I'm getting so angry with the CSA - please help

izzybusy23

Hi there; beware, rant coming up

Quick background. Been separated nearly a year; contacted CSA in March 2010; schedule all set up and ex paying schedule no problem. Come June he said he would pay me direct so that I would get money quicker (as wasn't getting til 27th from CSA) so I stupidly agreed. He then started mucking me about threatening not to pay it one month, paying it late etc; so I contacted CSA in August 2010 again to go back through them but due to him cancelling DD it had gone part clerical so they needed him to make a card payment which he refused to do without being re-assssed. Anyway, he then started to pay me regular again but I still asked the CSA to get him to pay through them. Heard nothing. Come January, he fell out with me after asking me to take him back but failing to tell me he had made the woman he left me for pregnant, so I said no and he has said I am not getting child support yet again. I phoned CSA on 31.01.11 to say why were they still not taking the money from him; no answer could be given but the woman on the phone was highly embarassed that I had asked this to be done from August and it hadn't been actioned and said she would forward my complaint on to the person dealing with the case; who would phone me back within 48 hours. No phone call. I have waited to see if ex has paid it to me direct, but he hasn't so I need to kick the CSA in to touch to get this sorted ASAP.. I have just left a message on the woman's answering machine who is dealing with the case to say if its not sorted then I will be contacting my MP. Will this help any, getting MP involved; because I am sick of phoning CSA about getting a DEO from his wages and them saying 'but he have to give him a chance to voluntarily pay'.. which he isn't doing so how can I get them to enforce a DEO??? I thought the CSA were there to support the child; not the maintenance dodging fathers!

Many thanks

mrsspendalot

In my experience, yes getting your MP involved will help. I have been waiting for a proper assessment and payments since May 2010. The CSA sat on information for 3 months without acting on it, and in that time ex lost his job so no enforcement could be carried out. He is now working again, but still they said dithered with an assessment. I put in a formal complaint (I got the name and address off the NACSA website) and told them in the letter I was forwarding a copy to my MP as I was too frustrated with dealing with this alone. I emailed my MP a brief explanation, begged for their help, and attached a copy of the letter I had sent to CSA Complaints.

Within 3 working days I had an email off my MP saying they had contacted CSA on my behalf asking for a full review of my case, and a phone call from the CSA Complaints team apologising for the delay and promising action. The lady has been in touch with me a couple of times since, keeping me bang up to date with my case, and I am to expect my first payment in a year next week. They have given him one chance to pay, and if he doesn't it is straight to deduction from earnings.

I would advise you to follow the same course of action - it seems mentioning your MP (and I mentioned mine by name) seems to put a rocket up their behinds. Good luck!!!

PlayingHardball

Yes same thing with me once I got MP involved. Believe me, I know how frustrating it is when nobody at the CSA listens to you!!! I'd been reduced to tears whilst talking to one of them on the phone one day, its not good.

Write to CSA straight away and do what mrsS says above. copy MP, etc. Also.....demand the CSA provide you with maladministration compensation. This will be between £50 - £150. I got £100 twice. I'm not bragging, the first time it was offered (as soon as the MP got involved, funny enough) and the second time it was just shameful of how the CSA had behaved so I 'suggested' they needed to admit sever maladministration and cough up compensation.

Still, it doesn't make up for not receiving any child support and for them not doing a proper job in the first place!

Good luck. Perservere

Diamond78

Yes I agree, get your MP involved. I did two years ago when I first applied to the CSA. My ex already had a case with the CSA for his other child, yet they still couldn't get payments from him and he was being difficult. Once the MP got involved, within a few months, my son started getting his payments.

Since June last year, my son has not had any payments from the CSA due to NRP changing jobs, but CSA failed to act on my case and have admitted they failed their duty. I contacted the independent case examiner, as advised on here as I put in a complaint. My MP was already dealing with a complaint I had against my sons school as he was being bullied, hence why I have not had my MP involved this time round.

I was told I would be awarded a consolatory payment but then this was declined in writing and now they have told me that due to NRP requesting lower payments, his payments he will start making will be reduced. So not only does he get away with dodging the CSA, he gets his payments reduced.

Crazy I know, it is hard. I have got upset many times but oneday I will have a job that pays me well enough and then I will tell them to shove it. Don'y give up, write your letters and keep copies, call once a week and email them also. If that all fails, put in a complaint. Good luck

PlayingHardball

Diamond, I hope you get that well paid job one day, AND get the money that is due to your son as well! Don't give up, its the principal of it all. Who the heck do these fathers think they are turning their backs on their kids financially, only too happy to drop us in it!

Since my ex stopped paying 32 months ago, I've had 2 promotions but there is no way I'll back down and let him off scot free. Hopefully, he'll be made to pay up and my hope is that it'll be at a time when my daughter needs help with uni fees.

save_up_ya_pennies

Hi guys I am also so very angry with the CSA I have been fighting my DS Dad for appx 5 years now there was a very small period where I used to get a payment via his employment. However that stopped quickly he now owes me thousands, without boring you too much there has been a commital to prision thing for him for over a year now. He currently hides in his Mother's house has no bank accounts or belongings, however he does work..... self employeed I am have given the CSA his reg plate but still nothing. I have phoned today and the baliffs have returned the warrant or something.... meaning they sit back and wait for him to get a bank account or something :mad:
I am so mad because I could walk round the corner to his Mums at various times and find him. Any way I want to take this further and Im guessing my MP is the next best thing I can do???
What kind of things did you put in the letter? how much detail did you put in? my case is so massive I have given up taking notes of dates etc etc
Please help Im going out of my mind fighting him and the CSA

PlayingHardball

Hiya, I wonder if you would benefit from talking to NACSA? If you write to your MP, just make your letter as brief as possible, just highlight the errors made by the CSA which has prevented you from getting child maintenance. (Although, it sounds to me like your ex is doing a good job of avoiding them, and possibly nothing the CSA can do further) I'm wondering if an application for a variation based on the ex deliberately scheming(I think its a deprivation variation, can't be sure though, but worth asking NACSA)

save_up_ya_pennies

PlayingHardball wrote: »

Hiya, I wonder if you would benefit from talking to NACSA? If you write to your MP, just make your letter as brief as possible, just highlight the errors made by the CSA which has prevented you from getting child maintenance. (Although, it sounds to me like your ex is doing a good job of avoiding them, and possibly nothing the CSA can do further) I'm wondering if an application for a variation based on the ex deliberately scheming(I think its a deprivation variation, can't be sure though, but worth asking NACSA)

Thank you so much for this Im going to get on to it right away Ive never really know where to turn
You are so right he is doing the very best he can not to pay. At times I feel like just giving up with the whole idea that my DS will ever get a penny from him. I guess I will give this one last shot though - thank you

mirrorimage0

csa are rubbish, i contacted them 11 yrs ago wit my ex name, place of livng and work details, (although he ha moved arund a lot since then) and quite a few times i have upated them but have never had a penny(and to be honest i dont bloody want his money ) just every now and again i think why shouldnt he pay. hope you get what you want.x

jemtom

i contacted them last year in june time and still he has not paid, although he has not seen ds since july and i never even thought about getting money off him, in december he got himself a solicitor and now going to the contact centre (again) so i have just rang csa and asked about getting maintenance and they are going to try and track him down. im the same as you mirrorimage i dont want anything off my ex but its for ds and if i do manage to get anything i will open him up a savings account for the money. i can just see him sitting in the pub bragging about how he pays no maintenance. i just hope csa do more this time last time they were rubbish full of broken promises, "we will take the money directly out of his wages" never happened. "we will take him through court" never happened.

izzybusy23

Surely as some of us have obviously had similar problems with the CSA, there has to be a point where the CSA have to be made to deal with the task in hand and get the money out of these fathers. They can't just sit back and say 'oh well, we have to give them a chance to pay' or ' he disappeared so we have to wait for him to come back in to the system'. Its a joke! The USA put wanted posters up for men evading child support; its really hot topic out there. Here the UK set up departments for low income families with children to help them out, balls it up then snatch the money back (tax credits) and another put in place to get child maintenance but seem intent on helping the !!!!less fathers rather than the mothers and children who need the money.

I heard back from my 'case worker'. Apparently she needs to know how much ex has paid me direct, then they will deduct that off his arrears and send out a new schedule and have to give him the 'chance' to make a payment voluntarily before going for a DEO.. this she said can be well in to March by which time I would had missed 2 payments. She said 'of course that will be included as arrears'.. yeah ok love, he gets two years to pay off his arrears and in the meantime I am £400 down and what am I supposed to do in the meantime when bills need paying. Gggrrrr