What is child support meant to cover?

daisiegg

If the non resident parent is paying a correct amount of child support (I.e. equal to or more than the CSA would make them pay), what should this cover?

What other costs/expenses should the NRP be expected to cover on top of monthly child support? I mean apart from gifts to the child, and costs associated with the weekends and weeks that the child stays with him/her.

fluffnutter

If the support is the correct amount, why should the NRP be expected to cover any additional expenses?

It doesn't make sense really. If further money is expected then that suggests that the support is inadequate. Having said that, the CSA's figures are no doubt fairly arbitrary. At the end of the day, if parents can act like grown ups and discuss their child's needs sensibly then they'll be able to come to an agreement that suits everyone.

marisco_2

Personally I think maintenance should go towards providing a warm, comfy home for the child. They should be able to eat well and dress in nice clothes. Depending on the financial circumstances of the pwc some of the maintenance money may have to go towards basic living costs such as meeting utility bill costs.

In an ideal world it would also help to go towards allowing the child to attend clubs and do hobbies.

FBaby

I think it very much depends on the actual amount. If the nrp us paying £500 a month I would expect to cover everything. If he us only paying £50 it might be another matter and wouldn't be unreasonable to expect he would help with the cost of a school trip for example.

fluffnutter

I should imagine that unexpected one-off expenses such as a school trip would be something that parents would need to agree on as and when the situation arose. I can't imagine many PWC being able to afford the hundreds of pounds these trips cost without some additional support from the NRP. That's if he/she can afford it!

Edit: FBaby just mentioned school trips too.

CH27

It depends on how much they are paying & what they are asking extra for
School trips can be very expensive & may need the cost sharing.

Gigglepig

The CSA payment is the legal minimum.

My personal opinion is that parents should try to provide the best possible for their children, not the minimum.

Examples of non-essential things that may benefit the child: private education, tutoring, sports or music classes or equipment, holidays...

cazziebo

Gigglepig wrote: »

The CSA payment is the legal minimum.

My personal opinion is that parents should try to provide the best possible for their children, not the minimum.

Examples of non-essential things that may benefit the child: private education, tutoring, sports or music classes or equipment, holidays...

Agree with this!

When you factor in sharing the cost of childcare, there isn't much left for essentials never mind the non-essentials from maintenance payments.

Too many NRPs (to be brutally honest, new partners of NRPs) think that the maintenance amount is frittered away by PWCs on bottles of wine and getting nails done. In so many cases, if the NRP was still part of the family unit, NRPs would be paying far more than the set maintenance for their children. Children are expensive.

downsizer3

Well I don't get a bean from ex but if I did - it would be spent on food, clothing, activities and anything else my daughter needs - including a contribution to their living accomodation and expenses.
It always amazes me how a NRP can quickly forget the various outgoings and how they mount up. I don't grudge a penny of it - but its tough on your own.

daska

It's to help cover basics such as accommodation, food, heating. If there's anything left over (remember some people get £5/week or less) then it presumably can cover other things. What NRPs often forget is that if it is only spent on things that are specific luxuries for the child e.g. toys, private schooling, days out etc (which is what DS1's dad tried to insist on, even to the point of trying to reduce payments when he found that the school fees weren't as much as he was paying in maintenance!) there might not be enough left to feed the leccy meter.

ankspon

The CSA are bast###s