Advice please!! ref Child Maintenance / CSA..

SlowMo_2

Hi, new poster here, I hope you can help me out if possible??

My fiance is reaching the end of her tether with regard to her ex partner who is father to their 5 year old.. the basic scenario I have outlined below and I guess we're looking for some advice on where she really stands and what she should consider..

So, the scenario:-

Mum and Dad split approx 2 years ago, when child 3 years old. They were partners, not married. The reason for the split, no need for details but him playing away from home kinda sums it up!

They originally had an informal agreement that he would provide £250 per month. payment was not forthcoming for several months and when it did actually start, he fronted up £200 per month.

Mum works 5 days a week and has the daughter with her full time, except for every other weekend when dad arrives to take daughter to his place on Saturday morn and brings her back on Sunday afternoon.. Thus he has her for 2 nights out of 28.

The issue...

Payment of the £200 per month has been sporadic and often delayed - currently he is two months in arrears.. He cites not having any income from his job as the rationale for this.. he trades on ebay and his feedback on there proves that he is indeed receiving payments as recently as the middle of March!

He is rather brazen about the matter, claiming that he is earning no money and yet on the 2 nights a month he has his daughter she is lavished with costly gifts and fun activities, and yet when mum asks for the agreed sum towards food, clothes etc he claims no money.. When mum suggests she may have to involve the csa he, to a large extent ridicules her and says that she's welcome to involve them as they won't be able to get anything out of him.

What can Mum do to ensure that Dad plays his part in the upkeep of their child?

There are two issues largely.. the emotional issue of Dad being viewed as Mr Wonderful because on the 2 nights a month he has the daughter he is the perfect dad doing all the fun things, whilst Mum gets the other 26 nights of everyday life etc.. working to feed, clothe and house her daughter, and of course there is no way a 5 year old can make sense of the reality here, she just sees dad as great and mum as the one who makes her go to school and puts life's boundaries and rules in the way!

The second issue is the one concerning the money due.. in short - they have an agreement, he sometimes pays, says on most occasions he has no money as not earning (but ebay tells differing story) and is brazen enough to tell her that she's welcome to get the State involved as they have no way of proving what he is earning.

Advice please?!

Pee

It must be very hard for him to get viewed positively, especially when he was not a good boyfriend. That said, it's great that he does have involvement with his daughter and does give her that time. I think girls can often be "daddy's girls", it doesn't mean that she doesn't love her Mum.

If he is trading on Ebay, then it might be hard to get the CSA involved, or it might be hard for them to get anything out of him... It might just stop him making money, so that he doesn't have to pay. It sounds to me like their does need to be someone assisting in the collection of this money - could they just draw up an agreement and would he pay it then, or is there anyone with influence, maybe his mother, who could help at all.