The new Child Maintenance Service (CMS) opened on 29th July 2013 to new applicants with two or more children.

The new statutory service, which calculates and arranges financial support for children living in separated families, will gradually replace the Child Support Agency (CSA). According to the Government, the CMS is designed to be a safety net for difficult cases where parents are unable to work things out between themselves.

Once the CMS is fully up and running, all separated families currently in the CSA will apparently be given a fresh start as their cases are gradually closed. They will be offered help and support to come to their own financial arrangements.

“The Child Maintenance Service is progressing well and has reached the next stage of its delivery. Caseworkers report that the system is easier to use and, for the first time, HM Revenue & Customs wage data is being used to calculate payments,” commented Work and Pensions Minister Steve Webb.

“We are learning from the past and avoiding the big-bang approach of the CSA. In the last eight months parents with four or more children have been using the system. We are now rolling it out gradually, first to new applicants with two or more children and then to all new applicants,” he added.

The Government says that the CMS is designed to target the most difficult cases, and will be able to use new enforcement fines to encourage parents to pay what they owe.

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