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By Deanna Newell Founder - DN Family Law When politicians speak about protecting taxpayers’ money, they rightly call for stronger action against fraud and abuse. We hear billions of pounds are lost through fraud each year. We hear promises of tougher enforcement, better investigations and greater accountability. But there is one area that receives far less attention. The Child Maintenance Service. Every day, thousands of children’s financial futures depend on a system that of

By Deanna Newell Founder - DN Family Law Introduction When child maintenance is discussed, the debate often becomes divided between paying parents and receiving parents. It should not. At the heart of this issue are children who deserve financial security, stability and protection. The purpose of child maintenance should be simple: to ensure children receive the support they need, while ensuring assessments are fair, transparent and based on the true circumstances of each fam

By Deanna Newell Founder - DN Family Law The Prime Minister’s proposal to consider increasing the personal tax-free allowance from £12,570 to £25,000 could be welcome news for millions of workers, families and small business owners by allowing people to keep more of what they earn could ease financial pressures during the cost-of-living crisis. DN Family Law supports measures that help hardworking people. However, this announcement also shines a spotlight on a much bigger iss

By Deanna Newell Founder - DN Family Law | Campaign Lead – Reform That Works BCP Council has approved a new five-year Domestic Abuse Strategy (2026–2031) focused on prevention, survivor support and tackling perpetrators. It is a welcome commitment that recognises domestic abuse as a serious public health and safeguarding issue. The strategy includes:- Earlier intervention and prevention Improved professional training Education for children and young people Greater public awar

It’s Time to Follow the Money The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) was created to ensure that children receive financial support from both parents after separation. That principle is one that almost everyone agrees with. So why are some children still growing up in financial hardship while parents with far greater financial means can, in some cases, be assessed on a declared income of just £12,570 ? The answer is uncomfortable. The current Child Maintenance Service largely rel

Dear Minister / Member of Parliament, From: Deanna Newell Founder - DN Family Law | Campaign Lead – Reform That Works I am writing to ask the Government to consider introducing a pilot programme to test a Mandatory Three-Tier Family Justice Triage Assessment Framework across the Family Justice System and Child Maintenance Service (CMS). The Government has recently recognised the value of pilot programmes when testing reforms within public services, including reforms to the GP

By Deanna Newell Founder - DN Family Law | Campaign Lead – Reform That Works The Government has recently announced pilot programmes to test reforms to the GP fit note system before considering national implementation. This raises an important question: If pilot programmes are considered essential before reforming health services, why aren’t we taking the same evidence-based approach to reforming the Family Justice System and the Child Maintenance Service (CMS)? Every year, th

I fully support Claire Waxman OBE’s call for victims’ voices to remain central when decisions are made about the justice system. The pressures facing the prison system are real, but so are the rights, safety, and confidence of victims and survivors. Promises made to victims must be delivered. A justice system cannot maintain public trust if those who have experienced harm do not feel heard, protected, or recognised. The same principle must apply within the family justice syst

By Deanna Newell Founder | DN Family Law Over the past year, I have dedicated significant voluntary time to supporting individuals and families navigating some of the most challenging areas of the family justice system. This has included supporting individuals involved in family court proceedings, raising awareness of the experiences of domestic abuse survivors, and campaigning for practical reform of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and the wider family justice system. Th

Our campaign is built around eight core principles designed to create a fairer, more transparent and child-focused Child Maintenance Service and Family Justice system. Child maintenance reform cannot be viewed in isolation. For many families, financial disputes, child arrangements, safeguarding concerns and family conflict can overlap. A modern system must identify these complexities early and respond appropriately. 1. Mandatory Early Triage Assessment Every complex CMS or Fa

The Government has announced significant reforms to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), including plans to move towards a single monitored payment service rather than the current system of Direct Pay and Collect and Pay. The children’s charity Gingerbread has welcomed these proposals and has written an open letter to Baroness Sherlock, the Minister responsible for the CMS, outlining five core principles that should underpin the reforms. These recommendations are an important

Children deserve a family justice system that is fair, transparent and focused on their best interests. Over the past several years, I have been campaigning for practical reforms to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and the wider family justice system. My goal is simple: to improve outcomes for children by ensuring decisions are based on accurate information, early intervention and evidence-based policy. This campaign is not about taking sides. It is about recognising that

By Deanna Newell | Founder, DN Family Law Family law is about more than legal arguments. It is about children, families and some of the most difficult decisions a court can make. Every day, judges are asked to decide where children should live, who they should spend time with, and how to balance a child’s right to have a relationship with both parents against the need to protect them from harm. These decisions are rarely straightforward however one thing should always be simp

Understanding the Journey and Why I Am Campaigning for a Mandatory Three-Tier Triage System By Deanna Newell | Founder | DN Family Law Introduction: Why This Guide Exists The Family Court process can feel overwhelming. For many parents, entering the system happens during one of the most difficult periods of their lives. They may be dealing with separation, conflict, concerns about their children’s wellbeing, financial pressures, or allegations that require careful investigati

By Deanna Newell | Founder of DN Family Law Every time I read another story about a Family Court decision being overturned because serious safeguarding concerns weren’t properly considered, I ask myself the same question: Why are we still getting this wrong? Family Court judges have one of the hardest jobs imaginable. They have to make life-changing decisions for children and families, often with limited time and complex evidence. I don’t envy that responsibility. However, w

Putting Children First Through Understanding, Evidence and Early Support. Why Change Is Needed When a family reaches the Family Court, behind every application is a child. For some families, the difficulties are often about communication, routines or disagreements over parenting arrangements. For others, the situation is much more complex. Families may be dealing with domestic abuse, coercive control, financial abuse, safeguarding concerns or ongoing conflict that is having a

A headline recently stopped me in my tracks: “Single mothers could be £10,000 worse off if they marry.” Whether that figure applies to every family isn’t the point. The question is far bigger. Have we created a system that sometimes makes family stability financially harder while unintentionally rewarding conflict? Before anyone jumps to conclusions, let me be absolutely clear. This is not an attack on single mothers. I was a single parent myself. I know what it feels like to

One of the most concerning issues raised by separated parents is the relationship between child maintenance calculations and disputes over overnight care arrangements. Under the current Child Maintenance Service (CMS) framework, the number of overnight stays a child has with the paying parent can affect the level of child maintenance payable. While this reflects the principle of shared day-to-day care, some parents report that disagreements about overnight contact become clos

Reforming the Family Court and Child Maintenance System Through Evidence-Based Early Intervention Too many families enter systems that react to conflict instead of identifying the real issues from the very beginning. Children can become caught in lengthy disputes while safeguarding concerns, coercive and controlling behaviour, emotional abuse, financial abuse and mental health needs are not always identified early enough. The debate has become increasingly focused on labels i

Every year, thousands of families enter the Family Court system and the Child Maintenance Service hoping for fair decisions that protect their children. Too often, they find a system that reacts to conflict instead of identifying the causes of it. Children are left waiting. Parents become trapped in lengthy disputes. Mental health deteriorates. Public money is spent managing conflict instead of resolving it. This has to change. One of the biggest problems is that we spend too