Parents pushed to breaking point by Child Maintenance Service, BBC told

Parents across England, Scotland, and Wales are increasingly reporting severe distress and financial hardship due to issues with the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), according to interviews conducted by BBC Panorama. The service, operated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is supposed to facilitate financial support for children following parental separation or divorce. However, many individuals claim that the system is failing them, leading to extreme personal and economic strain. Katy, one of the interviewees, shared her experience of being unable to secure regular child maintenance payments from her former partner despite having sought assistance from the CMS. Her ex-partner is required to pay over £330 per month, yet he has accumulated nearly £10,000 in arrears. This lack of consistent financial support has forced Katy to rely on food banks and has limited her ability to provide her children with extracurricular activities. She described feeling desperate and overwhelmed by the situation, emphasizing the emotional toll it has taken on her family. Fathers, too, face challenges with the CMS. One man recounted how administrative errors led to the incorrect addition of another child to his account, causing unnecessary financial burden and stress. He described the process of resolving such discrepancies as lengthy and frustrating, often resulting in prolonged periods of uncertainty and anxiety. The CMS oversees more than 800,000 cases in England, Scotland, and Wales, impacting over a million children. In recent years, the demand for the service has surged, with case numbers increasing by approximately 300,000 over the past five years. According to the DWP’s latest annual report, there were over 1,400 complaints filed within the first three months of this year alone. The CMS operates based on the income of the paying parent, typically the one who provides less direct care for the child. If the paying parent fails to meet their obligations, the CMS can initiate collection efforts through its Collect and Pay system. This involves taking funds directly from the paying parent’s wages, bank accounts, or benefits. As of the end of March 2026, around 350,000 Collect and Pay cases were active, reflecting the scale of the issue. However, the effectiveness of these collection mechanisms appears questionable. Data from the DWP indicates that in the first quarter of this year, nearly 61,000 Collect and Pay cases resulted in zero payments, affecting approximately 86,000 children. Additionally, the CMS imposes fees on both parties involved, 20% for the paying parent and 4% for the receiving parent, which can further complicate the financial situation for families already in distress. The DWP acknowledged the concerns raised by users of the CMS, stating that in the vast majority of cases, the service successfully secures vital payments for children. They emphasized that they take very seriously the instances where things go awry, although specific measures to address systemic issues remain unclear. As the number of cases continues to rise, the pressure on the CMS to improve its efficiency and responsiveness grows. With over four million children affected by parental separation in the UK, the need for a reliable and equitable system becomes ever more critical. The experiences of individuals like Katy highlight the urgent necessity for reform and better support structures to prevent further hardship among families navigating the complexities of post-separation financial arrangements.