Call for evidence launched for child maintenance inquiry

• Inquiry: Child Maintenance
• Call for evidence: Child Maintenance
• Public Services Committee

Background

This inquiry seeks to examine the barriers to making child maintenance arrangements through the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and why many separated families do not have any form of arrangement. Secondly, the Committee wishes to explore how arrangements made through the CMS can be more effectively enforced. The Committee is inviting written evidence on topics including:

• Government support for separated families and the maintenance arrangements it currently supplies.
• The causes of separated families not having any child maintenance arrangements in place.
• The relationship between CMS and other public services such as social security and His Majesties Revenue and Customs (HMRC) regarding effective child maintenance arrangements.
• The ability of the CMS to work with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and other relevant bodies to address child poverty.
• The effectiveness of CMS at identifying and combating underpayment of child maintenance caused by fraud, or assets and income being hidden by paying parents.
• The efficiency of the CMS at enforcing child maintenance arrangements.
• Potential improvement in CMS enforcement on paying parents who fail to pay child maintenance.

The Committee has invited written evidence to be submitted by 23:59 on 23 April 2025 and expects to report on its findings in the summer.

Further information

• About Parliament: Select Committee
• Visiting Parliament: Watch Committees

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