Family Court and Child Maintenance Service cases to be reviewed in conjunction not separately. Stop Financial Abuse. 

Like many other parents, I have experienced the distressing consequences of financial control exerted through an ex partner via Family Court and the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). My own experience has involved a Family Court directing equal payment for supervised child contact (safeguarding) whilst the non-resident parent avoids child maintenance payments. In circumstances like these, significant financial pressure is imposed on the parent who is the primary carer and provides for their child.

This practice enables the non paying parent to exercise financial dominance via the Family Court system. Instances occur where a parent can afford to finance supervised child contact at a centre, but contests child maintenance payments by refusal to work, hiding income or claiming to have a lack of income. Often is the case that the non paying parent will stop working to obtain legal support for court, and have nil payment schedules with CMS. The providing parent has little option but to find funds for legal advice, court orders and take unpaid leave to attend hearings all whilst raising the child or children. Without direction from the Judge to conduct Domestic Abuse fact finding, financial control is being overlooked, allowing this particular form of abuse to not only continue but the system facilitates it.  In some cases the child is not the true focus for starting court proceedings and its purpose is to control the other person. 

Those who have been abused often do not seek help whilst in the relationship or even after for many reasons including but not exclusive to the stigma, and the fear of retribution. Whilst there are services to help, you have to meet certain criteria, if you do not meet that criteria, you are left with two options, seek legal advice if you can afford it, or battle through the minefield of the Family Court System alone. 

Currently, Family Court cases and Child Maintenance Service (CMS) cases run as separate services, which can inadvertently permit this type of abuse to persist. We urge for a review of this procedure. We need a system in place that forces both services to communicate and consider their rulings collectively, making it more difficult for individuals to wield financial control through these processes.

By calling for this reform, we aim to protect vulnerable parents from enduring financial manipulation and hardship, and to ensure that the child or children involved are financially supported. Help us prevent domestic abusers from using the family justice system as a tool for continuing their abuse. Sign this petition to demand a revision of how Family Court and CMS handle concurrent proceedings, and contribute to shutting down this route for domestic financial abuse.