CSA3.... Paying even more!

You just need to be careful, Hidefrom, with causing gratuitous offence and distress to other users of this site, which I''m sure you don''t intend to do. There are other words you could use.

Making this into a gender issue is not appropriate; it isn''t mothers who make up the rules.

I was an NRP with no contact whatsoever and still paying child support for 8 years. For the last 2 years I have been sole carer and haven''t received a penny. My wife receives no child support from her ex either.

It isn''t only fathers who are failed by the system and it isn''t only NRPs. Sometimes we need to see these issues from perspectives other than our own.

HideFromExWife wrote:

So, I want to ask, what mother in their right mind would set the CSA rottweilers onto a father that wanted to take care of his kids, knowing that, once the CSA has chewed through his femur, he can no longer take care of his kids? Beggars belief.

Quite simply because not every father wants to take care of his kids. I tried the private agreement thing, my ex went from offering £170 a week, to paying £70 (on my say so) and then reduced it down to £40 and then £5. The only way i can ensure anything off him is to use the CSA and to have payments made through them. He pays £30 a week through the CSA and he has tried on numerous occasions to avoid that too! He doesnt have our child overnight, he barely provides for her, no contributions to school uniforms, trips, clothing etc. He pays his £30 a week and that is it.

For some of us, the CSA is all we have. And even then, my ex pays 10% of his wages to maintain our child when we had 100% of his wage when he lived with us. Where is the rest of the money needed to raise her supposed to come from?

One of the most vocal fathers I''ve come across was a PWC and he couldn''t get over the fact that CSA rates of child support amount to just one day''s pay per week for two children. The average amount of child maintenance liable to be paid through the CSA is typically around £34 per week or £23 if cases with an assessment of zero are included in the figure which is hardly a vast contribution to the costs of raising children. Both CSA2 and the gross income scheme are in line with some other counties. For example in Canada the "non custodial" parent can pay child support at 25% of their gross income and parents who don''t meet their child support liabilities are considered delinquent and have all their parental rights revoked after one year.

Unfortunately the CSA is a blunt instrument. It''s a sad fact in life that in many cases shared residence means children either live in poverty in two homes or have one main base but I can''t see the Government/tax payers financially contributing more to support children living in two homes.

hi,

I''m sorry you find yourself in this situation and I know you are referring to your situation personally.

However it is not just mothers and RP''s who benefit. Some NRP who are self employed, ltd company etc use the system to pay a s little as possible, even with generous contact, becasue they can and get away with it... these are the people who should be targeted (excusing any self employed who do actually give a decent amount for their childrens welfare)

Survive

Word has been changed under protest.

As for others who posted about self employed NRP''s and absent NRP''s, sure there are bad apples in every barrel, but for us fathers that want to do right by our kids, have our kids, take our kids on holiday, treat our kids, etc etc.... this CSA robs us of being able to do that. Hammer the absent NRP''s, but leave us fathers who love our kids the means to be able to love and enjoy our kids.

The PWC was able to go on holiday with the kids last year, and there is talk of going abroad in a couple of years time. Can I take my kids on holiday? No I blooming well cannot. I, as a caring, loving NRP, am not afforded the same equal rights, monetarily or otherwise, as the PWC.

Simple answer is because she can, and she has the govt support to do so.

i can see why many people do choose to contract and start Ltds when private agreements are suddenly changed and there is a demand for more money.

From my experience and everything I have seen with friends and family going through similar. All is fair in love and war... errr I mean divorce.

There is excellent analysis of the foundation and early years of the child support agency here: www.childsupportanalysis.co.uk/.

The site hasn''t been updated since 2007, but it does explain the government thinking around the issue of child support and why it hasn''t worked - and probably never will.

Well worth a read by anyone who doesn''t understand the system.