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Hi All,
Just after some advice as I can't seem to find it on the web. I'm now paying full amount maintenance as my daughter won't stay overnight with me. I'm still being expected to collect her from school twice a week and have her until 9pm and over two days at the weekend.
As I'm paying the full amount what are my responsibilities both financially and to my daughter, I'll obviously see her as much as I can but work away and struggle to commit to a 'rotor' for childcare during the week and financially am still paying for dinners/clothes/activities etc but it's financially draining me.... am I still expected to be fixed to a childcare rotor or should this now be covered firstly by the mother and should I still be expected to pay for other things for my daughter on top of the full amount?
Thanks for the advice,
If your struggling id just be honest to your ex and say sorry I can only pay child support because I'm struggling easier said than done but your doing nothing wrong with paying child support as it's your min obligation
Hi There,
.
If the child care is for the time she is with her mother then no you have no obligation to pay towards it, your only legal abligation is to pay maintenance to your ex.
.
GTTS
As said, your only obligation is to pay the calculated amount of maintenance, any extra payment is discretionary.
Any food that she eats when with you, or activities that you do with her would be paid for by you, but clothes would be her mothers responsibility, as she doesn't stay overnight, I'm assuming she is picked up in clothes and can be returned in the same outfit.
If your work commitments mean you can't commit to a rota, you can't be forced to. This is an area where you can negotiate with the mother, perhaps by supplying a work roster so that you can work out the days you can have her without it interfering with your job.
Mediation can help if you are having difficulty communicating... If communication breaks down completely and mediation fails, your only option would be to apply for a court order to regulate contact with your child.
All the best
Hello Stokie78
If you have a family-based arrangement in place, it would be between you and your daughter’s other parent to discuss and negotiate your maintenance payments. Although family-based arrangements are not legally enforceable, parents can decide the terms of their agreement to suit their current circumstances, as there are no strict rules or formulas to follow. It can include money and other kinds of support, for example providing school uniforms, toys and clothes.
The Child Maintenance Options website has a useful tools and guides section that you and your daughter’s other parent may find helpful when trying to negotiate your family-based arrangement. These can be found at http://www.cmoptions.org.
If you have a case with the Government’s statutory scheme, the Child Maintenance Service, you as the paying parents would be legally responsible only for the amount worked out by the Child Maintenance Service and are not obliged to pay for anything extra, unless you wish to do so.
Child maintenance is a contribution towards the cost of bringing up a child and this includes not only such items as food and clothing but also it is a contribution towards the home that the child lives in and the associated costs of running that home.
For more information on all the different ways to set up child maintenance and for a more personalised service, you can visit the Child Maintenance Options website.
The DWP have a sorting out separation website that you may find useful. It offers help and support to separating and separated families. The link is: https://www.sortingoutseparation.org.uk/.
Regards
William
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