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1. Acronyms and special terms used in the newsgroup and this FAQ (2001-11-30)
See also the Glossary of Terms.
2. The CSA
2.1. What is the 'CSA'? (2001-10-27)
'CSA' is short for Child Support Agency, of which there are two. The Child Support Agency of Great Britain is an Executive Agency of the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) which is mostly made up from the former DSS (Department of Social Security). The Child Support Agency of Northern Ireland is an Executive Agency of the DSD (Department for Social Development).
Less commonly 'CSA' is also short for Child Support Act, normally referring to the 1991 Act, but perhaps also referring to the 1995 Act.
2.2. What does the CSA do? (2001-10-27)
They carry out the policies laid out in the Child Support Act of 1991, which involves assessing and collecting child support maintenance. They make the assessments by formula and enforce payment.
They are also responsible for tracing Non-Resident Parents who should be paying child support maintenance.
3. The newsgroup, uk.gov.agency.csa
3.1. What is this newsgroup? (2001-10-27)
We are a newsgroup devoted to the discussion of issues raised by people who are, or have been, involved with the CSA.
3.2. Why do we need this newsgroup? (2001-10-27)
People who have to deal with the CSA can find it very stressful and lonely.
There are several places you can get information, detailed below.
But this newsgroup is the only place to provide a public "notice board" where you can:
* ask a question publicly and probably have it answered
* have a good moan and get it off your chest
* read and take part in discussions about CSA issues
* make contact with others affected by the CSA
The newsgroup is a public notice board for exchange of messages about the CSA. It is rapid, open and provides a forum for public discussion of CSA related issues.
(NACSA provides forums on their web site covering some of the above, especially obtaining help and advice).
3.3. What topics are discussed by this group? (2001-10-27)
* All aspects of the issues brought about by having contact with the CSA in respect of:
~ maintenance
~ assessment
~ enforcement
~ collection
~ fees
~ avoidance
~ any other related subjects
* The various hardships and stress that can be caused by dealing with the CSA
* The benefits of this agency
* Child support policy
3.4. Who should use this newsgroup? (2001-10-27)
Anyone who has or has had contact with the Child Support Agency or anyone who has an interest in the subjects of this newsgroup.
3.5. What is not permitted on this newsgroup? (2001-10-27)
* Binary files, unless containing specific CSA related material which is of interest to the users of the group. Any other type of binary should be e-mailed direct to the individual user with their permission.
* Advertising, with the exception of Web URL's that contain information that is relevant to the group.
* Flame wars will be discouraged. Personal arguments between users should, if becoming lengthy, be continued by personal e-mails. The exception shall be if it is beneficial to the rest of the group and is being contributed to by several users. However if there should be a number of complaints by other users, at least 5, then it should be discontinued immediately or continued by personal e-mails.
* Any other discussions that are not relevant to the newsgroup's charter.
3.6. Will the CSA be involved? (2001-10-27)
The CSA are aware of the existence of this newsgroup and have been invited to take part. They have not taken up the offer to take part and have instructed at least one of their staff not to take part.
It is generally believed that the CSA do monitor this newsgroup.
The ICE's Office have informed NACSA that they monitor this newsgroup.
3.7. Does the CSA victimise contributors to this newsgroup? (2001-10-27)
There is no evidence that they do. Many contributors choose to post anonymously to avoid any danger.
Some time ago the CSA were quite lenient on a number of key NACSA activists, maybe to try and get them to go away. It's also possible to get classified as a sensitive case who is likely to generate adverse publicity.
3.8. How should I post to this newsgroup? (2001-10-27)
For recommendations on how to set up your newsreader and how to format your contributions, see:
Configuring your news reader to post to uk.*
3.9. Should I post anonymously? (2001-10-31)
Some people choose to stand up and be counted, believing that their actions carry more weight that way.
You should consider this carefully, as anything you post to the newsgroup is available to anyone who looks for it. Old news messages can be searched, for example via Google Groups.
The "X-No-Archive: yes" should stop Google Groups and people like that from storing their posts. Google state "Google supports the 'X-No-archive: yes' header, and we will not archive any articles that contain this text either in the header or in the first line of the message body."
There is no guarantee that other servers and archives will honour this header.
3.10. How can I post anonymously? (2001-10-31)
The method identified in earlier versions of this FAQ no longer works.
If anyone knows of a useful service for anonymous posting, please tell.
4. This FAQ
4.1. What is a FAQ? (2001-10-27)
FAQ is short for Frequently Asked Questions.
Questions which are commonly asked in the newsgroup are summarised in the FAQ. This avoids new users repeating old questions. It allows rapid access to information which has been discussed in the newsgroup. It preserves useful information when the articles have been aged out.
4.2. Who maintains the FAQ? (2001-10-27)
The FAQ is maintained on a voluntary basis by regular users of the newsgroup.
PLEASE (!!!) post suggestions for improving the FAQ to the newsgroup.
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