Complaining about our service
Q. What should parents do if they are not happy about the service provided by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Division (CMED)?
A. In the first instance they should contact the people dealing with their case, either by phone or in writing. Their contact details are on our letters to them. They can also e-mail their complaint to us by using the online complaints form at
Q. Can parents complain about how child maintenance has been worked out, or the ways they are being asked to pay?
A. If either parent has information, which they think would affect the amount of their child maintenance is, they can ask us at any time to look at the decision again. It is not possible to appeal against administrative decisions about collecting and enforcing child maintenance payments.
Q. Will parents get compensation if the Statutory Maintenance Service has made a mistake?
A.There is no legal right to a compensation payment. When we have to decide if compensation should be paid we use a set of rules that HM Treasury has agreed with the National Audit Office.
Stage 1 - At this stage we will look at the appeal and either:
- Revise the decision ourselves
- Submit the appeal to the Tribunals Service for action.
If we have caused very long delays, made a serious mistake or given incorrect information, we may be able to pay compensation to make up for any losses.
We might also make a small payment if our action or lack of action caused:
- serious inconvenience as a result of repeated mistakes, or
- severe embarrassment or humiliation.
We will also consider any evidence that someone's health has suffered as a result.
Q. If someone is not happy about the way their complaint is being handled what can they do?
A. If, after receiving a response from the Complaints Review Team, clients still feel that we have not dealt with their complaint properly, they can write to the Independent Case Examiner.
The Independent Case Examiner looks into complaints about us from people who aren't happy with how we have handled their case. Their service is free and they are not part of the CMED.
Before the Independent Case Examiner will accept a case, they must be satisfied that we have had the opportunity to deal with the complaint. They will look into the complaint as long they are contacted within six months of our Complaints Review Team's final reply.
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