House of Lords recommends calculation review following consultation with Both Parents Matter
Child Maintenance Reform – A Step Toward Fairness for Both Parents?
Both Parents Matter is pleased to see that the recent House of Lords Committee report on the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) acknowledged many of the concerns we have consistently raised. Through our oral and written evidence, and by helping organise the roundtable of paying parents, we highlighted critical issues facing families across the UK.
The report recognises three major challenges in the current CMS system:
- Affordability: Many paying parents face calculations that are financially unsustainable, making it difficult to maintain a relationship with their children.
- Fundamental flaws in the calculation formula: The current system often fails to account for the income and assets of both parents, creating inequities and unnecessary conflict.
- Disincentives to work: The structure disincentivises paying parents on low incomes to work, undermining both their financial security and their ability to support their children effectively.
The Committee recommended that the government:
- Review splitting child costs between both parents, taking into account the receiving parent’s income and assets.
- Examine disincentives to work in the current calculation.
- Assess the affordability of child maintenance calculations.
- Reconsider proposals to remove Direct Pay, which we have consistently opposed.
Our evidence, reinforced by recent research and tribunal reviews, highlights the emotional and financial toll the current system can place on parents striving to maintain meaningful relationships with their children. Alarmingly, 30% of paying parents report experiencing suicidal thoughts, underscoring the urgent need for reform.
While the report does not propose a new formula yet — this will be the subject of a consultation later this year — we have outlined practical proposals for reform to the CMS Minister. As the consultation progresses, we will continue to campaign to ensure that fair, affordable payments, shared costs for both parents, and real recognition of shared care are central to any reforms.
We welcome the Committee’s recognition of these issues as an encouraging step toward a more balanced and workable child maintenance system — one that truly reflects the responsibilities and realities of both parents. Read the report here: Reforming the Child Maintenance Service.
We also made similar arguments in our written submission to the recent House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee Inquiry and are pleased to see our written submission published – Child Maintenance Service – Written evidence – Committees – UK Parliament.
