The Department for Work and Pensions has recently published statistics on child maintenance payments and the work of the Child Support Agency for the three months ending June 2013.
Key facts from the statistics show that at June 2013:
- The Agency was dealing with 1,117,400 cases of which 875,000 cases were operating under 2003 Scheme rules and 242,500 cases under 1993 Scheme rules. The caseload has decreased since September 2008 where it stood at 1,265,200. Part of the reduction from September 2008 to September 2012 can be attributed to the removal of suspended 1993 Scheme cases in January 2010 and the general decline of new applications intake since October 2008, following the removal of the compulsion on parents with care who are claiming benefits to use the CSA.
- 720,300 cases were paying maintenance out of 885,000 cases with a child maintenance liability. This represents a maintenance outcome rate of 81.4% and is an increase from 81.0% at March 2013.
- The proportion of positive maintenance outcomes has increased by 0.4 percentage points from March 2013 when it was 81.0%. It has improved significantly from March 2005, prior to the start of the Operational Improvement Plan when it was 62.9%. This plan was designed to improve performance as well as the service given to clients by increasing the amount of money collected, achieving greater compliance alongside redesigning the child maintenance system.
- 933,100 children were benefiting from maintenance which is up from 921,000 in March 2013. The number of children benefiting from maintenance has increased by 372,000 since March 2005.
- In 95.3% of assessed cases, the non-resident parent is male.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0.
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