Woolley & Co Dispels Child Maintenance Myths

Oct. 26, 2009 - PRLog -- Arguably, one of the most emotionally challenging aspects as a result of this is how to deal with the children, in addition to the issues surrounding child support. Leading family law firm, Woolley and Co, explains important aspects concerning child maintenance.

The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC), formerly known as the Child Support Agency (CSA), was introduced in the early 1990s. It is a new Non-Departmental Public Body, introduced to take responsibility for the child maintenance system in Great Britain. The change from CSA to CMEC is in place to ensure that parents who are separated or going through divorce understand their responsibilities and take appropriate action to provide financially for their children.

CMEC aims to promote the financial responsibility that parents have for their children, in addition to ensuring the appropriate information, guidance and support on the different child maintenance options is available. Additionally, CMEC aims to provide an efficient statutory maintenance service, with effective enforcement.

The courts no longer have a significant amount of power to deal with maintenance for children. Courts can now only make maintenance orders for children in a limited number of cases, such as where a child is disabled and there are care costs, where a child is in full-time education and there are school fees to pay and even where the other parent lives abroad on a permanent basis.

Once CMEC has made an assessment, there is very little lawyers can do. If the payee or payer think the figure CMEC has decided upon is wrong, CMEC can take action, by hearing a form of informal appeal or by taking the non-payer to Court.

However, CMEC does face some restrictions. For example, the organisation is unable to deal with maintenance issues for children over the age of 17 who are not in full-time secondary school education.

Andrew Woolley, senior partner from the firm which specialises in divorce, family law and child contact and residence on divorce , said, “In the current economic climate, it is increasingly difficult for people to hire lawyers to determine and negotiate child maintenance agreements and plans. Instead, it would be advisable to contact the National Association for Child Support Action (NACSA), which can help parents to address any issues or difficulties that arise while dealing with CMEC.

“If your relationship is breaking down, discussing the impact on children, including issues such as child maintenance, should be at the top of your list, as the earlier a mutual agreement is decided, the easier the process is likely to be.”

The Woolley & Co website contains a wealth of family law resources, including articles and advice sheets, addressing issues such as divorce, financial settlements, the impact of divorce on children and other relevant issues. For more information, visit the website: http://www.family-lawfirm.co.uk.

About Woolley & Co. Solicitors: Woolley & Co. Solicitors are family law specialists, operating throughout the UK. Their web site, http://www.family-lawfirm.co.uk, includes an extensive selection of articles covering every aspect of divorce as well as a free, downloadable in-depth guide to undergoing a divorce and overcoming any unseen complications that may arise. Take a look at the firm’s new Divorce Myths website and you can now also follow the firm on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/woolleyandco.