Ok. Well its seems the challenge for this evening – courtesy of Rob Newman in comments – is to take a more positive view of the issue of Child Support and suggest workable alternatives to the current system; or at least some sort of proactive approach to solving this problem.
Where do I start?
Well how about with the question “do I support the abolition of the CSA?
I was caught in the trap of making a one off payment. A house with no mortgage in return for complete freedom and an agreed child maintenance fee. The CSA retrospectively changed this so I was due for an ridiculous amount which would leave me in the -ve every week. No thanks. I packed in my job and lived off the social until I went self employed and, boy, did that screw them up. I ended up paying nothing.
In the meantime I still kept the kids in clothes and shoes etc. but the missus got nothing.
The court way was much better. It took your circumstances into consideration and was much fairer. OK. It was easier to fool but where it was perceived to be wrong was it was too lenient and the social was picking up the slack and many just didn’t pay and it wouldn’t do anything.
I’m out of it now but would still recommend the court system with some changes. First to punish those that did not pay without good reason and second to revisit the costs. After all why should the absent parent pay