Transforming child maintenance: Hamish's story

“I work night shift – full time, 4 days a week. I get a 6-week rota – kind of a set rota. I have her 2-3 times a week, depending on whether I pick her up from nursery or not. I also have her for tea 2-3 nights a week, regardless of whether it’s an overnight day.

I spoke to the Child Maintenance Service on the phone to find out their rules, and used the calculator on the website to calculate how much the payment should be – it is just a blanket thing that doesn’t take into account anything other than how much you get paid. Outside of my ex going to solicitors to find out if she can get more from me, being told she can’t, and then still threatening me with child maintenance at times when she falls out with me – the way the system is set up is way too rigid. It doesn’t take into account that many people have got completely different lives from each other – square peg, round hole.

Aside from the money, one of the reasons I work night shift is to see my daughter as much as possible. If I was working regular shifts in my job, I could be working the entire time. She goes to nursery at 9am in the morning but then I’d start at 11am, and she’d be in bed by the time I finish so I would never see her that day. It could be an entire week like that. So, night shift means I can see her two nights a week and get her from nursery as much as I possibly can.

If I work nightshift (regardless of the amount of hours) and I have her from 9 in the morning till she goes to her bed back at her mum’s house. That is not considered a ‘night’, regardless of what I do that day: spending money on her, lunch, tea whatever. This is all thrown out the window. I said to them on the phone: you are basically telling me that in order to not put myself into further financial ruin, I’ve got to actually see my daughter less. They have said that is pretty much what it is. I want to see her as much as I can, I do pick her up from nursery even though it does cost me more – I’ve got not choice.

Child maintenance is the first thing that comes out of my bank account – that’s paid anyway – but as far as everything else goes, once the child maintenance has come out, rent, council tax, the debt she left me with and debt from having to start over – there is pretty much nothing left after that.”

*pseydonym