Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will take steps to ensure that information on how to challenge decisions is available through the Child Maintenance Service portal.

Significant improvements have been made to the online service ‘My Child Maintenance Case’ allowing Child Maintenance Service customers to digitally report a large range of changes that impact their case.

If a customer believes the Child Maintenance Service have made the wrong decision about how much child maintenance must be paid or received, they can ask the Child Maintenance Service to look at the decision again under their mandatory reconsideration process.

Information on how to request a mandatory reconsideration is included within any decision notification. Further information is also available on gov.uk. Child Maintenance Service: What child maintenance is - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) & Challenge a benefit decision (mandatory reconsideration): Eligibility - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

A dispute or a mandatory reconsideration cannot currently be reported online. However, following a decision being made, if a parent raises a linked change via My Child Maintenance Case within 32 days of the original decision, this will automatically be considered as a mandatory reconsideration request. For example, a parent raises a shared care change on My Child Maintenance Case within 32 days of a shared care decision being made, the Child Maintenance Service will look at the original decision under a mandatory reconsideration.

Plans are in place to improve the information provided to child maintenance customers. This will provide a clear digital route to guide customers on how to challenge a decision through My Child Maintenance Case. These changes are being looked at in 2024/25.