Since the first lockdown of the pandemic, The Child Maintenance Service staff were taken off their jobs to recover unpaid maintenance to process new Universal Credit claims. Over 100 000 children have been failed by non paying residential parents and a Government service that did not prioritise children which is why the service was originally created. This is one of the reasons why children rely on free school lunches and foodbanks. Some self employed non residential parents use loopholes in the law to declare they earn much less than they actually do. Others constantly job hop to prevent the CMS catching up with them to deduct the owed amount from their wages. Refusing to pay child maintenance which is only 15% of take home pay is classed as financial abuse. It is a tactic used by abusers once the partner leaves the relationship. Yet this abuse has been allowed to continue by politicians for the last 10 years , who have voted against enforcing the laws made to support children.
Tomorrow, there will be a #Parliamentarydebate on the functioning of the #ChildMaintenanceService (#CMS) during #COVID19.
This is long overdue.
Email your MP to let them know their support is needed for this crucial debate here: https://bit.ly/GGB\_Fix-The-CMS
#FixTheCMS Marion Fellows MP Good Law Project mumsnet.com
