July 23, 2004

Child Support Aggravation

If you are owed child support in this country don't hold your breath waiting for it. Likewise, if you don't owe it anymore because your kids are grown, don't expect to stop paying.

The Child Support Agency published its annual report yesterday. As best it can tell, because its £450 million computer system doesn't work, it had gathered only 40% of the support payments it was supposed to collect. It has 300,000 cases on its books, but processed only about half. It admitted that almost one-third of telephone calls to the agency were “abandoned”.

Staff took an average of three weeks of sick leave each year. If you add that to their four weeks holiday, and the eight statutory holidays (six bank holidays, plus Good Friday and Christmas), the average CSA employee is only on the job 217 days per year. That averages out to about four days a week.

I know someone who hasn't been obligated to pay child support since before Christmas. When she contacted the CSA, she got nowhere. After several months, they finally contacted her ex-husband, who made unsubstantiated claims that he was still entitled to the money.

Even though they could have found out the truth with just one phone call, the CSA just took his word and didn't look into it. After she insisted that her ex was committing fraud, and asked when the case would be investigated, the voice on the phone said, "I might get around to it Friday - I might not." Wanting to contact a supervisor, she asked her combatant's name. "I don't have a name," he replied.

He didn't get around to that Friday. He didn't get around to it until she contacted her MP. The case still hasn't been resolved.

Posted by david at July 23, 2004 12:28 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Not so different than here in the colonies. Its a crime (as one who pays child support, I know...)

Posted by: Jim N. at July 23, 2004 01:58 PM

I know there is a lot of aggravation in the States. I used to practice a lot of family law and dealt with various child support enforcement divisions of prosecutors' offices.

Regardless of which side of the Pond it is, it seems that no one can come up with a scheme that doesn't completely [can't think of a non-profane verb to insert here] the non-custodial parent.

The only difference is that the Government here has managed to bungle it on a national scale, since they insist on managing at a national level. It's madness.

Posted by: Dave at July 23, 2004 10:07 PM