Overview of the Act
The primary purpose of this Act is to provide additional legislative protection for victims of domestic abuse who use the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) by allowing for the collection of child maintenance payments by the Secretary of State or the Department for Communities (DfC) in Northern Ireland on behalf of the Non-Resident Parent (NRP) or the Person with Care (PWC) where the Secretary of State or DfC is satisfied that there is evidence of behaviour of a parent that amounts to domestic abuse against the other parent or children in their household, and that it is appropriate to make the arrangements. The Act provides that regulations will set out the evidence required for the condition to be met.