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Closed Review the child maintenance service

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Review the child maintenance service.

Review how the child maintenance service is run. We think the child maintenance service makes it very difficult for paying parents to work, due to high calculations and unexpected arrears. Some parents may refuse to go into direct pay because of concerns about the system. Some parents feel forced to stay on benefits, as they may not be able to afford to pay the arrears within 2 years, and think the monthly payments if they were to work would be unaffordable.

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  • Petition closed

  • Related activity

    Child Maintenance: Share your experiences for an inquiry

    The House of Lords Public Services Committee are holding an inquiry into Child Maintenance.

    To inform their inquiry, they would like to hear about your experiences of:

    • establishing child maintenance arrangements
    • the performance of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS)
    • the enforcement of arrangements.

    Share your experiences by Wednesday 23 April 2025

    What happens next?

    Your responses will inform the Committee’s understanding and work on this issue.

    At the end of the inquiry, it will publish a report with recommendations for the Government.

    The Department for Work and Pensions must then respond to the report.

    What is the House of Lords Public Services Committee?

    The Committee is a group of Members of the House of Lords from different political parties. It considers public services, including health and education.

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  • Petition published

    This petition can now be signed.

    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 14 July 2025.