A parent was left stunned when he checked his bank account and discovered £20,000 had been taken by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). Parents have been hit by eye-watering £20,000 blows from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) thanks to an error.
A parent was left stunned when he checked his bank account and discovered £20,000 had been taken by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). "I was so shocked that I couldn't stop shaking," maths teacher John Hammond told the BBC, explaining he checked his bank account for his wages while in the staff room. "Other teachers could see something was wrong and asked what was the matter."
With two children, aged 25 and 28, Mr Hammond was convinced it was a scam. But more than 30 parents have told the BBC they were also implicated in the mistake.
How the CMS system works
Under DWP CMS rules, it uses a formula to work out how much a parent should pay. If parents cannot arrange payments privately the CMS can take the money from wages, bank accounts, benefits or pensions. It also has the power to recover arrears if parents fall behind with payments.
Mr Hammond's ordeal
Mr Hammond told the BBC how the wrangle began back in 2022, when he received a letter saying he owed £947, but the government did not intend to collect it at the request of his ex-wife. By 2019, Mr Hammond got a letter from the CMS saying he owed almost £19,000. Alarmingly, the DWP said it was "unable to ascertain why" Hammond was told he owed £19,000. "Even when you're proved right it doesn't feel like justice," Mr Hammond says. "It just feels like you've survived it."
Charity calls for reform
Abigail Wood, chief executive at Gingerbread, a charity for single parent families, said it had campaigned for a reform of the CMS as it was "failing parents and children alike". "We welcome the proposed changes, but the DWP needs to go further and faster to ensure a fair and functional system," Ms Wood said.
Michelle Counley from the National Association for Child Support Action (NACSA) says if the CMS worked with both parents together "many disputes could be resolved early, before figures are imposed and enforcement kicks in". She called for "serious investment and a joined-up way of working".
