MP’s plea to stop abusers using Child Maintenance Service to cause further harm after separation
Bolton North East MP, Kirith Entwistle, has led a debate in Parliament on the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS).
She used the debate to highlight the serious issue of post-separation abuse and how CMS itself is used as a tool of abuse.
Ms Entwistle called for urgent reforms to protect the best interests of children and to support domestic abuse survivors.
During the debate, which took place in Westminster Hall, Ms Entwistle highlighted research from Gingerbread, a leading charity supporting single-parent families, which found that 77 per cent of primary carers using the CMS reported experiencing domestic abuse from the other parent.
Of those, 45 per cent said that involvement with the CMS had led to an increase in abusive behaviour.
She raised concerns that CMS asks parents about their history with abuse, but this does not change the service they receive, the language used, or the approach taken in navigating the relationship with their ex-partner. People are simply given information about abuse support services.
Examples were raised from Bolton-based domestic abuse charities Fortalice and Endeavour of partners disputing shared care arrangements to improve their financial situation, rather than acting in the best interests of the child.
Abusive ex-partners were also reported to withhold or delay payments, using unpredictability and disruption as a form of control.
Ms Entwistle said: “CMS is supposed to make things easier. It is meant to take the heat out of complex relationships and ensure that children are put first.
"It cannot be right that this system stands by and allows abusers to continue their abuse and control over someone else’s life.
"The use of overnight stays as a financial bargaining chip is simply unacceptable. I appreciate having the opportunity to raise this in Parliament, and I hope that the Government will listen to the voices of survivors and work to reform CMS into a system of genuine support.”
The Bolton North East MP asked the Government for three actions to improve CMS:
A genuinely child-centered approach to maintenance, so that decisions about contact and payments are driven by children’s wellbeing rather than financial incentives.
Disclosures of domestic abuse must trigger meaningful safeguards, not mere signposting or lip service. There must also be clearer evidential standards for shared care, particularly where no court order is in place.
Plus, survivors should have better access to Collect and Pay, alongside a named caseworker, so they are not forced into ongoing contact with perpetrators or required to repeatedly recount traumatic experiences.
In response, Andrew Western MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transformation, thanked Ms Entwistle for bringing this matter to the House and noted the significant interest from MPs said: “The Government recognises that there is more the CMS can do to deliver a fair and trustworthy service, that is more accessible to parents, particularly those who are vulnerable.
"That is why the CMS are continuing to make significant and meaningful improvements to the service, wherever possible, to ensure parents feels informed, supported and confident in the action being taken on their case.”
