Contact Orders: Children
Commons · Question 7860 · Tabled 8 Jun 2026 · Department for Work and Pensions · Official record
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Question
Asked by Zöe Franklin
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the accessibility and affordability of requiring parents to seek repeated court orders for the Child Maintenance Service to recognise changes to child contact arrangement
Answer
Answered by Andrew Western, 17 Jun 2026
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) does not require a court order in all cases. The job of the CMS is to determine what contact is actually taking place and ensure that is reflected in the maintenance calculation. Where shared care arrangements are dispu...