The UK agency which deals with collecting maintenance for children is usually referred to as the Child Support Agency but this is not strictly correct. The name was changed in 2008 following publicity in the media of the catastrophic failures of the CSA. There was a major reorganisation and the name was changed to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission with new powers and constitution. However most people still refer to the CSA and I shall do so in this article.
The question of maintenance for the children of a failed relationship following separation and divorce can become very emotionally charged. People often think of taking disputes over the maintenance payable by the non-resident parent to the courts but the reality is that since the 1990s the courts are no longer able to deal with maintenance for children.
As always however there can be exceptions to this rule.It is possible for the court to deal with child maintenance in a limited number of instances. These are: