The Centre for Separated Families

PRESS RELEASE

25.01.12 – For immediate release

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CSF welcomes child maintenance support cash

Family separation charity, the Centre for Separated Families, has welcomed the announcement by Work and Pensions Minister, Maria Miller, of £20million for family support services for separating and separated parents as part of the radical reforms for CMEC.

Commenting on the announcement, Karen Woodall, Director of the Centre for Separated Families said:

"We are absolutely delighted that the government is making this money available to help parents make their own family-based child maintenance arrangements. Support services, such as those proposed, will offer parents the kind of help they so desperately need around not just maintenance but other post separation issues, too."

"We know that parents who make their own private arrangements are not only happier with them, but that those arrangements tend to last longer, work better and are more flexible in responding to children's changing needs."

"Often, what makes it difficult for parents to make effective maintenance arrangements has nothing to do with money. The blocks and barriers to effective maintenance arrangements can be anything from emotional difficulties to the many practical issues that parents have to deal with as they separate. By supporting parents through the difficult transitions that separation brings, we can get more family based arrangements in place and make the statutory system more effective for those who really need to use it."

"We fully support the government's intention to put the needs of children first and to promote the involvement of both parents in children's lives. We also know that parents who are able to collaborate on maintenance can find it easier to build more co-operative parenting relationships in general."

Referring to the proposals to charge parents to access the statutory maintenance system and its collection service, Mrs Woodall said:

"Such proposals are bound to be controversial, but they can help parents to consider all of their choices rather than being fast-tracked into the default option of using the CSA, which has failed so many families."

"However, we believe that the charges should not be so high as to prevent those who need the statutory system from using it. We also believe that any upfront charges should be shared between both parents."

"We're pleased that the government is promoting the free Maintenance Direct option which means that parents do not need to use the state to collect and transfer money on their behalf."

"The campaign around the proposed changes to the child maintenance system has been largely based on outdated stereotypes around parental behaviour. By offering support to both parents and to the wider family, we believe that the changes will bring about much better outcomes for children."

Ends.

Notes to the editor:

The Centre for Separated Families is a national charity working with and on behalf of families experiencing divorce and separation in order to bring better outcomes for children.

The Centre offers information, support and advice to mothers and fathers, whatever their parenting status, and has a range of innovative education programmes to support co-operative parenting.

The Centre for Separated Families works with Government and other agencies to help deliver best practice in services delivered to separated families.

The Centre for Separated Families worked with the Department for Work and Pensions in helping to create the Child Maintenance Options service that provide support and information to parents around child maintenance. www.cmoptions.org

The Centre for Separated Families trained the Child Maintenance Choices service, delivered by the Department for Social Development, in Northern Ireland in providing support and information to parents around child maintenance.

Further information: 07810 482 088