Child Maintenance

2 homes cost more than 1 to run, you will have less
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, agree to go Dutch!
Child maintenance, like car maintenance, needs a yearly check-up and MoT if it’s to be a ‘nice little runner’

We talk about co-parenting a lot and how important it is for your child to have mum and dad actively involved in their life, even when the parents don’t live together. We say that money is a side issue to this, and that money should NEVER influence how much (or little) you let your ex in to their child’s life. We still believe this, but money’s important too. We all need it, our children need us to have it, and parents sharing the cost of bringing up their child is right and proper. But mark our words you’ll get a lot more out of your ex if you are civil, reasonable, firm and unemotional - think more Simon Cowell (‘I’ll be honest with you..’) and less Gordon Ramsey (*!”?**!!).

In a quest to help you and your ex navigate the ups and downs and come to a way of working together we’ve done some articles and worksheets to encourage you to maybe see things from a different perspective so that Mum and Dad can work towards a fair and realistic agreement.

Child maintenance (ghastly phrase!), and money IS part of the deal and although important, we do separate it from co parenting because so often money can muddy the waters and provide a socking great sticking point so that the other parts of co parenting which are also important get lost and blown off course.

However, as far as money and financial support goes (and we do have lots to say on this subject) we’ve been working with Child Maintenance Options to get the most up to date information about the choices you have, and you can find all of that information in this section.

If you’re wondering who Child Maintenance Options are, they’re a free and impartial information and support service for both parents. They are funded by government and promote all kinds of child maintenance arrangements - not just official CSA ones, but things like private payments or a trade where your ex might take the children on holiday or pay for weekend treats. You can visit their website at www.cmoptions.org or give them a call on 0800 988 0988, or you can take a look at the info they’ve given us in the ‘Your Child Maintenance Options’ article… See articles and worksheets below..