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Could do better

16 March 2007 / Kim Fellowes
Issue: 7264 / Categories: Features , Child law , Family , Ancillary relief
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Kim Fellowes discusses common problems in the child support system and offers some practical solutions

The process of recovering unpaid child support is here to stay, in one form or another. The two current systems introduced under the Child Support Act 1991 (CSA 1991) and the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 (CSPSSA 2000) will continue until the new organisation, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (C-MEC) replaces the Child Support Agency (CSA). The anticipated final transition of existing cases to C-MEC is not until 2013. As such, family lawyers ignore at their peril child support issues that arise in respect of their caseload.

The assessment stage

In child support cases, the financial disclosure requested from a non-resident parent (NRP) is wholly inadequate, compared with the full and frank disclosure provided in the court process. There is an additional problem as the disclosure provided by one party is not provided to the other, which means the parent with care (PWC) has little opportunity to ascertain if the information used by

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

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Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

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One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
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Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
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