CMEC - The beginning

After 13 years of errors, criticism, and millions of pounds of taxpayer’s money wasted, Sir David Henshaw was asked by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to produce a redesigned child support system.

A damning report, written by Sir David in July 2006, recommended the Child Support Agency as it stood should cease to exist and a ‘radical’ new system put in place. The report focused on the welfare of the child and to support Government proposals to reduce child poverty - something that the CS Act had painfully failed to achieve.

Government took on board the recommendations stated in the Henshaw report and responded with their proposal for the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC). This commission will work at ‘arms length’ from the Government and will primarily encourage parents to make their own arrangements for child support.

Whilst there are measures within the proposals for CMEC to be welcomed, overall the new system amounts to nothing more than a re-hash of the old system, despite the ‘radical' new approach hyped by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in his media announcement.

Some of new powers of enforcement to be given to the Commission will have far-reaching effects, and will create more harm to families than ever before.  This policy seeks only to shift child poverty from one family to another, and will not address the main problems found within the current and past system of child support.

Subscribers to NACSA have expressed their opinions about CMEC proposals and it is clear that CMEC fails to address the concerns voiced by the public.   Today’s changing family structures demand a more pragmatic approach to child support and we will continue to lobby government and Ministers in an effort to get a fair and acceptable system of child support established.

Organisations such as NACSA can voice the concerns of the public - but for success to be achieved, members of the public need to make their own complaints to their own local MP's.