Absent dads could be tagged if they don’t pay maintenance - Family Law - Andersons Solicitors Nottingham

The Child Support Agency has faced a barrage of criticism for most of its troubled history. Mothers complain that it fails to make errant fathers pay adequate child maintenance. Fathers on the other hand talk of being hounded and harassed by over zealous agency staff. It’s even been revealed that the agency costs more to run than it manages to raise in unpaid maintenance. It’s been described as a shambles by some politicians and now it’s to pay for its failure by facing a complete overhaul ordered by the government. In the meantime, however, it’s to be given new powers to carry out its duties. The government wants to give it the right to check the financial records of absent fathers to make sure they are paying the correct maintenance. This would give them similar powers to those of benefit fraud inspectors. It will involve changing data protection law so the agency can check things like tax records, credit card statements, loan agreements and even phone bills. The work and pensions minister John Hutton has raised the possibility of tagging fathers who fail to pay maintenance. How much of this is merely political posturing remains to be seen but it’s clear that the government is determined to reform the system in one way or another. Whatever changes are made it’s likely that mistakes will still arise. Fathers and mothers caught up in disputes should make sure they get good legal advice so they don’t lose out. In many cases it’s possible to use mediation services to avoid confrontation and make everything simpler and easier for everyone.

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