The CSA is a prejudiced system and the CSM won’t be any better

I am not trying to sound bitter, but I have never come across a system which is so legally antiquated and prejudiced.

The stance that is taken is that if PWC decides to go down the CSA route, then I must be someone who doesn’t care about children’s welfare or contact.

It has made me stressed and demoralised.

Its predudiced right from the start.

You split up, and if your partner / wife, has an affair.

You lose your house and most assets. The care automatically goes to the mother as she is the one who has given birth, putting the man as ‘secondary’ importance.

The man whom she had an affair with moves into the home you paid for, but is not expected to contribute to the household or take any financial responsibility for the children in his/ their care.

You try to set up a private agreement, but when things go awry, the mother of your children can call the CSA, and all of a sudden you are in arrears.

Meanwhile, you try to set up a new life, with a new partner, but with no house, or assets and maintenance hanging over your head and more debt.

Your ex gets money from grandparents, you, works, as does the new partner with no mortgage.

The assessment is not means tested, so tough if you can’t afford it. You are now a criminal if you don’t pay.

You try to appeal to the CSA, but your letters are not replied to, your standard letters don’t make any sense, and they believe anything the ex tells them. Its up to you to disprove. Smacks of guilty until proven innocent (another antiquated legal principle)

There is no flexibility or discretion with CSA, and you spend a fortune just speaking to them (on a 0845 number). They make decisions in your absence without full information and change your assessment frequently.

You give them direct debit details for an amount, only to find that they have ignored the agreement and up the amount at their whim.

You try to complain, and put everything in writing. They send you pamphlets by way of reply.

What is worse is that when the CSA gets dissolved to the CMS, things will be much worse.

Taken on gross income a you will pay 20% extra as a fee. A fee will be payable by the PWC but that was 7% and is now 4% after consultation. Noone disputed the 20% and you can’t differ to pay direct because its still up to the PWC. A 4% incentive is simply not enough and any divorced couple will tell you that decisions are still made after a lot of mistrust and emotional scaring, not what makes practical sense or is practical, cheaper, fairer. Indeed, a PWC can see this as punitive if they can afford to swallow the 4%.

All very bad and worrying for someone who takes his responsibilities very seriously.

Let me tell you what epitomises the prejudice in the system.

When breakfast TV news covered the changes in the system, they had some welfare expert on (a woman) and a PWC. No fathers on…. how noticeably biased.

The whole thing smacks of a complete disregard to the paying partner.

Lastly, The CSA try to tell you that they encourage private agreements. When asked how they do this, the said that the letters that go out to the PWC says it in bold capital letters on the correspondence. The theory that if they have to pay 4% with the new system is, I am sorry to say, not enough incentive for PWC to let you have a life.

But who cares eh?