Friend's Daughter Doing Open University But Still Paying CS Each Month

55ryan

My mate has 4 kids, 3 are grown up. The mother won't let him see the youngest...This is a son who is now 17 and left FT education and studying via the Open University. My mate is currently paying £405 a month. Should he still be paying anything at all for the son.  The CSA say he has to keep paying until the course ends. Is this correct? Thanks. 

jlfrs01

It depends on these factors:

1: The son may have left school but if he is enrolled on a course with the Open University which is classed as Further Education and not Higher Education then his father must continue to pay child maintenance until his son finishes the course or reaches the age of 20

2: The son must be in education a minimum of 12 hours per week

3:  It matters not if the son isn't living at home or his father doesn't see him

All the details are on the Government Website here: https://www.gov.uk/child-maintenance-service

elsien

It’s also not simply a question of the mother not allowing the child to see him. He is now old enough to make his own mind up.

55ryan

55ryan said:

My mate has 4 kids, 3 are grown up. The mother won't let him see the youngest...This is a son who is now 17 and left FT education and studying via the Open University. My mate is currently paying £405 a month. Should he still be paying anything at all for the son.  The CSA say he has to keep paying until the course ends. Is this correct? Thanks. 

Thanks for that. Very helpful. I'll show them your reply. 

tightauldgit

jlfrs01 said:

It depends on these factors:

1: The son may have left school but if he is enrolled on a course with the Open University which is classed as Further Education and not Higher Education then his father must continue to pay child maintenance until his son finishes the course or reaches the age of 20

2: The son must be in education a minimum of 12 hours per week

3:  It matters not if the son isn't living at home or his father doesn't see him

All the details are on the Government Website here: https://www.gov.uk/child-maintenance-service

Agree with the majority of this but I think it would matter if the child isn't living 'at home' with the mother.  Maybe that's not what you meant but I believed CS is only payable to someone who has responsibility for the day to day care of a child and if the child isn't living with you then you don't?