Press Releases

Respond to Government Consultation on Social Security and Separated Parents
Dealine for submissions is Tuesday 16th April 2019

The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC). is a statutory government agency that advises on complex social security regulations. They are asking organisations and individuals to submit evicence that help them to understand how living standards and well-being are affected by:

• child maintenance
• child benefit
• the legacy benefit system (for example Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit and Working Tax Credit)
• Universal Credit

This is a rare opportunity to help the government to understand what works and what does not with a focus particularly on parents who pay Child Maintenance.- most such investigation tend to look at the 'single parent'.

Whist the work will focus on the issues around benefits, including Universal Credit, it will consider other matters that affect paying parents.

Examples of issues that you may be able to assist with:

• Unaffordable assessments for Child Maintenance
• 20% ‘collect’ system surcharge
• Issues with variations of pay e.g. if self-employed
• Work that does not pay
• Shared parenting not taken into account fairly
• Housing cost issues
• Second family costs
• Travel cost issues
• Assessments that don’t reflect court orders or promote breaking them
• Overturned court agreed maintenance
• etc

Responses should be emailed by 16th April 2019 to ssac.consultation@ssac.gov.uk. See specific questions being asked and further details of the consultation. 

Focus Groups - Thank you to everyone who responded to our call for participants in focus groups on 22nd April 2019.. We will confirm details of those to take part shortly.

What do you think?

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FNF Trustees

The list of desired skills below has been identified by the board to strengthen the skillset held collectively by the Board, and that is appropriate to our national charity. It is not mandatory, however, and a trustee candidate may not have any of the desired skills listed and may have other skills and knowledge that we believe would benefit the Board as well as having the time to commit to the charity.

The legal requirement to become a trustee are that you are not legally barred for holding such a post, you have been correctly proposed and you are willing to hold the post.

Anyone wanting more information should contact the Company Secretary.

The board would welcome interest from people who have the time to participate at least 1-2 days a month as well as offering one or more of the following:

1. Is a partner in a law firm or an experienced family court lawyer.

2. Has a network and close relationships with a celebrity group of contacts who could enhance the FNF profile and standing.

3. Has experience over a number of years of successfully building commercial enterprises from start-up positions to a turnover of £1 million plus.

4. Is a former or current MP or a former senior civil servant acting in a department that deals in family matters, family law, health or education or other relevant areas at a senior level.

5. Has proven experience in public relations, news or media at a national level.

6. Has substantial commercial or larger scale charity marketing or fundraising experience and is a member of the Institute of Marketing or another nationally recognised professional body.

7. Has professional experience and a good track record of Fundraising or of PR and national or high-profile media and communication skills.

8. Has demonstrable experience of successfully lobbying and achieving legislative or social change.

9. Has professional finance and/or governance skills.

Please note that it is not necessary for a Trustee to be a member of FNF – rather that they bring relevant skills and experience and can devote adequate time to the role.

Trustees need to be able to devote a reasonable amount of their free time to helping with the governance and development of the charity. This will involve participating in 6 - 8 evening meetings a year (usually by Skype), attending an Annual General Meeting, also contributing to development of our activities by taking on specific projects in their own time and contributing to the work of sub-committees that focus on the services we offer. This includes fundraising, marketing, campaigning, governance, etc. The role of Trustees is to develop policies and ensure that the charity complies with legal requirements (for more details please see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-essential-trustee-what-you-need-to-know-cc3).

Please note that the Board is open to nomination of potential Trustees at all times, not just at AGMs. The Board can co-opt new Trustee candidates which it feels are suitable on to the Board in between AGMs. This gives additional opportunities for the Board and prospective Trustees to work together pending their confirmation by election at AGMs.

If you are interested, please contact us on admin@fnf.org.uk.

What do you think?

Send us feedback!

Think-tank Identifies the ‘Hidden Parent Poverty Trap’ of Child Maintenance

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) have completed their report into Child Maintenance (CM) under the title 'THE HIDDEN POVERTY TRAP: Child Maintenance and Universal Credit'.

The report identifies many of the issues that we have been campaigning on. Their findings are essentially same as ours - that some of the poorest people are being asked to pay money they do not have and for whom work does not pay.

Their recommendations are:
1. That Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) urgently review the number of people affected if Universal Credit (UC) is rolled out.
2. To avoid the politically sensitive issue of reducing CM to receiving parents, they suggest a complete reform of Child Maintenance on the Australian/Norwegian/US Income Shares Model that takes into account both parent's incomes and cost of living allowances.
3. That UC calculations should include Child Maintenance.

Whist the focus of this work was the interaction of UC and CM, the issues exist under the existing 'legacy' benefits.

The recommended Income Shares Model is at odds with the idea of simplicity of child support and we may wish to thinks further about better ways. If shared care was the norm then it would not matter so much.

Meanwhile, please bring this work to the attention of your MP and ask others to do the same, especially if affected by the 'poverty trap' of the current system. Please ask your MP to raise your experiences with the minister, perhaps suggesting some or all of the points we are calling on the government to do:

1. immediately stop surcharging the poorest and most vulnerable parents who are on state benefits
2. urgently update Chile Maintenance payment thresholds for cost-of-living increases since 1998
3. adjust Universal Credit to take into account Child Maintenance, in-line with CSJ recommendations
4. carry out a wholesale review of Child Maintenance to meet the needs of modern-day families with a particular emphasis on promoting and not undermining shared parenting.

Obviously, the formula is very flawed beyond that, in undermining shared parenting and promoting conflict. However, the affordability issue is the primary one addressed by this report.

What do you think?

Send us feedback!

We need sympathetic listeners who can help callers and guide them to the right support and services

• Becoming a helpline volunteer. You will need to be selected, trained, abide by policy and procedures and accept advice and support. But there is an enormous need for this service and great satisfaction in helping.
  
  

• Become a telephone contact. You will still need to abide by our values and codes, but this is more like the support you might offer at a meeting - another person to whom to talk. Or you may have a special area of expertise such as law or parental alienation. To find out more contact the FNF office.

What do you think?

Send us feedback!

Have your say by attending a Focus Group
Westminster 24th April 2019 6 pm to 7.30 pm

A government agency has commissioned research into living standards and well-being of separated parents, with respect to child maintenance and the benefits system. The study will focus particularly on parents who pay Child Maintenance.

Whist the work will focus on the issues around benefits, including Universal Credit, it will consider other matters that affect paying parents.

Examples of issues that you may be able to assist with:

• Unaffordable assessments for Child Maintenance
• 20% ‘collect’ system surcharge
• Issues with variations of pay e.g. if self-employed
• Work that does not pay
• Shared parenting not taken into account fairly
• Housing cost issues
• Second family costs
• Travel cost issues
• Assessments that don’t reflect court orders or promote breaking them
• Overturned court agreed maintenance
• etc

The research has been commissioned by the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC). They are a statutory body that makes independent recommendations to the government on complex regulations, so this is an opportunity for your voice to be heard.

Please email admin@fnf.org.uk with ‘Child Maintenance’ in the subject heading if you are able and willing to attend this with an outline of your situation and we will confirm details in a couple of weeks’ time.

What do you think?

Send us feedback!