Public Services Committee publishes Reforming the Child Maintenance Service report

The House of Lords Public Services Committee published its Reforming the Child Maintenance Service report in October 2025, following an inquiry that took evidence from individuals, experts and organisations including the charity Gingerbread¹. The report called for reforms across calculations, enforcement and communication, with several recommendations reflecting calls from Gingerbread and single-parent campaigners¹.

The report followed a June 2025 government response to the Child Maintenance: Improving the collection and transfer of payments consultation, which announced that the CMS would be consolidated, with Direct Pay removed and all cases moved to a single service type similar to Collect and Pay¹. That response also said fees for the new service would be reduced to 2% for both paying parents and parents with care, down from 20% and 4% respectively, and that a consultation on maintenance calculations would take place¹.

The government responded to the committee's report in January 2026, setting out which recommendations it would take forward and which it had rejected¹. Gingerbread said it welcomed commitments including trauma-informed training for CMS staff and legislation for Administrative Liability Orders (ALOs), but was disappointed that the government maintained its decision not to implement legislation allowing victim-survivors to join the CMS on Collect and Pay¹. Gingerbread also said the government has rejected implementing the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act, which would allow victim-survivors entering the CMS to move straight onto Collect and Pay without using Direct Pay¹.

On calculations, an income must currently change by 25% to trigger a recalculation of maintenance due, a threshold Gingerbread has said can allow significant financial changes without a change in maintenance¹. In June 2026 it was announced that this threshold will reduce to 15%¹. Gingerbread said the government has cancelled its public consultation on the calculations process, and that the current formula is based on the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000¹. It said the government has published departmental research on this, but that research of 26 resident parents is not a substitute for thousands of single parents sharing their stories and experiences¹.

Gingerbread said it remains unclear how much the government is prioritising the CMS changes single parents need, and that no firm timeline has been confirmed for the legislation needed to implement the consolidation or for the legislation for ALOs¹.

Why it matters for households

The report and the government's response concern parents who use the Child Maintenance Service to collect or pay child maintenance, including cases moved from Direct Pay to a single service type¹. The fee change announced in June 2025 would reduce fees to 2% for both paying parents and parents with care, from 20% and 4% respectively, but the government has not confirmed a firm timeline for the legislation needed to implement the consolidation¹. The reduction in the recalculation threshold from 25% to 15% was announced in June 2026, and Gingerbread said it is waiting for further details of how the change will be implemented¹.

Gingerbread said 41% of children in single parent families live in poverty, and that research shows where child maintenance is received it cuts the child poverty rate by 25%¹. It said the government estimates the announced reforms could lift 20,000 out of poverty¹.

What happens next

The government has not confirmed a firm timeline for the legislation needed to implement the consolidation or for the legislation for ALOs¹. Gingerbread said it will continue to campaign on the CMS and has called for a clear timeline and for the decision to cancel the calculations consultation to be reversed¹.