Vikki Slade MP calls for urgent reform of the Child Maintenance Service

Liberal Democrat MP Vikki Slade has joined with MPs from across the House of Commons for urgent reform of the Child Maintenance (CMS) system, writing to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, setting out seven key asks to better support children and families.

This reform, designed to focus on the wellbeing of children and a fair system for parents continues Vikki’s advocacy on behalf of constituents and others around the country who have experienced issues with the CMS.

After raising the case of parents who face continued emotional and financial abuse, Vikki received over 5,000 contacts from around the country, highlighting the extent of the crisis and the urgent need for reform. Vikki then spoke in a debate before recess on ‘The effectiveness of the CMS.’ During her speech, Vikki pointed out that “The House of Lords has concluded that parts of the CMS are no longer fit for purpose,” and argued that reform was long overdue, urging that “it is really time to make this change.”

The letter puts pressure on the DWP to publish timelines for implementing the Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 and the Child Support (Domestic Abuse) Act which will allow victim-survivors to move straight onto the Collect and Pay system, preventing ongoing economic abuse. Further, it calls for better information sharing with cross-government departments to inform automatic calculations for support payments, to lower the 25% threshold for re-calculations and to ensure that guidance on protecting survivors of domestic abuse from coercive control through maintenance payments is placed on statutory footing.

Highlighting the final ask of the letter, to “urgently address the deterioration in MP query handling”, Vikki stressed the scale and breadth of issues with the CMS and the impacts on families of delays in resolution. She explained that a video of her speech made clear the urgency of the problem “1.2 million people viewed my video – mums and dads driven to the edge by the system, and children pushed into poverty at the centre of parental disputes and failures in enforcement”.

Following these two Parliamentary interventions, Vikki held a roundtable in Wimborne with parents let down by the system, and has committed to finding ways to make the changes that are needed.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset North Poole, Vikki Slade said:

“Every young person deserves to be supported through their childhood. Whether it is parents hiding income or starting a businesses to reduce their taxable income or withholding access to a child if maintenance payments are not made, it is not acceptable for them to exploit loopholes to avoid providing care for their children. The system was designed to help those who could not afford to access the court system but it is now broken and needs total reform."

“One parent told me that her ex-partner was only expected to pay 1p per month towards his child and a father was forced to pay for his daughter even after the child stopped living with the mother after social services stepped in. This Government has the opportunity to reduce child poverty and create a system that works for both parents and saves the taxpayer money as well. This goes beyond politics, Members from Labour as well as the Liberal Democrats signed this letter, all wanting to see change for the benefit of our children and young people."

“I will continue to call for a full consultation with parents who struggle to deal with the opaque bureaucracy of the CMS, and for legislation that recognises how modern employment works so that we can leave a real legacy for the next generation of children."