Fife charity's report looks at child maintenance during cost-of-living crisis

The “Child Maintenance During a Cost-of-Living Crisis: A System of Support?” report has been produced thanks to collaboration between Glenrothes-based charity Fife Gingerbread and the Poverty Alliance.

The report sought to create a “critical snapshot of parent’s experiences, and it provided five thematic recommendations for how better to address the current issues in the system.

It recommended that the advice and information provided should be “person-centred”. The calculation process should be improved by focusing on “income adequacy”, the level of income required to maintain a conventional standard of living, with alternative sources of support for those who are not receiving Child Maintenance.

It also said that the £20 charge to access CMS should be removed in order to help low-income households. It recommends that a “trauma-informed approach” should be embedded within the CMS in order to improve experiences. Lastly, it says a focus on compliance should be required for all types of arrangements.

The report comes after a year of research conducted by Fife Gingerbread and the Poverty Alliance which involved surveys of 270 parents and interviews with four parents. A total of 25 practitioners also took part in a reflective discussion.

The report has been released as Fife Gingerbread celebrates 10 years of the “Making it Work” project. The project provides one-to-one support, family learning activities and help to find employment.

Speaking during the launch of the report Laura Millar, strategic manager at Fife Gingerbread, said: “Child Maintenance is a system that requires transformational change in order to work for families all over the UK”.

A recent visit to the charity by local MP Peter Grant, alongside fellow MPs Amy Callaghan and David Linden, saw the charity praised for the work they have undertaken. Ms Callaghan and Mr Linden are both members of the SNP’s Social Justice team.

Ms Callaghan said, “We’ve learnt that the Child Maintenance Service doesn’t have children at its heart and that comes from a lack of willingness from the UK Government to tackle child poverty.”

Representatives from Fife Gingerbread and Poverty Alliance have also recently spoken at the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) on child maintenance in Westminster.

Mr Grant said, “Well done to Laura and all the team at Fife Gingerbread and The Poverty Alliance on the launch of their research report. A power of work has been done on this and I’m grateful to have been able to offer my support and meet with Laura. Congratulations on 10 years of the ‘Making it Work’ project too. I hope all those who attended the celebration at Oswald House in Kirkcaldy had a well-deserved good time. I look forward to supporting the good work of Fife Gingerbread for the remainder of my term.”

Fife Gingerbread will shortly launch a new project titled Family Approach, which will help families maximise their income, build confidence and overcome barriers to secure and maintain “sustainable education, training or employment”.