Petition · HM Treasury
Reform Child Maintenance Service: Support Active Fathers & End Historic Arrears
Closed
285 signatures
What the petition asks
The CMS is meant to support children - we think that too often, it’s tearing families apart. We feel that many loving, active fathers are treated unfairly & that the CMS ignores shared parenting, fails to recognise time spent with children, & can create unaffordable debt that parents can’t dispute.
Some are being chased for historic arrears they never had a chance to challenge, pushing some families into hardship and damaging the very children the system is meant to protect.
We’re calling for change.
The CMS must:
Recognise shared parenting in its calculations.
Allow fair reviews and appeals of old debts.
Write off unfair or unaffordable historic arrears.
We’re calling for change.
The CMS must:
Recognise shared parenting in its calculations.
Allow fair reviews and appeals of old debts.
Write off unfair or unaffordable historic arrears.
Timeline
| 27 Oct 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 27 Apr 2026 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
285
Status
Closed
Department
HM Treasury
Opened
27 Oct 2025
Closed
27 Apr 2026
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 6 Aug 2026.