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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.

A kid looking up at his mum

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.

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To Tony.

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!

+2

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Rippedoffdad - 6-Feb-12 10:53 

I have been paying csa for five years, at the cost of £326 per month it has put me in debt I l never get out of. I have my two boys every weekend and it knocks me sick to see their faces when i tell them we can't go on a trip we can`t go the match or do anything that costs a little money because the government is robbing fathers blind and are allowed to get away with it. I was made redundant and was told they were not allowed to take any money from my redundancy money however thay took over £900 which was illegal and when I told them this they replied with we will just take it off your arrears. No one was put to justice over it and they still keep taking the money, and berfore anyone has a negative comment I lived with the mother for 5 yrs when my kids were born, and she did nt delcare it to the benefit dept so I've paid three times over for my kids.

+3

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Tony Pollard - 30-Jan-12 15:53 

I am on the same boat I paid right up untill I was made redundant through no fault of my own I spoke to csa And basically was told not their problem if you ask me they are well funded extortionists backed bye the Goverment it's 2012 and people are being driven deeper into debt and poverty bye our very own Goverment a terrorist kills people and shout human rights where's our human rights the Goverment need to look hard at this system it's. All one sided plenty. Nights I have sat with no dinner because of. O money yet the Goverment still won't step up we need people who love real life's in real time in office

+1

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John - 18-Jan-12 00:23 

Just for the information of those getting ripped off by the CSA.

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'!

+4

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Rippedoffdad - 9-Jan-12 23:52 

LYNDA FLETCHER is a CSA dodger, she doesn't care about her son. Call yourself a mother.Your a DISGRACE!!!!!!!!!

+22

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Nick - 21-Nov-11 11:35 

She is avoiding paying fo HER son, the CSA have told me that she is not going to pay up this month and she is owing us 4 months!!! It's alright for me to pay to keep HER son though. I get fed up with women harping on about the fact that there EX husband's, partner's etc won't pay for there children, what about all of the MOTHERS out there that don't pay for their kids, and THERE'S ALOT MORE THAN YOU THINK! She cannot avoid the DIRECT EARNINGS ORDER.The CSA will get her one way shape or form if she thinks because she is a women they will go lightly on her then she is totally dillusional.I'm going to make her life a misery through the CSA, until I get what's owed to me!!! so she can live in her £300,000 house in Cornwall, have holidays in her holiday home in cyprus as well as the rental she owns in Cornwall, drive around in the choice of her sports car or expensive 4x4 but she can't PAY FOR HER SON!!!! well all I can say to her is "ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS" because it wont be for long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

+24

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Cornishbabe - 17-Nov-11 15:33 

Well PPJ- I have no problem in wanting to provide for children that belong to BOTH parents. I have been on both sides as a parent with care, raisng a son on my own, and a non resident parent where the children were kidnapped and held hostage (for money) by their mother, whilst the 'control freak' mother, attempted to get her own way, in controlling me, whilst at the same time demanding money and breaching court orders regarding contact!

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!

+24

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Rippedoffdad - 7-Nov-11 18:55 

Here here!!! Nick. Totally agree with that comment. When my husband's son came to live with us 4 months ago he had no clothes that fitted him and his shoes were 2 sizes to big. We have had to totally rig him out from head to toe and we were giving her money every month for at least these basic needs. Don't anybody go on to me and say it is your duty, She had everything in the divorce, House, car, even the holiday home and now we find out she was using the money we were giving her each month for THEIR SON on a new BMW she bought with her boyfriend!!! that's what you call a MOTHER

+17

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Cornishbabe - 7-Nov-11 15:05 

Well PPJ, the fact that the courts give the children to the mothers 96% of the time(FACT) and fathers get no say, then in alot of cases have to spend a lot of time and money in the courts just to try and see THEIR OWN KIDS on a regular basis.FUNNILY ENOUGH I was always under the impression that a child had 2 PARENTS, That's what I was taught in HUMAN BIOLOGY ANYWAY!!!!! The courts are steadily underminding society and making single parent families FATHERLESS because men have no powers to see their children unless the mother needs a baby sitter at the time or she hasn't received her CSA payment!!!!

+15

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NICK - 7-Nov-11 09:10 

Well rippedoffdad your case may be because they got it wrong but what about all of the fathers who do not pay and get into arrears because of THEIR own selfish stupidity??

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.

-27

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PPJ - 6-Nov-11 17:53 

CSA muppets stitched me up with £6,500 worth of dent because of THEIR incompetence. I'm pretty sure that the arrears were invented to earn a case worker a bonus, on an easy target. there are people under-paying, people over-paying and lots not paying at all!

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!

+5

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Rippedoffdad - 6-Nov-11 16:17 

I agree Rippedoffdad, The system has to be fair and it definately isn't. The claim we made against my husbands ex wife is in my name for some reason. The computer must have thrown a wobbly fit when they tried to put a man's name in, the computer definately said "NO" !!!!!!!!!! I'm going to keep fighting though. I have no children of my own and I don't see why I have to work my butt off to pay for her's!!!

+8

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Cornishbabe - 4-Nov-11 15:17 

Respect Cornishbabe. My ex -wife tried the 'control freakery' on me. All that she achevied was to break a court order with regard to contact, and ruin the childrens relationship with their father (me), because she constantly upset the children when they were involved with their contact with me.

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!

+7

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Rippedoffdad - 4-Nov-11 14:54 

It is not always about the money, it's the principle. The CSA have been on our backs since my husbands ex wife got them invovled 4 years ago. He had always paid for his son since they split but because she wanted information about his earnings, which were none of her business she involved them out of spite. Unfortunately for her she came un stuck she was actually receiving more money BEFORE she involved the CSA! My husband has never used his son to gain money. He is now parent with care because the childs mother's boyfriend was more important to her than her son, so at 14 she threw him out. The fact is that fathers are always portrayed as the "useless" parent not paying their way, not seeing their kids etc. Yes there are some that don't deserve any sympathy, but there are thousands of good fathers trying to do as good a job as possible in very difficult circumstances.

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)

+7

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Cornishbabe - 4-Nov-11 08:59 

Agree. I have raised a child on my own. He is an adult now, well educated, has a good job and is a credit to me and society. I have paid maintenance through the shambolic CSA for 11 years. They can't get anything right. They stitched me up with £6,500 worth of debt because they made a mistake, then they attempt to criminalise me.

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?

+5

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Rippedoffdad - 2-Nov-11 17:36 

Why should the tax payer have to pay for other peoples children , if you have them you should pay the full cost of raising them , it is about time that the various benefits to so called single parents and couples was stopped , end child benefit and parental leave and increase the pensions to people who have worked all their lives , Having worked in situations where those with children did nothing but moan about unsociable hours , wanting extra time off to deal with their off spring , expecting school holidays off , expecting Christmas etc off , having children if a choice , you want them you keep them. Yes i am a parent but I never expecting others to pay out to keep my children , I worked long hours and damned hard to keep them myself.

+4

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OldTimer - 2-Nov-11 13:05 

Nobody wants any children to go without, but what has a family matter go to do with a Politician or a 'bonus seeking' incompetent civil servant?

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!

+3

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Rippedoffdad - 1-Nov-11 10:37 

Yeah, and some times the mother has to pay for her kids.Its taken us 4 months of chasing and a direct earnings order for her to cough up, as yet we haven't received a penny.But she will pay!!!

+10

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Cornishbabe - 24-Oct-11 10:31 

Ron....son being harassed?? What to pay to support HIS OWN kids?? Shame on the CSA!!

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??

-7

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Bidster - 23-Oct-11 16:58 

My son is being harassed by the ill-educated, non-professional CSA, which I think stands for teh Cruel, Callous, spiteful savage, Anti-Christs. They are way behind the curve. We are in a recession; wages are being held or even cut. The Utility companies are profiteering & yet this bunch of thickos don't even recognise this. The CSA is evil.

+2

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Ron Bowdery - 23-Oct-11 16:09 

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