Transforming Child Maintenance

We believe that children have a right to fair financial support from both parents wherever possible to ensure their health, happiness and wellbeing.

Transforming Child Maintenance is a two-year partnership project between Fife Gingerbread, Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Scotland, and One Parent Families Scotland, funded by Glasgow Robertson Trust. The project will work with parents, practitioners, and policymakers to make the case for a fairer system for children and families.

We believe that children have a right to fair financial support from both parents wherever possible to ensure their health, happiness and wellbeing.

At the moment, this is not the reality for too many children. In 2021, the National Audit Office found that only one in two separated families with children have an arrangement where at least some child maintenance is received, and only a third have an arrangement that is satisfied in full.

The main aims:

  • To make evidence-based recommendations to achieve systemic and transformational change to the UK child maintenance system.
  • To develop options where the Scottish Government are devolved further powers to make the child maintenance delivery process more efficient and effective
  • To develop and test, within the existing status quo, new approaches to child maintenance locally – working with families to enable an increase in the successful receipt of child maintenance for children.

For more information about the aims of the Transforming Child Maintenance project click here.