The Child Maintenance Service and the New Rules: A Guide for Family Lawyers
The CMS is the new name for the CSA or CMEC, but it is essentially the same organisation administered by the DWP.
The new rules were enacted by the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 but did not come into force until the passing of the Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regs 2012 and are therefore referred to as either the 2008 or the 2012 Scheme. They now apply to all new cases opened after 25.11.13.
The 2008/2012 Scheme retains much of the previous 2000/2003 Scheme (eg maintenance is based solely on the paying parent’s income), but some significant changes have taken place, which family lawyers should bear in mind.
Download Barrister George Coates guide to the new rules here: CMS for Family Lawyers
