My local MP has done a sterling job in helping me
Csa first contacted me 2002, they said I had accrued arrears of £10,000. Long story short me and my ex split up at that time.
However the csa still said I owed the amount said, I asked for proof which I did not get, by the end of 2003, the csa was taking extortionate amounts direct from wages which resulted me going into bankruptcy. Not a pleasant feeling. I could not take there debt into account even though I still protested the amount!!
Time went on and still csa taking big amounts from wages, I still could not get to te bottom of the amount they said. Eventually I gave in, that’s after losing jobs, homes, basically my livelihood.
I have had numerous phone calls, letters some which were about 3 a week all stating different amounts, obviously getting very frustrated by this time, some of the calls were quite abusive from my behalf. Not a good thing to do! Again they were still taking and adding arrears at the set amount they originally asked even though I was on sickness benefits after falling into depression! Which I nearly took my own life, ended up been sectioned..
Eventually they eased off, started to work again, soon after they were again on the phone, numerous letters, threats of prison,bailiffs etc etc. because of this again I lost my job yet again! More frustration, humiliation. By this time the arrears which I protested about were down to approx £8000, but still not leaving me with enough tho live on!
After nearly losing my flat which I got from the council, they eased off again. I was paying small amount of regular maintenance aswel as arrears, eventually I became self employed as a private hire driver, things were going well, I met somebody special and we moved in together, eventually bought a house.
The csa stepped in again, this time threats to what is now my ex partner, bailiffs knocking on the door, court dates, which they sent all letters to completely the wrong address! This resulted in far too much pressure for my ex partner and eventually I was homeless yet again!
We have had our local MP involved who has done a sterling job, along with cab and welfare benefits unit, the csa at first ignored all appeals, saying they have not been received from any party. By this time it had gone o departures! Eventually we got a face to face meeting, they have had in there hands copies of appeals and letters of proof we sent them as requested. We was going to court, however the csa have admitted to errors along the way. By this time the old arrears were attached to the house approx £5000, but they have said another amount of arrears of about £9000 have accrued as departure have back dated a claim!!
With the csa realising they have made errors, they pulled out of the court hearing, and now oing ack to a different assessment which I ave no idea how much as yet. This is just a brief outline of what I ave gone through, I do have the whoe file on my table now. Believe me it is huge!! Approx 18inces deep of A4 paper.
Bit too ate to change there minds now, as now I have let my partner and new family along with my house!
Basically the csa do not communicate with each other, very hard to fight, but if your MP is willing you can get somewhere.
Will be another change of circumstances for me, so will probably have to go through it all again!
7 thoughts on “My local MP has done a sterling job in helping me”
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oh what an awful story, I am glad your MP stepped in, but at what cost? Any time you were getting back on your feet after a very traumatic time (I have lots of experience in mental health) the csa were on to you. That really gets me because do they not understand had you died, your ex (pwc) and the csa would have blood on their hands? They really dont care, and im sorry you lost someone really special, and of course, your children through this.
Thank you for the ray of light in this darkness many of us are in with the csa, but your story still goes to highlight the aggressive cancer the csa are.
This is what I don’t get about CSA, they write so many letters have so many people dealing with cases that half of the time they have no idea who owes what, Cases like this just goes to show they care diddly squat for the kids and its all about hitting targets, the NRP is just another statistic or a number on a screen and soon forgotten about when the call handler moves onto the next call, they don’t care about the people or the kids, the CSA have got to face upto it that they have wrecked so many lives and many children have been forgotten about along the way, families need fathers it doesn’t have to always be about the money, why they cant take responsibility and be held liable for all the deaths that have happened over the years is beyond me, its disgraceful they have gotten away with it, the OP is lucky he had an MP wanting to fight for him, the out come could have been totally different, to little to late with the fact he has lost his family yet again and they are to blame totally, compensation needs to be paid to this guy for maladministration and I really hope he gets it, and manages to get back on his feet
Rodger06:-That amount of arrears in such a short time sounds like an interim assessment (CS1 2002) which is 1.5 times the maintenance requirement, a penalty assessment because the CSA do not have the information to complete a full maintenance assessment.
These interim assessments can be converted at any time if you provide the information for the effective dates and this will likely reduced the arrears.
If that is the case you should have been informed of this long ago.
Unsure on how it was worked out in the early stages, just had to take it on the chin, as at that time there was no help from anybody.
A quick update, I have been re-assessed now, it is now at an affordable amount, this has taken a long time, great deal of stress not only to me but to my ex partner aswel.
They have also sent me compensation, not a great big amount to compare with what I have lost. But it will go to good use, as its my sons birthday and now I can get him something special.
I will say if anybody does have problems with the csa, then get an appointment with your local MP, just wish they had looked at it sooner then I would still be with my partner, my battle has been going on for 10 years or so, and it’s only now that I hope I an start to pick up the pieces and enjoy myself without this worry.
As regards wrecking lives, you only have to type into google and see how many people’s lives have been destroyed or sadly taken.
The cost I would not know in money terms, but he has done a lot of work through this and also submitted my case to House of Commons for the top person within the CSA to look at. Maybe just maybe they will look at how they work..
Maybe doing a lot of bedtime reading of your data prints will set a few things straight, that the CSA lie out of the arses, and then i hope you take them to the cleaners, they deserve it,
My M.P.was helpful in my case as an pwc. My ex was allowed to pay nothing for a child that resided with m, and yet I was paying for the two that resided with her. In essence I was keeping her….. and all of the children, even the one lived with me.
Two years down the line and exasperated by the CSA, I involved my M.P., who with the information that I provided got my ex to pay maintenance, plus arrears. Ha!
However, the CSA then stitched me up with thousands poundsa of arrears, and botched my case most of the time. When I asked him to refer my case to the PHSO, he did, but that is when the corruption and collusion began, between the CSA, the ICE my M.P. and the PHSO. They all closed ranks and washed their hands of my complaints.
The point being that NOT all M.P.’s will ‘bust a gut’ to challenge the CSA, and in my case, my M.P. ‘sold his soul to the devil’ and allowed the CSA to ‘ride roughshot’ over me. When I challenged my M.P. he refused to see me and ceased answering my calls. I reported him to Parliament, where once again the establishment closed ranks.
History will be the judge of the shambolic CSA! I am on CSA 1, and paying 30% more than those on CSA2 and 3. How can that be fair?
I will be looking for restorative justice in the future, when a successful legal challenge, will force a rethink on using incompetent amateurs to deal with child maintenance, instead of professionally, qualified personnel, where the law is aplied justly and fairly, instead of illegally!
I am with John here, your MP will help only so much then when it comes to the crunch they will be told to back off and do so quickly.
Spineless and so out of touch it is not funny.
But keep involving them mine stated he was not elected to deal with the CSA and had better things to do. Remind them who pays for them and they do a little to a point, Be warned this is very very corrupt and very difficult as no media will report and no MP will stand up and say, it still goes on.