I have received via the CSA nada, zip, zilch, zero, the inside of a Polo mint!

Arright, so here I am with my sorry story...

It all started way back in the good old days of 1998 when I had faith, innocence and trust that a Government agency would "do right" by the kids and collect child maintenance from their Father, who basically was refusing to support them. 10 years later and a divorce that lasted 8 years (!!!!) I have received via the CSA nada, zip, zilch, zero, the inside of a Polo mint. Oh, on second thoughts, that's not strictly true; there have been two massive payments for "inconvenience" totalling £200.

It's been the usual gripe-months to make an asessment, Daddy-o doesn't pay, enforcement by DEO, daddy scarpers to different job. Back on the carousel, then for me. Daddy gets new job, CSA informed, months, months and months pass, 20 different case workers,Joe, Suzie, Ruth, Declan, William, Ciara, Cuthbert....... (been through the alphabet of Civil Servants, me) left hand doesn't know what right one is doing, bruises from being hurled from pillar to post, another DEO. Daddy scarpers once more..wahaaaaaaaaay! Loving the carousel. Not. Back on again. Find out where he's working. Inform the "Division"...guess what....

Scroll forward a few more months and I get another assessment breakdown through my letterbox. Mr X has to pay £0 per week. He has a nil assessment due to his being a full time student. At the age of 40. Well done, Daddy-O! I was beside myself with joy at the thought of finally not having to worry about making ends meet, perhaps the odd treat or short holiday for the kids. No anxiety when school uniform time comes round again. This time I was going to take no prisoners. I tapped away on my keyboard and wrote a particulary poisonous complaint letter to Customer Cervixes. Struck gold when a couple of weeks later a cheque for £100 plops through the letter box. No letter of appology, no hand-wringing for letting their customer down.

OK, so now it's 2007 and I decide that surely Mr Daddy has graduated by now and a valuable contributing member of society and in a moment of boredom Googled his name.....oh boy! He's working and he's self employed and he's advertised himself via a website dedicated to.....wait for it........Fathers who are seeking contact with their children, charging £300 per day to go on courses on how to represent themselves in court from these poor creatures.The sheer irony of it! I nearly sprayed my coffee all over the laptop.

You couldn't see me for friction marks, so quick was I onto the CSA website to notify of COC. Give 'em their dues, I actually got a reply a week later confirming they had received my info and would look into it.

Sooooooooooooooooo, now it's April 2008 and my patience has run out after going round on that old carousel of mine, playing the "guess who your caseworker is going to be today" game. "He owes arrears. He doesn't owe arrears.He's not working. He's working. We can't get hold of him. Can you write to us and give us a breakdown of events to date? Blah, blah, blah. He hasn't complied. We are going to do a DEO" Ok, I asked, a DEO that he's going to do himself from his own self-employed earnings? Now that's novel. Is it new legislation, then?" Sez I.

There then follows weeks and weeks of letter-writing and phone calls getting nowhere except on and off this merry-go-round. I am dizzy.

I am fast becoming cynical and twisted. I am going to end up like one of those old bag ladies patrolling shopping malls, muttering to myself. They are driving me mad. Mad I tell ye!

Had enough, really have this time and get myself onto NACSA and empower myself with knowledge. With me, a little of this is dangerous. I have written to my MP, who though controversial in the area I live in, has been a complete star. There follows a week later a letter of grovelling apology, another cheque for £100 and an assurance that my case will be "robustly managed throughout the criminal compliance procedure" Hmmmm, we'll see. Bottom line is that CSA did not act on my info supplied in 2007 re. COC and did absolutely NOTHING squared until I started to rattle cages in April this year, so I have effectively lost nearly one years possible maintenance. Daddy-o is still ducking and diving and refusing to supply details of his accounts and he owes arrears to the tune of £10,000 from waaaaaaaaaaay back in 1998.

DPA files. Now there's another story. I need them to present to my MP in order to go to either ICE or Ombudsman for compensation for the year long period where they kindly helped my children obtain maintenance by doing nothing. I applied beginning of August and, dear reader, do you think they have arrived yet? I have sent a little reminder letter to them courtesy of the resources on this site. We'll see..... I can feel another complaint letter coming on.

So, the situation to date is that I am waiting for info on the progress (oh, how I laugh) on my case, whether they have slapped Daddy-o in the Clinky for non-compliance, fined him £1000, stopped him driving or whether they think they are going to bombard him into submission by sending him some brown-enveloped letters on a three-weekly basis. Bet he's quaking in his boots. I am waiting for a reply via MP from my latest complaint of maladministration. I am waiting for my DPA files. I am waiting for the £10,000 arrears to be paid. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Bitter and twisted? Me? Not really, I have a sense of humour and a wonderful Hubby to carry me through. Jousting with the CSA has become, I suppose, a little bit of a part-time hobby  If the childrens' natural father does not want to ensure thay they are well-fed and have clothes on their back, then I have a man who does care and who does help to provide. I am a hard-working employed Mum too, so I never have sat back with my hand out. I gave up a good career at the start of all the nonsense of divorce, because my child had special needs and I had no one at home to help look after her, but there's hope. I'm back on my feet and we're ok. I just feel let down and disappointed by a system that was put in place to help children off the breadline. Hope they choke on their canapes!!!

Is there ANY hope?

Love,
TWK

PS. Writing this has been so cathartic, sorry it's been rambling.