If you are considering filing for divorce, did you know that you can either come to an agreement voluntarily with your partner and if that doesn’t work you can put in an application with the Child Support Agency even before filing for separation? If you feel that any voluntary agreement you make with your spouse will not be honored in the long run you can have the terms and agreements put in a formal document. If you have retained the services of a solicitor, they are the best ones to advise you when it comes to these types of matters.

Once Divorce is Filed

There are a variety of ways of getting maintenance for the children and this depends upon your particular circumstances. When applying to the court for orders, agreements that have been made between you and your ex spouse can be prepared as a court order. If your ex partner doesn’t want to come to a voluntary agreement then you can ask the court to make the decision as to how much maintenance you and the children are entitled to get. In most cases it is the CSA that ultimately makes the decision about the amount of money paid by the non custodial parent.

If CSA is not in charge of your case, you are then able to appeal to the court as to child maintenance. An example of this is if a parent that has been absent is living abroad and is not employed by a company based in Great Britain. You will also have to seek out a decision from the court if you are applying for child maintenance from a stepparent. If your ex spouse does not want to contribute to fees for school, added funds for a child that is disabled or when the maximum payment level according to the Child Support Agency has been met, you can apply to the court for an amount called a top-up.

Leaving the Country

If the non custodial parent has moved to another country there are ways and means of enforcing an order for child maintenance. In cases such as this you would certainly need the services and advice of a solicitor in order to help you interpret the rules and regulations of the Hague Convention. REMO or Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders is how orders of maintenance made by British courts on behalf of her citizens can be enforced.

Many parents feel their parental duty is done when a marriage ends and they no longer cohabitate with the children. This not only hurts the custodial parent but it hurts the child as well because they are under the impression that the parent not living with them no longer has any concern as to their care and well being.

It is bad enough when parents divorce for the child, but when one parent no longer honors their financial responsibility to their child or children, it can leave lasting scars that can affect them well into their adult years.

This was provided by Canadian life insurance specialists at LifeCover.ca.