A new consultation has launched this week seeking views on proposed legislative changes to speed up enforcement of child maintenance arrears, reducing the time it takes from almost six months to six to eight weeks.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will be able to use an administrative liability order to recover unpaid child maintenance instead of applying to the courts and facing a lengthy wait.
The CMS helps around 930,000 children get the financial support they are entitled to and between June 2022-2023 arranged £1.2 billion on their behalf. Overall, child maintenance payments help to keep 160,000 children out of poverty each year.
The consultation is open to voluntary and community sector organisations, as well as CMS customers and members of the public. It applies to England, Wales and Scotland, although comments are welcomed from across the United Kingdom.
The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 24 November.
Find out more and access the consultation
