The CSA penalise good fathers
Once again, a gripe about the CSA! Why does a system that is supposed to be there to help our children penalise the good parents?
I am a mother of one who has recently got married to a father of two from a previous marriage. He is an exceptional father who dotes on his children and provides for them over and above his requirements. His children - aged 21 and 15 - stay at our house 2 nights a week and every other weekend as a MINIMUM.
We also look after them when their mother goes on holiday - at least 3 times a year. When we take a holiday, we take them on holiday as well and also have them on lots of other occasions. He provides them with clothes, money and, more importantly, lots of love. My husband has always paid maintenance for his children, but decided to question this last year due to the shared care and the fact that he had also taken on my son to look after.
According to the CSA, £1400 is still outstanding...
The CSA found him in favour and granted him a nil assessment in October 2005. In April 2006, we received a letter from the CSA to state that they had re-assessed the situation (due to his ex-wife contesting it) and had decided that he must pay 38 per week. We had received no correspondence since the October so this was a complete shock, especially as it was more than he was paying previously! This was then backdated to the previous year to give us an outstanding balance of £1400!
We have since contested this decision ourselves and the assessment has gone back to nil, but the £1400 is still outstanding according to the CSA. We have been to court, our local MP, etc for advice, but this money is considered as a DEBT.
How can this be a debt if he should not have had to pay it in the first place? My husband has now got a liability order against him and we are at our wits end. To add insult to injury, I applied to the CSA 5 years ago for my son and have not got one penny from his father. I am now owed nearly £22000! They now claim they cannot trace him - at least the 5th time this has happened, despite him being self employed and having recently got married.
I ask you, where is the justice in all this? We are a loving family who take care of all our children to give them a happy home life, but our children are now suffering because of the appalling systems in the CSA.
If we have to pay the £1400 - which I am sure we will, then that is a holiday with the kids eliminated from next year. I struggled to bring up my 5 year old on my own for 3 years and I am now going to be struggling again. It seems that the CSA spend all their energy chasing the "good dads" whilst the ones who do anything to avoid payments are getting away scot-free.
Comments from visitors
I have been the victim if the shambles known as CSA for 12 years. My advice to you is go to your M.P. with your case papers and tell your M.P. your story. They may be able to do something for you!
There are also issues such as claiming a departure because of financial hardship and change of circumstances.
Maria Miller M.P. at the DWP, has recently announced that she is writing off £300 million pounds of unpaid maintenance. How can this be fair, when we pay, and others are 'let off'. £ 3.8 billion pounds remains uncollected, when the likes of me, you and others are repeatedly targeted.
Like you, I want to provide for our children, but it has nothing to do with the a 'run for profit' company (CSA), who are recycling benefits. How do we as NRP's know, if the benefit claim by the PWC is genuine, and whether they are entitled to it? We as the payee should be given a statement of the benefits claimed, and what the benefit is for!
There are people over-paying, under-paying and not paying maintenance at all. It's a shambles!
Tony Pollard - 30-Jan-12 15:53
The CSA have just written off £300 million pounds of maintenance. Thats right ! They target people, treat them like criminals when they are in the system, but if they can't find you, or you don't pay they write their maintenance off! One rule for those who don't pay, and different rules for those who do pay!
A 3 tier system, whereby people pay different amounts.That is discrimination, and breaches human rights!
Failing to collect, and writing off £300 million pounds. That is discrimination!
People over-paying. People under-paying. People not paying at all!
£3.6 Billion pounds remains uncollected!
It's a 'not fit for purpose, complete 'shambles'!
I paid maintenance straight away. She did not pay for the child with me for 3 years, as the CSA conspired to let her off! In essence I was keeping her, myself, and the children even though I was not with her! What did she contribute 'naff all'! It's one rule for women and different rules for men!
Some women need to get off their high horses and understand that children are not a commodity to barter with!
For your info, I have worked bl--dy hard for 35 years, and paid into tax and N.I. contributions into the system, that provides money for schools, hospitals, local services and tax credits etc! I have never claimed any benefits. Why am I being asked to pay into the system again, through maintenance?
What happens between, the children their mother and me, is between us! It has nothing to do with a bunch of muppet, pen-pushers and corrupt M.P.'s using flawed legislation that discriminates against decent people!
Congratulations to the CSA and their mother, they have lost two children their inheritance by attempting to criminalise me!
I am "entitled" to £5 per week from my ex husband for two kids and up to now he is £630 ish pounds in arrears (some from when he was working).
He does not want to pay, does not think he should (I've made my bed apparently) and happily gets on with his business without a second thought for OUR kids (yes OURS - I did not make them on my own funnily enough!!).
He pays nothing but still manages to go out, drink, smoke, watch the match etc.
Some fathers need a kick up the **se and should be made to take responsibility for THEIR kids - emotionally AND financially.
The statutory legislation is FLAWED and discriminates against all those involved in this shambles, as there are so many people, on so many different systems. It's a blatant breach of Human rights!
There is no dialogue from the political puppets who have dreamt up the ridiculous system. It's a case of compliancy no matter what. The time will come when these muppets want something from me. I will be calling the police and making a complaint of harassment, if some political kn-b knocks on my door asking for my vote!
The whole system is shambles, and like you said to parents it's not so much about the money as being treated as equal parents. The Government and CSA are going about this whole issue in the wrong way. Their interference causes more harm than good!
Time to scrap this mess and start afresh!
I live with one of those fathers who was heart broken that he could not see his son on a regular basis because his ex wife keeped on "playing games". The emotional stress on his son was horrendous. He lost touch with his son for a while when her new boyfriend came on the seen.
His son is now living with us and he is thriving.We have had a few hiccups but on the whole I think we are getting there. He wants no contact at all with his mother.
So my principle is if the CSA can chase and hound fathers then it is only right that mothers should be treated with the same courtesy! (NOT)
My point being, that I don't expect anybody else to pick up the bill for my children, but I have never been given the opportunity to make MY OWN financial arrangements for them because of incompetent civil servants and government interference. The children DO NOT belong to the government! I have also worked damned hard and paid a lot of money in high taxation into the system for 35 years. Why am I being asked to pay into the system again, by way of maintenance. I am keeping every other b-gger!...and can anybody please explain where the system of tax credits has come from? Free money for some people who have NEVER worked or hardly paid into the system. Name another country where people get money for free?
The children belong to both parents. They are not a commodity to barter with, but unfortunately the parent with care uses them as weapons to gain more money, or punish their estranged wife/husband/partner.
The European Court of Human Rights should haul the British government into its' court, and ask for an explanation as to why they are Criminalising, Persecuting and Harassing what are decent, honest ordinary people, when there are more moderate ways of dealing with the issue of child support! Such as mediation and dialogue in the divorce court.
The UK government does not want this, as they are recycling benefits claimed by the PWC and in doing so are attempting to criminalise the childrens' parents. How sad!
Do you not think the mother of his kids is in the same position - wages cut/held, utilities increasing??
There are two sides to each story, you are seeing it from your sons side only, do you want your grandchildren to go without??





