Children Deserve Fair Support, Help Fix the Child Maintenance System
- Deanna Newell
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
It takes less than 30 seconds to sign this petition, but it could help change the system for thousands of children.
An Open Letter
Dear Family and Friends,
I’m starting a petition to protect children and reform the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), and I need your support.
Thousands of children across the UK rely on child maintenance to help cover their basic needs. Yet in some cases, a parent can legally declare an income of £12,570 a year, resulting in child maintenance payments as low as £82.50 per month. No child should grow up struggling because of loopholes in the system.
Across the UK, many children are not receiving the financial support they deserve. The system meant to protect them — the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) — currently contains loopholes that can be exploited.
Some self-employed parents and company directors are able to declare income around the £12,570 tax threshold (around £1,041 per month). This can result in extremely low child maintenance payments.
Let’s be honest, no child can be properly supported on that.
This tax structure was designed for taxation purposes, including dividends and business income, not for calculating fair child maintenance. Unfortunately, in some situations it is being used to minimise financial responsibility.
For families already experiencing financial or economic abuse, this can become another form of control. It can leave the parent caring for the child carrying the financial burden alone.
This is not about attacking small businesses or sole traders. Many business owners support their children responsibly. But when loopholes are abused, children are the ones who suffer.
That is why I have started a petition calling on the UK Government to:-
Close loopholes that allow income to be artificially lowered
Ensure parents are assessed based on their true financial resources
Strengthen investigation powers within the Child Maintenance Service
Reduce delays when hidden income is reported
Introduce a minimum child support level of £300 per child.
Why This Matters
Across the UK, many families rely on the Child Maintenance Service to ensure children receive fair financial support from both parents. When loopholes allow income to be reported far below a parent’s true financial resources, children can be left without the support they need.
Children should never grow up in poverty because of accounting loopholes or legal technicalities.
Reforming the Child Maintenance Service would help ensure the system works fairly, protects children from financial hardship, and restores confidence in a system designed to support families.
Real Example: How the Loophole Works
Imagine a parent who owns a small business and declares an income of just £12,570 a year, right at the personal allowance threshold. For two children, this could mean a maintenance payment of only £82.50 per month per child, and for three children, around £61.33 per month per child.
Meanwhile, the same business might have a turnover of £100,000 with substantial retained profits. Under current CMS rules, these profits are often not counted when calculating child maintenance unless a complex variation is applied.
This loophole allows some parents to legally reduce their payments, leaving the children and the parent caring for them to struggle. It’s not fair, and it’s not what the system is meant to do.
Children should never grow up in hardship because of accounting technicalities. This petition is about fairness and ensuring children get the financial support they deserve.
Please sign and share this petition to help protect children. Every signature brings us closer to 100,000 signatures, which means the issue can be considered for a Parliamentary debate.
Sign the petition here:
Please share this post with your friends and family. Even a small share today could reach thousands more people and make a real difference for children across the UK.
Thank you for your support.
Deanna Newell
DN Family Law
Deanna Newell Family Law
Advocacy for truth-tellers, survivors, and the children who deserve better
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