8.The Government’s plans for reform of the current system are set out in the White Paper A new contract for welfare: CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND PARENTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES (Cm 4349) published on 1st July 1999. Proposals were first published in July 1998 in the consultation document CHILDREN FIRST: a new approach to child support (Cm 3992). Over 1500 written responses were received which have informed the current plans.
9.The White Paper identified a number of problems with the current system.
	While the CSA has almost 1.5 million children on its books, only around 300,000 gain financially from child support payments. Of these 300,000, only around 100,000 see the benefit of all the maintenance that is due.
	The complexity of the current formula leads to long delays in assessing liability. This in turn makes it difficult to ensure that child support is paid regularly. Because the assessment process is complex, the CSA has less time to help parents understand what they should pay or to chase up non-payment.
	Families living on Income Support do not gain from the payment of maintenance as their benefit is reduced by an amount equal to the maintenance paid.
10.The key changes proposed in the White Paper to address these issues were:
	simplification of the way in which child support liability is assessed by replacing the current complex assessment formula with a simple percentage of the non-resident parent’s net income;
	the introduction of a child maintenance premium in Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance* that will enable families receiving these benefits to keep up to £10 a week of the maintenance paid for their children. Under current rules, maintenance reduces these benefits pound for pound;
	strengthening the sanctions regime by building on existing powers contained in the current scheme, and introducing new measures, to improve compliance;
	reform of the CSA’s service to its customers by increasing use of the telephone and face-to-face contact, directing a greater proportion of its resources to making sure maintenance is paid on time and sorting out disputes about liability or payment arrangements as soon as possible and, wherever possible, without the need to refer the dispute to an appeal tribunal.
11.Not all of the proposed reforms require primary legislation. For example, the child maintenance premium can be introduced through amendments to the relevant secondary legislation. And, to implement the reforms, substantial changes to the way that the CSA operates will be necessary, including the introduction of new computer systems.
Part 1: Child Support. Background The proposals for reform