CSA

Having said that, I don't mind making a fuss of others on thier Birthdays. I know, what am I like eh !!. Same goes for Christmas, I hate all the fuss about it. I think people just go to much over board on these occasions.

Now that I'm finaly getting my financies sorted out. This, after Glasgow City Council finaly granted 100% disregard for War Pensions, and I get housing benefit. I have been able to have a few quid in my pocket at the end of the month. As we all know, our Government doesn't like anyone to have a ny soare cash in their pockets.

So, low and behold. I get contacted by the one and only Child Support Agency (CSA). Let me say right from the start, that I am all in favour for absent parents paying child support. I have paid child supportfor 14 years, on and off. The off times have been when the parent with care has had a full time job, and hasn't been a drain on Government monies.

Would you believe that by sheer coincidence (NOT). I apparently have to pay the exact same amount of child support that I have just saved from getting housing benefit. I also find it no coincidence that this assessment comes along just before some of the CSA rules are about to change in October.

If anyone has had any dealings with the CSA ?. Then you will know that it is infact, not there to support the children involved. Despite what the public at general believe. It is actually there to save the Government money. This is done by forcing all paretns with care, that are on any benefit to use the CSA. This changes in October of this year.

So, the CSA chases down the easy people to get at. They then burst into their lives and ruin it. I know this all too well myself. Because a few years ago (when I was working), the CSA caused me to go bankrupt. They took so much money off me, that despite working over 70 hours per week. After payng bills etc; I was left with £20.00 to live on for the week. I was married at the time. So, as you can imagine, this didn't go down too well. This also caused me to have a mental breakdown, leading to me having to give up work. Inturn, this lead to end of my marriage.  Well done the CSA !!!

Now let me go back to how the CSA work. As I mentioned, they force parents with care, who are on benefits to use them. If they don't use the CSA, then they have their benefits cut. These are also the cases that the CSA pursue the most. The reason for this, is that when they get the child support money, only £10.00 of it goes to the parent with care. The rest of it goes to the Government, to pay for which ever benefit the parent with care is on. Now, I ask you, how is that support for a child ?.

There are two different payment scales for the CSA. The old Scheme, and the new scheme. The old sheme offers the Government more money. That's why not many people are on it. On the other hand, the new scheme, means that parents without care don't have to pay so much. For instance, in my case which just so happens to the old scheme. I pay 10 times !!!, the amount I would with the new scheme

So, for instance. If I was paying over £120.00 per week, for one child. Only £10.00 was going to my ex, and £110.00 was going the treasury. How on Earth can they be allowed to get away with this ?. Simple, they make it law, they make it an offence not to pay it, they make all the rules to suit the CSA.

As a parent without care, you have no rights what so ever. You can have your bank accounts frozen, your passport, driving licence taken from you, you could even face a prison term. If you don't co-operate with the CSA in handing your money over to them.

What happens if you believe the child in question is not yours ?. Well nothing good I can tell you that. As I mentioned before, the CSA have all the rules, and law on thier side. If you make the mistakew of having your name on the Birth certificate (you didn't have any doubts then, did you). The you are well and truely up a creek when it comes the CSA. They put the burden of proof on you. How can you prove this when you don't even know where your former partner lives. The CSA won't help you out on that. Your ex won't help you out on it ether. Why would they, when it could mean loosing benefits.

So, it looks like they are going to try and bury me again. I think I must just let them this time. They can take my money from my cold dead hands. Don't be fold people. The Child Suppost Agency, has nothing to with support for a child. It's financial support for the Government. They raised  1.4 Billion pounds last year, for the Government. Think about that folks, 1.4 Billion pounds raised for our Government form absent parents. That means we saved them that amount on paying out benefits.

Why not make child support easy. The Government has put a price on raising a child. It's called child benefit, why not make absent parents pay the child benefit for their children ?. They won't do that, and here's why. It would mean the Government would earn as much money from it. Simple as that.

The Government place the amount of £18.80 a week for your oldest child, and £12.55 a week for each of your other children. Now, wouldn't that stop all the heart ache, trouble, miserry that the CSA causes. Everytime they crush some poor unfortunate, and screw them for every penny they have.