Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Deferred
Paragraph: 64
Produce an analysis of reasons for increased families lacking child maintenance arrangements.
Recommendation
The proportion of families with private arrangements has increased since the 2012 reforms but this has also been accompanied by an increase in the number of families without an arrangement. There is evidence that a significant number of Children in poverty: Child Maintenance Service 47 parents who do not have an arrangement want one. This means some children are avoidably missing out on maintenance which could help reduce child poverty. The Government should also produce an analysis of the reasons for the increase in the proportion of families without child maintenance arrangements.
Government Response Summary
The government stated it has not conducted specific research into the increase in families without child maintenance arrangements, although it monitors this annually and has general research on separated families. It listed reasons why some parents don't want arrangements and concluded that it does not currently plan further research on this specific increase but will consider it as part of any future policy reforms.
Paragraph Reference:
64
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The National Audit Office’s (NAO) analysis of the Department’s research shows that the increase in the number of separated families with no arrangement is driven by around half the number of parents using the Child Maintenance Service compared to the Child Support Agency (CSA). The CSA had a much larger caseload than the Child Maintenance Service and around a quarter of CSA arrangements were not due to pay ongoing child maintenance, with many others being ineffective and costing the taxpayer money. The Department has not done any specific research into the increase, but we do monitor it annually and have done other research into the wider separated families landscape. 10 Children in poverty: Child Maintenance Service: Government Response The Survey of Separated Parents from 2022 shows that only around a third of receiving parents without arrangements want one and half of parents didn’t want one. The reasons why receiving parents didn’t want arrangements included: • they don’t want contact with the other parent or have a difficult relationship with them • they don’t need support • they don’t want to be bound by a formal arrangement • the child doesn’t want contact • not wanting to cause conflict • the children are older. The Department does not currently have plans to do further research into why the proportion of separated families with no arrangement has increased but will consider further analysis as part of any future policy reforms.