More child support reaches children in Great Britain
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The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) in Great Britain reported a record number of parents are fulfilling their child support obligations.
Nearly 130,000 parents now pay over 90% of the child maintenance they owe, a 27% increase in one year. Simultaneously, the number of parents who pay no child support decreased by approximately 19% since March 2025.
The CMS currently supports almost 1.6 million parents across Great Britain, and officials estimate these arrangements help keep around 120,000 children out of relative poverty by providing financial support for everyday expenses. Baroness Maeve Sherlock, Minister for Lords, stated the government prioritises ensuring children receive support from both parents. Improvements to the CMS also include better customer service, with 85% of phone calls now answered compared to 59% in summer 2024.
Average wait times for phone support have also decreased from over 28 minutes to just over 11 minutes. The government expects to reduce child poverty by lifting 550,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament, attributing the progress to actions like removing the two-child benefit limit.
