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Gingerbread has renewed its call for reform of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), arguing that persistent failings in the system are leaving many single-parent families without the financial support they need and exposing some parents to continued economic abuse.
Responding to recent media coverage of the CMS, the charity said the service is failing both single parents and their children despite its potential to play a significant role in reducing child poverty.
Gingerbread cited evidence suggesting that interactions with the CMS have a negative impact on parents' wellbeing and relationships. According to the charity, 96% of non-resident parents and 72% of parents with care said that dealing with the CMS had worsened their mental health and wellbeing, while 93% of non-resident parents and 58% of parents with care said it had damaged their relationship with the other parent.
The charity also highlighted the experiences of parents affected by domestic abuse, stating that 77% of parents with care using the CMS had experienced domestic abuse from the other parent.
While describing the CMS as an important mechanism for tackling child poverty, Gingerbread said recent data showed that around one in four children who should have received child maintenance during the year received no payments at all. The organisation said these shortcomings leave many children without vital financial support and can leave victim-survivors of domestic abuse vulnerable to ongoing economic abuse.
Gingerbread welcomed the government's planned reforms to the CMS, including the proposed removal of the Direct Pay service and a reduction in fees, describing them as measures with the potential to improve outcomes for many families. However, it called for the reforms to be implemented without delay and argued that further changes are needed to create a system that works effectively for single-parent families.
The charity said it continues to press for wider reform through parliamentary and government engagement. Its chief executive, Abigail Wood, recently gave evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee as part of its inquiry into the CMS, highlighting the experiences of both parents with care and non-resident parents and drawing on recommendations set out in Gingerbread's #FixTheCMS report.
Earlier this year, Gingerbread also published a joint briefing with Women's Aid and Surviving Economic Abuse examining the experiences of domestic abuse survivors using the CMS and recommending stronger safeguards for victim-survivors.
The charity also acts as the secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Single-Parent Families, which is continuing to examine the operation of the CMS as part of an ongoing programme of work.
