Children: Maintenance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of the wellbeing of parents engaged with the Child Maintenance Service, including those experiencing financial hardship and arrears.
Answered by Department for Work and Pensions
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring that it delivers a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all the parents that use it. It recognises that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly at a time of separation.
The CMS takes the interests and safety of its customers very seriously. All colleagues who directly support customers complete mandatory training to help identify and support vulnerable customers.
Caseworkers have access to several tools and procedures to help support customers when they advise they cannot afford to pay child maintenance or are struggling with the cost of living in general and are in financial or emotional crisis. This includes the National District Provision Toolkit and Affordability Hub which provides information to allow caseworkers to signpost to national and local support organisations for debt help and mental health assistance across the UK. Additionally, caseworkers can refer particularly vulnerable customers to the DWP Advanced Customer Support Team.
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