how long does it take for csa complaints department to deal with my case

dizzydusty

Caroline, My experience is this...

You need to complain, and exhaust the CSA complaints procedure (this took three complaint letters from myself and three replies - the procedure is stated on the CSA website). The CSA have to write to you stating that they have concluded the complaint (or words to that effect) - in other words they can't answer any more of your questions! Then you can go to the Independent Case Examiner with your complaint. In your case I would say that your complaint is that they have miss handled your case, never contacted your ex partner, closed the case down without proper authority. Have a look on the ICE website it will give you more info.

ICE will then have to look at all your paperwork from the CSA and establish whether or not they were negligent in the handling of your case. I found them very good and great at keeping me updated, but be patient, it will take them time to go through all of the paperwork thouroughly.

Once I got the ICE decision stating maladministration had been established, I applied for retrospective payment of my maintenance. I only got to do this as my ex had been paying regularly towards his arrears - my daughter was now too old to get maintenance awarded for her. I belive the timescale for 'regular' is 6 months although the CSA did say to me 3 months would do.

The CSA caseworker who had been given my case because of the ICE complaint, worked out what advance I was due, it was he who decided that my case hadn't been handled properly from very near the beginning, his decision was cross checked and they wrote to me with the amount. If you do get an award interest will be payable from the date the original award should have been paid and accrues untill the CSA make you an actual payment. In my case I got £4K in interest alone!

I would also suggest you apply for your files under the Data Protection Act, this would allow you to see for yourself what is held on their systems for you and what action if any has been taken on your case. They will black out anything to do with your ex though as they shouldn't give you information on a third party.

Best of luck.

Dizzy

Debicj

I have a similar problem with the CSA. To cut a long story short, I requested a review due to change of circumstances of the NRP and it took the CSA 5 years (and a lot of prompting from me) to do it. This meant that I lost out on approx. £7000 of maintenance payments during that time.

I am now trying to get some form of compensation because the CSA have admitted they were at fault and I have proof of my original request all those years ago. So far the CSA have paid me £25!!!! What an insult.

I am going through the complaints process and anticipate that ICE will be involved in due course.

My advice is 'don't give up'. If you know you are right then keep on. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with such mistakes.

caroline1970_2

I would like to thank all on this site as it is just amazing how many people are somehow going through the same thing no wonder people are struggling
My case is still clerical and although my payments have not yet started to be paid to me i have been advisd they will be sorting out the payments soon and only still the arrears from august they can look at since child maintanance sent it clerical to cannock or something like that in scotland
I have been advised that until payments are set up with the clerical team i can not actually go for mismanangement until the absent parent has been paying for 3 months . i understand but the pain and suffering i have gone through the phone calls i have made and the reception alot of the time been passed from pillow to post has made`me`wonder if the prvious arrears from years before where it was cjild maintanance fault will ever be rectified i feel uncertain to say the least.
Everyone on this site is in the saame predicament and if this site wasnt here the advice would be missed for people like me
A MASSIVE THANKYOU

borders_dude

Debicj wrote: »

My advice is 'don't give up'. If you know you are right then keep on. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with such mistakes.

That is good advice when it comes to the CSA and their regular maladministration.

kelloggs36

No they shouldn't - always ask for a special payment in recompense for their errors - in all I got about £500 in bits and pieces for their errors - and I was staff!!!!!!! We suffer just as much you know!

MarsdenCuckoo

Luckily all behind me now but had a long and very involved relationship with the CSA (from both sides - my OH was an absent parent and I was a parent with care so you'd think we would have the 'best of both worlds'! WRONG!!!)

With hindsight, the CSA (and your MP) take the easiest route. Involving your MP may initially spur the CSA into action but, unless your MP is better than mine was, ultimately the MP complicates matters because either they don't care enough or can't be bothered (don't have the time?) to 'gen' up on the CSA rules and regs. Once involved, all communication goes via your MP - the CSA may tell you one thing but your MP may interpret it as another and, in some cases, your MP can actually agree something on your behalf because they've misunderstood the situation!!! :eek: Generally, my experience was that you end up dealing with the 'office help' and it just tends to delay things.

Good luck to anyone dealing with child maintenance; best advice is to try and come to your own deal direct (pull the heart strings if it helps) and not bother involving the 'toothless tiger' (or your MP).

Debicj

Just an update and maybe to give a bit of hope to those of you still trying to get compensation.

I had a lovely telephone call yesterday from a complaints officer who has sorted out my case. He told me that I was correct and that the CSA failed to send out relevant forms etc. resulting in me losing maintenance. To cut a long story short, I will soon be receiving almost £1500 from the CSA! This is the combined total of 'lost' maintenance and interest. No compensation as such, as I should have received this money years ago, but I am so pleased to be getting this when I had thought it was lost. All I have to do now is wait for the cheque.

So don't give up. Keep on at them if you know you have a case to answer.

hex2

Debicj wrote: »

Just an update and maybe to give a bit of hope to those of you still trying to get compensation.

I had a lovely telephone call yesterday from a complaints officer who has sorted out my case. He told me that I was correct and that the CSA failed to send out relevant forms etc. resulting in me losing maintenance. To cut a long story short, I will soon be receiving almost £1500 from the CSA! This is the combined total of 'lost' maintenance and interest. No compensation as such, as I should have received this money years ago, but I am so pleased to be getting this when I had thought it was lost. All I have to do now is wait for the cheque.

So don't give up. Keep on at them if you know you have a case to answer.

Thanks for this. You have given me some hope in similar circumstances - a years lost maintenance worth c£4k. Now on a second stage complaint sent in August, so now well past their time limits but ICE will do nothing until they confirm the complaint as closed :rolleyes:.

caroline1970_2

Hi there again its caroline i am still getting used to posting messages i have updates on my case with the child support team i went through the complaints department and was then put clerical in cannock that was all assesses with my absent parent of my three children and was assesses how much he would be paying my x told me he would not pay and had no intention paying and would quit rather than pay me forty pounds a week for the kids the arrears were only assesed from the time it went clerical at cannock and was assesed at 661.00 from august when they took the case on i was then told they had contacted my absent parent my x and that they had also got pay details etc then just as it was all getting sorted out they had information from him that he had gone on sick pay so i was only entitled to 5.00 a week and still it hasnt been sorted thats the latest i have heard so i still have had no money paid to me although it was all assesed i can understand if it was genuine but if he hadnt told me that he would do this i would have been more understanding what will now happen to all the other arrears from previous years as they needed to sort out the current situation from august with cannock and get payments coming through before the arrears froim the last years could be considered for assesment i feel like i have had the runaround again and am i ever going to get what is due has anyone got any answers for me i have gone through the complaints department as i have previously stated in the forum but am now at a standstill again what am i entitled to now does anyone have any good sound advice i could use it i have had no payments i was so close to getting this sorted then this happened what is the procedure now i will go through .....this site has offered me very good advice in the past can anyone advice me of any now if my childrens father does start paying five pounds a week will i be entitled to getting all the arrears of csa in one payment and what do i do i am pulling my hair out again after months of pushing from here to there in getting things sorted and then back to square one aaaaahhhhh thanks i would appreciate sound advice please

moneysavermum_2

So so fed up with the csa. I have had a calculation done, ex is a policeman (still single no kids) i am parent with care 3 kids 10,8,3. To date i have received £83 plus £3 arrears. I have had a calculation done which states i should have been getting £116 a week from october 2008 and £120 a week from june 2009. I am still getting £83 a week despite the accrueing arrears. Just want to cry cos i keep telephoning them and it just doesnt snowball...my case just stands still and never gathers momentum in order to colect monies. My ex is a horrible, evil man and lies and cheats to save him money, he no longer sees the children. I give up ever geting the right amount of csa.