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Hi flour.
Thank you for your post. I am William the Child Maintenance Options consultant.
As Nannyjane has said, if you are paying child maintenance through the Child Support Agency (CSA), they would only expect you to pay the amount they have calculated, any extra you pay is purely voluntary on your part. Any money paid through the CSA would also have to be paid to a bank account of your ex-partner's choice, so unless she agrees otherwise you would have to make the payments to her rather than your daughter.
The CSA should be made aware of any changes to your circumstances. If you have any further questions for the CSA, or you wish to inform them of your change of circumstances, you will need to contact them directly. Their contact details can be found on any letter they have sent you, or this website www.gov.uk/child-support-agency provides their contact details.
I can also see that it has been suggested that you try and negotiate a family-based arrangement for your daughter.
A family-based arrangement is simply an agreement between the two of you about who will provide what for your daughter. It is not legally binding but it is flexible, so it allows you and your ex-partner to negotiate an agreement that suits you both. It does not just have to be money, it can include other kinds of support, for example providing clothes or paying for a mobile phone bill. A family-based arrangement is also completely private and it is made without involving the CSA or needing to disclose personal information to a third party.
To help to set up a family-based arrangement, we have useful tools and leaflets that you may find helpful. You will find these on our website at: http://www.cmoptions.org.
Alternatively, if you wish to consider mediation to help you set up a family-based arrangement, Gov.uk also has a service which may help you to find a mediator in your area. You can find this at http://www.find-legal-advice.justice.gov.uk/
If you would like to know more about family-based arrangements, Child Maintenance Options can help you. Visit cmoptions.org or call us free on 0800 988 0988 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday or 9am and 4pm on Saturday.
We also have a sorting out separation web-app that you may find useful, it offers help and support to separating families. The link is: http://www.dad.info/divorce-and-separation/sorting-out-separation
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