Government to provide fund to
encourage use of alternative child support
arrangements
The Government has decided to
allocate £20 million of funding to encourage separated parents to
devise their own arrangements regarding child maintenance rather
than use the CSA (Child Support Agency).
The Department for Work and Pensions
claims that an average CSA case costs approximately £25,000 and
that this can increase to approximately £40,000 if enforcement is
required. It estimates that £45 million each year could be saved if
parents who share care made their own arrangements for child
maintenance.
The proposed funding will be given to
voluntary and community groups who provide support to separating
families, and the department says that sector experts and academics
are providing advice about how the money should be used.
