{"id":52875,"date":"2015-01-25T00:15:08","date_gmt":"2015-01-25T00:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=65c44f7b24bfdee446032af80d91c069"},"modified":"2015-01-25T00:15:08","modified_gmt":"2015-01-25T00:15:08","slug":"press-release-absent-parents-now-paying-maintenance-cash-at-record-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=52875","title":{"rendered":"Press release: Absent parents now paying maintenance cash at record levels"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The number of absent parents who are now paying towards the cost of their children through the Child Support Agency (CSA<\/abbr>) has hit an all-time high, thanks to tough enforcement rules now in place.<\/p>\n

Nearly 9 out of 10 of non-resident parents within the CSA<\/abbr> system are now contributing towards child maintenance to support their children, with help from the CSA<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

In the past 12 months, the CSA<\/abbr> has helped collect and arrange more than \u00a31.2 billion of payments, thanks to tougher enforcement action against parents who previously refused to pay, as well as vastly improved processes.<\/p>\n

Last year 184,090 active Deduction from Earnings Orders were in place, taking a total of \u00a3330 million directly from wage packets to help pay for the upbringing of children.<\/p>\n

Child Maintenance Minister Steve Webb said:<\/p>\n

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When the coalition came to power in 2010, the CSA<\/abbr> was in chaos with huge amounts of money left uncollected and simply not making its way to the children who needed it. This was fundamentally wrong.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve managed to turn this super-tanker around thanks to smarter processes and procedures, and tougher enforcement action against parents who refuse to recognise their responsibilities.<\/p>\n

Contributions towards child maintenance in the CSA<\/abbr> are now running at an all-time high of 86.5% and I am delighted to see the number of parents who are either not paying as much as they should or nothing at all continues to fall.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It marks an impressive turnaround for the body, which has drawn criticism in the past for the arrears that built up since its inception in 1993. During the worst period, arrears were building up at a rate of \u00a320 million a month.<\/p>\n

With the CSA<\/abbr> improving, the government is building on this success and is now pushing improvements further with the new Child Maintenance Service.<\/p>\n

This replacement organisation for the outgoing CSA<\/abbr> is currently being phased in and, for the first time, parents who are able are being given help to manage their own maintenance arrangements without further state intervention.<\/p>\n

The arrears strategy for child maintenance makes it clear that collecting arrears where children can still benefit today remains the priority so that these children can enjoy the standard of living they deserve.<\/p>\n

The government has also made it clear that there are no plans for a wholesale write-off of CSA<\/abbr> debt as old cases are closed. <\/p>\n

Better use of enforcement action now includes:<\/p>\n