New research by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has shown that separated parents who agree child maintenance arrangements between themselves are more satisfied with the outcome than couples who have an arrangement enforced upon them by the Child Support Agency (CSA).

According to the survey, over two thirds of parents with a family-based arrangement are happy with their set-up, compared to only a third of CSA clients.

Work and Pensions Minister, Maria Miller, said:

“Collaborative, family-based arrangements would seem to work best for most separated families. That’s why we want every parent who lives apart from their children to have the chance to meet their responsibilities outside of the state service.”

Almost 90% of non-resident parents complied with their own arrangements, compared with just under two thirds of those who had payments assessed and enforced by the CSA. Most parents with family-based arrangements (74%) considered those to be fair, compared to only (42%) whose payments were calculated and enforced by the state system.

Respondent on benefits (88% of whom had no arrangement) and those on incomes of less than £9,000 per annum (37% with no arrangement) were much more likely than other groups to have no child maintenance arrangement at all. The most common reasons given were; not wanting any contact with the other parent, ignorance of their whereabouts or a history of domestic violence.