Lords Committee hears evidence on child maintenance and poverty
Monday 31 March 2025
The House of Lords Public Services Committee will hold its third evidence session in its inquiry into the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) on Wednesday 2 April at 11.05am. The session will focus on how the CMS supports families in or near poverty and wider support the organisation provides to work designed to alleviate child poverty.
The session can be watched live or on demand at Parliament TV or attend in person in Committee Room 3, Palace of Westminster.
Giving evidence will be:
- Dr Laura Robertson, Research Manager, Poverty Alliance; and
- Abby Jitendra, Principal Policy Adviser, Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Questions will include:
- How effective is the Child Maintenance Service in supporting children in separated families to stay out of poverty?
- How well does the Child Maintenance Service link with the wider social security system, both for paying and receiving parents?
- What is your view of the way the Child Maintenance Service calculates maintenance and supports families to make arrangements? How could this be improved?
- How effectively does the Child Maintenance Service enforce arrangements, and what effect does this have on children and parents in poverty?
- What recommendations should this Committee make to the Government?
