Last night’s Panorama programme on the BBC highlighted serious concerns about the experiences of some parents who use the government’s Child Maintenance Service (CMS). The programme featured stories from separated parents who have experienced financial hardship, stress, and mental health issues as a result of failings in the current system.
Relationship breakdowns are traumatic. When parents separate, they face multiple practical and emotional challenges. One area that parents often struggle with is financial matters, and until these are resolved, it can be difficult to put other co-parenting arrangements in place. In the worst cases, poorly handled conflict over finances can lead to money being used as a weapon against the other parent, and to financial abuse, even when abuse was never previously a feature of the relationship. Ultimately, it is the children who suffer.
It is deeply concerning to see that some parents are not getting the support they need. The Child Maintenance Service has a vital role in ensuring children receive the financial support they need from their parents. Given the vast numbers of parents using the CMS, (it currently oversees 800,000 cases across England, Scotland, and Wales and has seen an increase of 300,000 cases in the past five years) it isn’t surprising that that it’s buckling under pressure.
We have been urging the government to consider what could be done to prevent so many parents from needing the help of services such as the CMS and family courts. Earlier support for separating parents – particularly support that helps them to develop better communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills – would help to reduce the disputes that are increasing pressure on the system.
As Panorama pointed out, parents can make their own financial arrangements without using the CMS. For this to be possible, they need to have the skills and confidence to communicate constructively.
The government has previously recognised the importance of providing early support to separated parents and funded OnePlusOne to develop the Separating better app to provide practical and emotional evidence-based support to parents navigating the separation process. A thorough evaluation showed that parents who used Separating better were better equipped to communicate with their child’s other parent and make decisions in the best interests of their children. Where further separation support was required, such as with family courts, parents who had used the app felt more able to engage constructively with the process.
In light of the issues highlighted by Panorama, we are calling on the Department for Work and Pensions to reassess its decision to cease funding Separating better app. Investing in such early intervention would help to ease the burden on the CMS by supporting parents before they reach crisis point, helping them to develop the skills they need to communicate well throughout every stage of the co-parenting journey.
Parents and children deserve access to support before they are harmed by entrenched conflict. Upstream support would achieve just that. Separating better offers a value-for-money, proven solution to give separated parents the tools they need to build healthier future family arrangements.
