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Government updates child maintenance application fee guidance
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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has updated its guidance which sets out how it will decide if a victim of domestic violence or abuse is exempt from the Child Maintenance Service application fee. The guidance now states that witnessing child abuse is also a form of domestic violence being suffered.
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Since June 2014, there has been a £20 fee to apply to the 2012 scheme run by the Child Maintenance Service. However, victims of domestic violence or abuse do not have to pay this fee.
This guidance explains:
- how DWP decides whether a person is a victim of domestic violence or abuse;
- who the person applying for maintenance must have reported the violence or abuse to.
This definition of a victim of domestic violence will now also include an applicant who has witnessed the abuse of their child by a current or previous partner, or by a member of their own or the partner's family.
