Advice re The CSA!!!

[Elsie13]

Can anyone advise me who I can go to to make a complaint about the CSA? I have a really straight forward case with CSA at the moment regarding my youngest daughter who is 2. Her father has never seen her and we have had to spend 2 years trying to resolve his missed/ inconsistent payments and at last have had a Deductions of Earnings Order put onto the account two months ago. The first time this was done (a year ago) someone at CSA removed it in error before the first payment had been made and I was advised I would have to wait for him to mess up several more times before it could go back on. This time exactly the same this has happened. My' caseworker' has advised me that another caseworker who should =nt have made any amendments to my case has removed it after a telephone call from my ex! Apparently he has stated he has resigned (he is a police officer) however I know for certain that this is not the case which means they ahve not seen any evidence to back up his claim. I really want to expose their lack of competence now and have all the records of my case going back two years!! Who can I go to??? I also would like to know if they can just remove a legal thing like a deductions of order?? I am just desperate !

[iheartruby]

hi elsie,

i just googled it and this came up

http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/publications/pub lications_complaints.htm

good luck - i have heard sooo many hopeless stories about the csa - they are a shambles.

[Elsie13]

Its rediculous - they know his name, address and he is easily located as he works in the police force - and they still cant get it right! It has to be one of the easiest cases they have!

[iheartruby]

hi elsie, i have 2 friends in a similar position - one with a child aged 12 and one with a child aged 8 - neither have ever received a penny despite the csa being handed information about the fathers on a plate - one of them is even down as a company director and they still wont do anything. It really beggars belief.
the csa are hopeless and like both of my friends, you most be frustrated to the hilt! You give them everything they need and they still don't act. i think the organisation is in a bit of a mess, by their own admission!
If he is defintaley still working, if you write a nice polite letter to the chief constable of his force, that may help - they don't like any scandal associated with their officers. copy it to his sergent and inspector too.....

[amonty1144]

The CSA have complaints resolution officers, they will tell you that they don't. Put your complaint in writing addresses tp the CRO at your usual address, send a copy to your MP.
Although I submitted a complaint 3 weeks ago, i've heard jack.
Good luck

[Elsie13]

They have now told me that the letter of resignation may have been meant for another case and that the deductions of earnings order was removed as they had sent the warning letters to a wrong address!! (this being due to the fact that he moved over a year ago and never gave them a forwarding address or his new contact numbners!) I thought the whole point of a DEO was to get money from someone who was avoiding being contacted for payment!! They wont put it back on as they say he has no arrears and now and he has been paying regularly for the past couple of months...!! This is because he was having his money deducted from his salary! Apparently he rang and complained and as he was 'very forthcoming' on the phone (their words) they just took it off. One phonecall/ complaint from him and they do as he says but here's me having made about 100 phonecalls over 6 months (they never ring me!) and i cant get anything done without having to send in my bank statements and all sorts to evidence my complaint! I truly cannot believe it and they are so unsympathetic on the phone its unbelievable. thanks for the advice and I will most certainly be making a complaint!

[tcc65]

Good luck with your complaint I am in a very similar situation to you and made a complaint 9 weeks ago. Their website says that they will respond within 2 weeks but all I have had is a letter thanking me for my complaint!

Looks like I will now have to make a complaint about the way they have dealt with my complaint.

[Elsie13]

If I worked out how much I had spent on phonecalls over the past two years i think it would be a shocking amount. How come I have to continually chase them about getting anything done and yet my ex can ring once a year, be 'forthcoming' as they said and manage to cancel everything i have acheived and come out of it eith exactly what he wants??? Unbelievable! good luck with you complaint!