Over half of separated families have a child maintenance arrangement
In the latest financial year ending 2020 it is estimated that there were 2.4 million separated families in Great Britain, including 3.6 million children in separated families.
Of these, 56% had a child maintenance arrangement.
The Child Maintenance system supports separated parents to work together to set up family based child maintenance arrangements. Where this is not possible, it provides access to an effective and efficient Child Maintenance Service to ensure separated parents contribute towards their children.
In the latest three-year period covering financial years ending 2018 to 2020, it is estimated that:
- Parents With Care in separated families received a total of £2.3 billion annually in child maintenance payments
- 89% of Parents With Care were female and under the age of 50
- 86% of Non-Resident Parents were male and 80% were under the age of 50
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Child maintenance payments reduced the number of children living in low income households annually – as a result of such payments 60 thousand children were moved out of absolute low income on a Before Housing Costs (BHC) basis, and 120 thousand children on an After Housing Costs (AHC) basis
- 3% of Parents With Care moved out of the lowest 20% of the income distribution due to receiving child maintenance AHC, this is 2% BHC
- 4% of Non-Resident Parents moved out of the highest 20% of the income distribution due to paying child maintenance AHC, this is 4% BHC