FNF Newsletter 12th April 2019

Hello Visitor,

Welcome to the first April issue.

In this issue:

With best wishes

Jerry Karlin

Chair and Managing Trustee

Influence Child Maintenance Policy

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.