Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the ability of the Child Maintenance Service to safeguard applicants who are survivors of domestic abuse.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has robust procedures in place to support parents who have experienced domestic abuse.

The £20 application fee is waived for survivors of abuse and a programme of domestic abuse training is delivered to all CMS caseworkers.

Safeguards are built into the system such as non-traceable payment methods to keep parents’ locations hidden and the CMS ensures there is no unwanted contact between parents. The Service can also signpost customers to external organisations such as charities and support groups.