12 months less kids are being born in Australia.
    I wonder why?

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