Two thirds (64%) of single parents on out-of-work benefits do not receive any child maintenance from their child's other parent, although the proportion that do increased from one quarter (24%) to one third (36%) between 2007 and 2012, according to research published by Gingerbread, NatCen and BPSR and funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
The research also shows that child maintenance, where it is paid, plays a key role in lifting children out of poverty; but that some parents are unable to make private arrangements and will continue to depend on the Child Support Agency (CSA), despite government plans to charge them for using the statutory service in future.
The proportion of single parents on benefit who arrange payments privately has increased since the requirement to use the Child Support Agency (CSA) was lifted in 2008 (from 4% to 20%). However, over a third (37%) of single parents on benefit still use the CSA to arrange payments. Just under half (43%) of all single parents on benefit have no arrangement in place.
The research shows that private arrangements for paying maintenance are difficult to sustain over time: although four in ten single parents on benefit had or had tried to have a private arrangement at some point, half had since moved to having a CSA arrangement or no arrangement at all.
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