The Child Support Agency was originally set up to help single parents collect maintenance from absent fathers (or mothers)

As part of the Department of Social Security the idea was that less money would be paid out in single parent benefits if absent partners could be made to pay.

In theory this idea was great, but due to too much red tape and plenty of bad press the Child Support Agency is now to be abolished.

At the start there was reports of absent fathers committing suicide and having nervous breakdowns because of the amount of money they were being made to pay in maintenance.

I have been divorced and trying to claim from the CSA for the last six years and so far have received £0.00. In fact it has probably cost me £30.00 in phone calls to try and get it sorted out.

The idea was if you were claiming income support or any other means tested benefit any maintenance collected was paid direct to the DSS. If you were a working single parent any maintenance collected would be paid direct to you.

If you were an absent parent on benefits you would pay £2.40 a week directly out of your benefit towards maintenance of your children.
Like I said in theory a great idea.

I have never had any response from the CSA after I put in my initial claim six years ago. Any information I have received has been after I have phoned them to find out what was going on.

You would think after six years they would have been able to tell me something even if it was “sod off you are not getting nothing.”
I have provided them with my ex husbands name, address, NI number, where he works and I have let them know every time he has changed his job.
Even so I still get told that they are trying to trace him.

I think it is a good job that they are scrapping the CSA but I hope they can replace it with something that actually works.