The CSA took thousands from my savings account

November 13, 2012

I will keep this brief initially but will of course elaborate should you be interested in following this up…

On the 1st October 2012, £7,540.54 was taken from my savings account by the CSA, without my knowledge or permission.

They have been hounding me for over 3 years for maintenance, despite the fact that during this period of time I have been the parent with care 100% for one of my children (son) & my daughter lives with me 3 / 4 days per week making me the main parent for her.

I have never wanted to claim from my ex partner & up to this point (2010) I always let her have the child benefit books as she needed the money more than I.

However after a personal bust up with each other she got in touch with the CSA when my children were 15 & 12.

I immediately put in for the child benefit books to be switched to my name which they were, I contacted the CSA & informed them of this.

I then put my own CSA claim in for maintenance, I received letters from the CSA confirming I was entitled to maintenance.

However the money they have taken from me covers all of the period when the CSA’s own letters to me state I should have been receiving maintenance, not paying it.

I have written to the CSA deductions order team twice & to their complaints department twice.

I am being told that the matter is being looked into & over a month later I still do not have my money back. A phone call today tells me that they don’t expect any resolution to this matter until the new year.

I am a business man in Worthing who employs around 50 staff (my son included) & this matter is seriously affecting my work & reason. I can’t believe that money is able to just be taken from an account with no notice.

I very much hope you can advise / help / publicise this matter.
I have of course googled this matter thoroughly & been on many forums for advice & my next step will be to take legal action against the CSA, I can however ill afford this financially or time wise.

Below I have copied a list of the issues that have been sent to the CSA over a month ago & I am still waiting for answers. One seriously wonders if this agency is sexist & cannot accept Fathers being the parent with care?

Regards

Steve Barlow

1) Since the CSA first got in touch with myself for maintenance for both my children, Toby & Teri, the child benefit book for Toby was backdated to before the claim. Therefore the £200.00 that I paid in maintenance up to that point should have been refunded.

2) Why has the fact that my daughters child benefit book (Teri Mayhew) was transferred to myself for an extensive period of time never been dealt with?

3) As the child benefit book for Teri was in my name & the CSA sent me a letter confirming I was the PWC & that they were going to pursue the Mother for maintenance.

a) Why did I never receive any maintenance?

b) Why was I still charged maintenance for my daughter at a time when I had the claim?

c) Did the Mother ever re-fill out new forms once I gave the child benefit book back to her to re-initialise the claim?

4) Why has my income which has decreased since the original assessment not been allowed for? The CSA asked for an accountant letter to confirm this which was provided?

5) Why has my claim for maintenance for my son Toby Mayhew never been dealt with / chased up? He has been living with me 24/7 for the last 3 years & his child benefit book was in my name but I have never received any maintenance for him, your last letter to me regarding this was that as Amanda Mayhew was un-cooperative she would be charged £30.00 per week maintenance?

6) Why has the case worker who visited my home over a year ago never written the report or answered any of the questions that he said he would?

7) Why was the case worker who visited Amanda Mayhew house some 18 months ago allowed to decide on a whim that Amanda was the PWC, despite the fact that I had the child benefit book for Teri Mayhew in my name & despite the fact that this case worker never visited me to discuss the case, check my home?

8) Following on from 6, above, why was I not notified of the change of decision & only informed during a telephone enquiry some 4 months later?

9) Why is child maintenance being charged for periods of time when the child benefit books for both my children was in my name?

10) Why does the letter informing me of the deduction of £7,540.54 taken from my account on the 1st October 2012 state this amount is for the maintenance for Toby & Teri when previous letters from myself & copies of letters from child benefit have shown that child benefit books were in my name for all of this period for Toby & for some of this period for Teri.

11) It has been said on the phone that the money owed to me by the Mother is a completely different matter, I object to this & would request that the whole matter be viewed as one case. If I am forced to pay her money then she must be forced to pay me money. However as she is an alcoholic who rarely works she will have no money for you to take from her.

As someone who works, pays taxes & is able to save for the future I seem to be being penalised.

Comments

  • Gonk says:

    The last few lines of your story sums up this trash called the csa
    Indeed, need you ask why anymore ? You know why…it’s because you are honest,hardworking vulnearble,easy tax paying target and therefore an open wallet for them to rob from.
    Your ex meanwhile,has nothing they can take and so left alone,she’s regarded as ” not worth the effort”
    Good luck

  • tomy says:

    Well after history catching up with people who thought they were immune
    from prosecution in the media lately,You would think those who took your
    cash would know better,The thing the smug csa don’t seem understand is
    that law is a double edge sword.I am convinced that many at the csa will
    loose their liberty in the future.The higher up in the agency the more
    blame they will attract..I can actually visualize them accusing each other,
    each one of them trying to distance themselves from from what they
    have done,I can just see them now covering their faces from the press
    and TV cameras constantly outside there offices,We all know how the
    UK works and when the Government decides it in their own interest
    for the csa to be a scapegoat that’s how it will unfold, every dog has its day!

  • zoe says:

    Having read many of your individual cases and having had to deal for years with this inept Agency. My advice and it works is to complain to Local MP and ICE Independent Case Examiner. True the ICE will pass on your complaint to CSA BUT the Real complaints Dept. They then have 6 months to get everything sorted or ICE take over and direct them how to proceed.

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