Child maintenance, separated families, CMS - a glossary of terms
When looking to successfully navigate a separation or family break-up or divorce, considering the impact on children is essential. It can involve looking at child care arrangements or financial matters.
Sometimes the terminology used can also seen tricky at first glance. You can always ask your family solicitor to explain anything you are uncertain about.
This handy glossary of terms can help make sense of some things you may hear, and what they mean. You can see gov.uk website for more information, see link at the bottom of this page.
A Parent With Care is the parent who has sole or main day-to-day care of any relevant children and who may potentially be eligible to receive child maintenance.
A child maintenance arrangement can be statutory or non-statutory payments. Families which are separated can have more than one type of arrangement. It is an arrangement between you and the other parent of your child. It covers how your child’s living costs will be paid for when one of the parents no longer lives with them. It’s made when you’ve separated from the other parent (or if you’ve never been in a relationship). You can use a solicitor if you want to make your agreement legally binding.
Child maintenance is support to help pay for your children’s everyday living costs when you are separated from the other parent.
CMS or Child Maintenance Service If a private arrangement is not suitable for you, you can apply to the Child Maintenance Service. You have to pay a £20 fee unless you are under the age of 19 or have experienced domestic violence or abuse. CMS usually follow 6 steps to work out the weekly amount of child maintenance. Parents can ask the CMS to calculate the amount of maintenance to be paid and, if necessary, to help manage and collect payments.
A separated family is defined as one Parent With Care, one Non-Resident Parent and any biological or adopted children they have between them who are either under 16 or under 20 and in full-time non-tertiary education.
A Non-Resident Parent is the parent who does not have sole or main day-to-day care of any relevant children and who may be required to pay child maintenance.
https://www.gov.uk/childcare-parenting/divorce-separation-and-legal-issues