The 2006 White Paper laid the foundations for a fresh start with child maintenance. It set out a new approach that would enable parents to make their own arrangements for child maintenance. The changes remove the barriers that have prevented parents from reaching private settlements.The survey commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions found that 26 per cent of parents with children and 52 per cent of non resident parents said they would prefer to make their own arrangements.

The main advantages of making own arrangements mentioned by both all parents were ‘it’s easier’ and ‘you don’t have to deal with the Child Support Agency. Parents with children were most likely to say the main disadvantages were: ‘you can’t rely on other parent to make payments’; ‘you don’t have any contact with other parent’; ‘the other parent refuses to make payments’. For non resident parents the main disadvantages were: ‘you don’t have any contact with other parent’; ‘it’s more convenient to let the CSA arrange payments’.

The survey report is available at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep444.pdf