The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is meant to support children. Instead, many families experience stress, conflict, and in some cases, complete despair.

Research highlighted in the article below reports that around 5,000 parents connected to the CMS died over a two‑year period!. These findings are deeply alarming and demand urgent scrutiny. https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/call-for-inquiry-over-deaths-of-parents-driven-to-despair-by-dwps-child-maintenance-service/

Behind these numbers are thousands of parents facing a system that is simply not working.

Families report:

• Incorrect calculations and unfair payment demands
• Letters claiming arrears that do not exist
• Complaints that are ignored or never logged
• Call recordings that “disappear” when needed as evidence
• Rude treatment and calls being ended prematurely whilst parents are desperate to get answers, causing further distress and prolonging issues
• Money taken from bank accounts even savings accounts without warning
• Tribunal delays of over a year, leaving families stuck and suffering

At the same time, fairness is inconsistent:

• Some paying parents are pushed to breaking point
• Others appear able to avoid paying altogether
• Enforcement varies wildly from case to case

Tribunals, Delays, and the Harm Caused by Overcharging

When a parent believes they are being overcharged, they are still forced to pay the higher amount even while the case is under dispute. Many parents are pushed into debt, hardship, or crisis because they are required to pay sums they simply cannot afford.

Tribunal appeals routinely take a year or more. And even when the tribunal confirms that the CMS calculation was wrong, there are often no consequences for the CMS and no refund for the parent who has been overpaying. The financial loss is simply written off, leaving families to absorb the damage.

This raises a serious question of fairness.

In family courts, when a parent seeks access to their child, they must wait until a judge makes a decision. No one is forced to act as though the outcome has already been decided. So why is child maintenance treated differently? 

Parents should not be punished financially while waiting for a tribunal to correct CMS errors.

Until a dispute is resolved, payments should be based on the original, undisputed amount, not an inflated figure that may later be proven wrong.

A system that demands immediate compliance with incorrect calculations and then refuses to correct the financial harm is NOT a fair or just system.

Fairness Must Include Both Parents’ Income
One of the biggest flaws in the current Child Maintenance Service system is that it often fails to consider both parents’ financial circumstances. A fair calculation should reflect the real cost of raising a child and the ability of both parents to contribute, not just one side’s income.

When only one parent’s earnings are used, the result are deeply unfair especially when the receiving parent has a significantly higher income or additional household support. This imbalance fuels resentment, financial hardship, and conflict, rather than cooperation.

To make the system fair and sustainable, both parents’ income should be considered when calculating maintenance. That would ensure payments are proportionate, realistic, and focused on the child’s wellbeing , not punishment or advantage.

Liability Orders: No Transparency, No Oversight, No Accountability

Another serious concern is the way CMS issues liability orders.

Parents report that liability orders are often granted without proper scrutiny, based on calculations that may later be proven incorrect. Many say they were never shown evidence, never given a meaningful chance to challenge the figures, and never had their disputes properly reviewed before enforcement escalated.

Once a liability order is issued, the consequences are severe: including bailiff action, credit damage, and aggressive enforcement. And yet there is no automatic review, even when the underlying calculation is later found to be wrong.

A system with powers this strong must be held to a far higher standard of evidence, fairness, and accountability.

CMS Representatives Have Admitted Their Calculations May Be Wrong

Parents have also reported cases where CMS representatives themselves admitted that the calculation might be incorrect ,  yet enforcement continued regardless. This is deeply concerning. They get letters of being in arrears when they actualy aren't

If staff acknowledge that the figures may be wrong, it raises serious questions about:

• Why enforcement is allowed to proceed
• Why no immediate review is triggered
• Why parents are still required to pay disputed amounts
• Why errors are not corrected before arrears letters, deductions, or liability orders are issued

A system cannot demand absolute compliance from parents while openly admitting that its own calculations may be unreliable. This contradiction undermines trust, fairness, and the credibility of the entire service.

Abuse Can Go Both Ways

An uncomfortable truth is often ignored: abuse can go both ways. Both mothers and fathers can misuse the system for financial or emotional leverage. When the system is unbalanced, it becomes a tool for conflict rather than a mechanism for stability.

A fair, transparent, and accurate system would reduce disputes and improve outcomes for children. Instead, the current system can:

• Deepen financial hardship in the household where children live
• Create stress that affects parenting and wellbeing
• Leave children caught in the middle of ongoing disputes. The children living with the paying parent are overlooked and harmed.

This is not what a child support system should do.

Too many parents are suffering. Too many children are affected. Too many voices are being ignored.

We Are Calling for Immediate Action

• Consider both parents income. 
• Fix calculation errors and stop incorrect arrears demands
• Ensure all complaints are properly recorded and addressed
• Make enforcement fair and consistent for everyone
• Stop sudden and unexplained deductions from bank accounts
• Improve accountability, transparency, and staff conduct
• Introduce urgent safeguards for parents under extreme stress
• Reform the system so it works fairly for both parents and truly supports children. Children left in the middle of ongoing dispute end up suffering
• Review the liability order process to ensure proper evidence, oversight, and fairness
• Ensure that when CMS staff acknowledge potential errors, enforcement is paused until the calculation is corrected

Conclusion
The Child Maintenance Service is not fit for purpose. Families cannot wait years for change. It must be fixed now.

Sign & share this petition to demand fairness, accountability, and real reform.