| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/25/2009 10:28:59 AM | I only paid a small amount into the agency before this as I was paying cash to my ex
That's how and i dont see how paying the goverment for my now 23 year old son helped raise him | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/25/2009 10:29:03 AM |
Whether your ex is claiming benifits is irrellevant..........your son is YOUR responsibility and it shouldn't take a Government agency to force you to pay for his upbringing!
The OP states that he used to give cash directly to his ex then she started claiming benefits and he therefore received a summons from the CSA. Then when his son turned 15 his ex stopped claiming benefits and he was told that he owed nothing and no longer had to pay them. Now the CSA is demanding money previously paid to the ex in cash which he has no way of proving.
The last contact I had with them was 8 years ago when my son was 15 saying I owed them nothing as my ex had stopped claiming DHSS. I only paid a small amount into the agency before this as I was paying cash to my ex | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/25/2009 10:32:25 AM | Mizphitz you gave hit the nail on the head totally agree with u, i am not on benefits and have never asked for cash but i have had to beg for every penny for the children which is something i should not have to do, that is why it has been handed to the CSA to take away his control.......taking me to court over the access is another form of control.
As for using condoms yes would be a good idea,but one of these children was planned and i was on the mini pill , breast feeding for the second and taking anti-depressants at the same time and to terminate was not a option as i was five months gone before i knew and any way why should women have to justified our children !!!! | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/25/2009 1:02:11 PM | Fairy Ellen, I feel the same.
We had kids together yet I have to ask for money. Unlike some cases on here I have been asking for 4 years for a direct debit to get set up, so there is a paper trail. Not my son coming in with cash in a envelope or a bounced cheque, or else what has happened the last time he just stops paying for 8 months for no reason.
I want the CSA to deal with it so that I can resign from the roles I end up playing... debt collector, accountant telling him when its due ,nagging ex-wife, secretary...
its his responsibility to pay for his children, why can't he step up and make them his priority?? or is it me??? | |
|
| |
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/25/2009 5:55:19 PM | After reading some of these message...I guess I should count myself as one of the lucky ones. My ex paid me £1000.00 per month 20 years ago and continued paying for 12 years. The money covered the mortage and the kids. It went down as the kids got older. But the agreement was he paid until I sold the house and had all the proceeds for a new house, or until the last child finished his education, if I hadn't moved, even if that meant uni. He moved to New York after we split, and had the kids every summer, including paying my fare when they were too young to travel alone. He also came to the UK at least once or twice a year to see them, and phoned every week. His behaviour could explain why we managed to become good friends once all the crap was cleared.
His motivations I believe were a mix of guilt (loads of guilt) love of the kids and knowing he had responsibilites he had to uphold. So score one for the absent parent lol | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/26/2009 11:24:33 AM | I have had a very negative experience of the CSA. When my daughter was born I was on income support and as part of that I was obliged to apply to the CSA for them to chase up child maintenance payments. Three years later they know where he is living and where he works. He is not self employed. I went back to work Spetember 2008, as soon as I was off income support I withdrew my claim from the CSA as it was a complete waste of time.
I am now pregnant with my second child and this time things are very different. I do not live with the father of my second child however we are in a relationship. Because we are not living together 'as though we were married' by law he is not defined as my partner and not maintenance is something we have had to discuss. I have found myself to be hugely luck because supporting his child in this way is what he feels id right and proper. Its got to the point that he is saying he will give me a certain amount each month that I feel is way too much and leaves him with very little. But he will not hear of it and says that it is his responsibility to make sure that all 3 of us (my self, my daughter and the new arrival) are taken care of and have all our bills paid.
This has caused issues as I will have to declare his maintenace payments. The only trouble I have is that I am not sure whether they will be taken into account because we do not live together. So his income doesnt contribute to the household income...does that make any sense... | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/26/2009 11:50:25 AM | If he pays you money, he is contributing to your income.
If you claim benefits, you have to declare that 'income', and your benefits will be adjusted accordingly.
If you don't declare it, the CSA can chase him for payment long after the event if he has no proof he paid it and you can be charged with fraud.
Why not just get married if he feels it's his responsibility to see that you are all taken care of?
 | |
|
| |
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/26/2009 7:54:00 PM |
last we heard they couldn't "find him"
I had that with my dad!! despite him living at the same address for 15 years doing the same high earning job with a new family etc!!! As he will be dead soon, i wonder if i can sue him to get 18 years worth of CSA payments out of his "estate"??? 
I thought the CSA had been closed down because they were so utterly inept??
Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, different name, same "friendly" service | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/26/2009 8:53:07 PM |
I had that with my dad!! despite him living at the same address for 15 years doing the same high earning job with a new family etc!!! As he will be dead soon, i wonder if i can sue him to get 18 years worth of CSA payments out of his "estate"???
If he does die and as you've claimed he may leave behind an estate of some value....can you, as his son make a claim on it?
What rights do children have to inheritance when a parent dies?
I'm quite amazed by the notion that the CSA or whichever 'department'(newly named) have replaced them are equipped with the powers to pursue fathers for failure of payment they invented as opposed to monies which have been decided by a family court which they are duty bound to pay on the basis of a court order..why would a government agency pluck a monetary value out of the air and insist it was owed to them just like that?
I'm aware of fathers failing to pay maintenance and not advising the courts that they were unable to pay, leaving it up to the mothers to pursue the neglected payments - those women have to wait at least six months before a court date is set where the father is due to appear to answer why he can't pay what he's been ordered to pay in the interests of maintaining his own child previously and if a court order is made in favour of the parent who is looking after the child, it will only be backtracked to the time the case was taken against the father/mother/pig of a parent who can't handle his/her responsibilities..?
What is the situation if you are independent of social welfare ...what role do the CSA play then and what are the inheritance rights of the child? | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/26/2009 11:12:09 PM |
powers to pursue fathers for failure of payment they invented as opposed to monies which have been decided by a family court
As far as I know, CMEC and CSA respect Court Orders. They also respect good causes for not chasing the non-resident parent - especially if the break-up was due to domestic violence or if continued contact with the non-resident parent would cause emotional distress to the child(ren).
pluck a monetary value out of the air
Simple and transparent formula: 15% of net income for 1st child, 20% of net income for 2 children, 25% of net income for 3 or more children. £5 per week if the non-resident parent is on State benefits.
CSA involvement was mandatory if the parent with care was dependent on the State - why should "thee and me" pay when the child has TWO parents? No State benefits? No CSA compulsion unless the parent with care requested it. Now, CMEC is optional.
However, if a single parent receiving benefit does not involve CMEC when it means they can be £20 per week better off even when still on benefit, "questions within the benefit system" are certainly asked about undeclared income.
what are the inheritance rights of the child?
The same as any other inheritance right. If I choose to leave all my money to one of my children, then the other one can challenge the will, it wouldn't matter if they were estranged - although the court might want to know why in making its decision as to the validity of the will. | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/27/2009 12:58:40 AM |
Has anyone ever had problems with them?
and can they do this?
should I ignore them?
Whay is the legal time-scale before debt is written off?
I have dealt with problems from both sides,
The CSA have always dealt with my ex for a variety of reasons, they are not always quick to act,m but then as the last time I had issues the lady on the phone said the way the new system works you have to keep phoning each week to chase them, so she told me to put it on my calendar to phone eveyr Monday I did this and the situation was resolved very quickly. They have quite a lot of powers to collect and when you do chase them regulalry they do ( in ym own experience) act very well, due to my ex's attitude and history of non-payment and non-cooperation they simply worked out what he owed then garnished his wages to the tune of 40% until the arrears were paid off.
From the other side of the coin as the payer instead of the payee, they take into account the children that live with you and remove a percentage of your income from the calculation for that and then they calculate what you should pay. I know the lady that dealt with this case was wonderful and because the person being paid was lying and being unreasonable we receive chapter and verse on "how to not pay" , such as if the children are sent on access in raggedy clothes you can ask the CSA to investigate where the money is being spent and also if you then had to buy clothing to cover the visit you can put these receipts into the CSA and they will take this off your payment amount for that month, if the person receiving payment asks you for extra for school trips, clothing, presents (anything really) then report it to the CSA as this is them not abiding to the contract and the payments you make are meant to cover these things.
If you have to travel long distance to see your children they will take this into account, it is any trip over 100 miles as far as I am aware.
The best thing I can advise with the CSA is that these days your obligation to pay is from the minute they contact you, do not try and evade them, be honest with changes of address, job and earnings. My ex gets no quarter from them, they are harsh and shall we say unforgiving with him. With my husband however, they are very understanding and helpful, the only difference is my husband always paid, they are always advised of any changes and calls for information are dealt with swiftly.
At the end of the day the people working in the CSA are human, they have leeway on cases and they do have the ability to make life easier or harder, if you annoy them you might not get to hear about an easier way the arrears payment is a classic example.
My ex with a terrible history of paying and contact was told you will pay the arrears and we will garnish your wages at 40% until they are paid off.
My husband ( only had arrears as the CSA took a while to re-assess and recalculate and advise the payments were still happening every month) was told yes because of the recalculation there are £300 arrears over the last six months and you can pay that at an extra £5 per month.
I would seek legal advice and aslo I would talk to the CSA and explain you have been paying cash and what do you need to give them for them to accept that. | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/27/2009 3:04:26 PM |
Well do we really need Families need fathers !!!!! we just need fathers that support their off spring,
In fact, you appear to have confused F4J with FNF!!! Try getting your facts straight. (I have been to FNF meetings, and some of them are also in F4J) My daughter turned 16 today, and the last time I saw her was when I handed her back after a seventh birthday party nine years ago, when her mother decided to go slightly ballistic because I spent money on a birthday party. The CSA actually gave her LESS than I originally tried to give her..lol. In the meantime, two court orders have come and gone, and my 78 year old Mother who only has the one grandchild has had all contact stopped out of turn in an effort to get back at me. (Long story) Believe it or not, there are many NRPs out there who try their damndest to provide for their children, but the CSA don't actually take into account their ABILITY to pay, as they may in fact have other financial responsibilities too. It is quite well known that the CSA normally only target those who are not self employed and who are male (Yes, try speaking to CSA operatives regarding pursuit of female NRPs) If you actually try to cooperate with the CSA, you may actually end up worse off, as they find it easier to take money directly from your wages. (Anyone else tries that and it is called theft)
To look at it from the other side, if the NRP is fiddling the CSA, you can ask for an income assessement to be done, although in the past, they have said that they can't do this unless proof of income is supplied. (Apparently, this has led to some women breaking into their ex's homes to get wage slips etc.) They are very reluctant to do any work that actually involves getting their hands dirty. In some situations, they have had "departure" meetings, where the assess any discrepancies between income and expenditure of the NRP. In the case of one person who springs to mind, it was agreed that an NRP who was apparently only earned slightly over seventy five pounds per week, who could change his car two or three times over a couple of years, buy a couple of motor bikes, and go on foreign holidays with his new girlfriend WAS exceeding his income, but he wasn't exactlyt buying fancy Mercedes' or anything like that... | |
|
| |
| |
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/27/2009 5:34:28 PM | | I thnk its fundamentally wrong that so many parents use kids as a weapon to get back at partners. In the long run it will ALWAYS bite you in the back when the child grows up and works out for themself whats going on. | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/27/2009 7:19:49 PM | I know its not really to do with your problem but just wanted to add it to maybe hopfully lift your mood...
a bloke I know just recieved a 4k rebate from the CSA because they had been taking his payment for the past 10 months when they shouldnt have been.
I said you should have gotten onto them about the interest you should have been earning on it and got that back too! | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/28/2009 2:06:03 PM | | If you paid what you ort to pay you wouldnt have a large bill,we have been paying!!!greedySHELFISH man | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/28/2009 7:41:22 PM | Its not that simple.
The CSA take it whether you like it or not, it doesnt matter who you work for or where you work they deduct the money at source so you dont have a say in how much you pay per month. | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/28/2009 8:30:19 PM | | I thought the CSA could only follow you up if your ex has put your name on a form at some point to make a claim. I know this is naughty but I told the CSA a load of porkies rather than give my sons fathers name. The state did help me out in the beginning but I've paid it back tenfold and with neither financial or emotional assistance from the sperm donor - well that's what he may as well be called! | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/29/2009 9:01:34 AM | The csa completely confuse me, my husband died back in 94, i claimed benefits for 3 months and that is the only time i have made a claim, yet i had a letter from the csa last year saying i needed to provide information where my husband was so they could chase payments for support or i would have to pay back the benefits i claimed for 3 months!
When i called them they said it was a mistake their end and apologised but how did they choose to contact me after all this time trying to claim money of a dead man just because i claimed benefits for 3 months! i have since had two more letters saying the same which i just ignore.
They should spend their time working on real cases! | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/29/2009 10:17:49 AM | Since my wife had an affair last year i've not seen my two daughters. However, I have tried to give her money toward the girls but she has refused it! Obviously she knows that she is better of claiming benefits than to claim from me. Nevertheless, I have told the CSA who in turn have told me that it's my wife (soon to be ex) who needs to make the claim.
Clearly my wife isn't about to spend time and effort going through the CSA when she has all the money she needs from benefits.....I CANT WIN!! | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/30/2009 4:04:24 PM | ^^^ so look at how the CSA should be calculating your payments and put that amount in a savings account each month. Then you won't get any nasty suprises down the line - simple innit?
If you were married then why have you left it this long to fill in the court forms and apply for residency/access/visitation? Court clerks will give you the forms - you have equal parental responsibility. If skint you can represent yourself in Family court.
Have you attended school parents meetings/the doctors/dentists on behalf of your kids. Legally she can't make educational or medical descisions without your say so as an EQUAL parent. If you don't act fast the authorities will think you don't care 2009 is almost done. Sheesh!
Now back to the topic lol! The CSA are as bizarre as the tax credit system - utterly unfit for purpose. That's if said purpose is to benefit kids ? I wonder.
I get nought for my lad via them and probably never will. When my son is 18 he'll be able to sue the government for the deprived childhood he's had caused by their incompetence.  (laugh not as some of the first batch of 18 year olds have done this and used the money to pay for Uni/first house deposits - it's what drove them to the last set of changes to the system) | |
|
| CSA Have Reared Their Ugly Head
Posted: 10/30/2009 5:17:58 PM | there is something about this system that I do not understand. Say you have a couple who are not living togethee, lets say for the sake of argument that the mother is on income support and the father is working. According to JobCentre Plus (I asked them today) if the parents are not living together the fathers income will not affect the mother's claim for benefit.
Now say the parents have a loose agreement that he pays £20 per week to the mother and she declares this to Job Centre Plus...is this money then taken from her income support? or is it not enough to affect the amount of benefit she recieves? and does this at some point have to be declared to the CSA? Does anyone have any clue? | |
|
Home
login 
