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Website to 'shame' absent parents | Website to 'shame' absent parents |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Ministers are planning to publish on the internet the names of absent parents who refuse to pay maintenance for their children. | Ministers are planning to publish on the internet the names of absent parents who refuse to pay maintenance for their children. |
The move, aimed at shaming parents into paying up what they owe, has already been tried in the US. | The move, aimed at shaming parents into paying up what they owe, has already been tried in the US. |
It is due to be among measures in a White Paper later this week outlining reforms to the maintenance system. | |
Critics say the new measures could cause hostility between partners at a difficult time in their relationship. | |
The White Paper will include details of the smaller body which is to replace the troubled Child Support Agency, which has been dogged by problems and is owed £3.5bn. | |
HAVE YOUR SAY If this were to be implemented I suspect, like ASBOs, they will be worn as a badge of honour Andrew, Devon Send us your comments | |
It will also list new enforcement powers aimed at the 30% of absent parents the agency been unable to track down. | |
The website could be up and running within months as legislation is not needed to get it online. | The website could be up and running within months as legislation is not needed to get it online. |
Other proposals are expected to include removing passports from absent parents who do not pay up, and imposing curfews and electronic tagging. | Other proposals are expected to include removing passports from absent parents who do not pay up, and imposing curfews and electronic tagging. |
Nick Woodall of the Centre for Separated Families, a support group for families going through separation, said the government "unwittingly contributed" to conflict between parents. | |
He told BBC Radio Five Live: "It seems like it's just another attempt by the government to sound tough on parents, when really what it should be doing is creating services to help them." | |
'Incredibly angry' | |
But Janet Allbeson from the charity One Parent Families said lone parents were desperate for the government to "put some welly" into the collection of unpaid maintenance. | |
"We talk to lone parents all the time and they are desperate for the (Child Support Agency) to really take strong action against non-resident parents, to make sure they pay. | |
"And they're incredibly angry that people who don't pay child support, really, they've been treated a bit too lightly." | |
On Saturday it emerged that the CSA had been increasingly using private companies to collect unpaid money, which had so far enabled it to recover about £320,000 which it would not otherwise have recovered. | |
However, some campaigners fear that more than £1bn owed to parents will be written off when the agency is replaced. | However, some campaigners fear that more than £1bn owed to parents will be written off when the agency is replaced. |