My recent contact with the Child Maintenance Service, and also contact with other parents, has made it clear that no one really knows what the policy is on shared care, and more importantly, what defines a temporary or permanent change, and how it was determined that it was due to Coronavirus known as Covid19.
So I thought I would try to get an answer from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
I made a Freedom of Information request to the DWP on 23 July 2020, and I received a response dated 7 August. I wanted to find out what guidance had been issued concerning Covid 19 and shared care.
"No procedures specifically relating to the calculation of shared care occurred as a result of Covid19. However in supporting the Department for Work and Pensions during the pandemic, the actioning of circumstances relating to children were restricted to death of a child and adoption. Other change of circumstances reported would be actioned once we were able to return to full service, should it be reported that this was a permanent change. Where the change was temporary, due to Covid 19, case workers were provided with the following Line to Take to customer enquiries:If your shared care arrangements have changed temporarily due Coronavirus we would not be able to make any changes to the amount of child maintenance you pay. This is because this change in care is temporary.If this change in care arrangements continues into a longer-term arrangement, please tell us.Similarly, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Summary advised:If the change to a shared care arrangement is temporarily changed because of the Coronavirus or lockdown, then this should not be accepted. If the change is not a result of the Coronavirus, then business as usual processs should be followed."The DWP response then defined Shared care."Shared care is based on the number of nights for which the non-resident parent is expected to have overnight care during the 12 months beginning with the effective date of the maintenance calculation."
There is no indication on a policy that defines temporary. So as any parent could be concerned, that could be 5 days or 5 years. Parents are being left to the mercy of whoever makes the decision. It is clear that two different case workers could make opposite decisions, based on the same evidence.
In order to clarify I am going back to the DWP to obtain their definition of temporary, because the dictionary definition of temporary is "lasting for a limited period of time".
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