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18. Useful contacts and sources of information
18.1. Advice and damage limitation website (2001-10-31)
This was a helpful source of advice by a regular contributor to the newsgroup, and includes an assessment calculator:
http://www.cpres.demon.co.uk/csa/csa.htm
That link appears to have stopped working.
18.2. Shared Parenting groups (2001-10-31)
Association for Shared Parenting
01789 751157
Shared Parenting Information Group
18.3. APACS (Association for Payment Clearing Services (1999-07-28)
Mercury House, Triton Court, 14 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1BR
Tel: 0171 711 6200
Fax: 0171 256 5527
18.4. BBC
18.4.1. Television (1999-07-28)
Comments queries and information line: 0181 743 8000
18.4.2. Radio 4 (1999-07-28)
Action line: 0800 044 044
You and Yours:
Tel 0171 580 4444
FAX 0141 303 4020
youandyours@bbc.co.uk
18.5. Benefits Agency (2001-10-31)
DWP Targetting Fraud web site
National Benefits Fraud Hotline 0800 854440
The Benefits Agency (BA) website has merged with a new DWP website.
18.6. British Official Publications Current Awareness Service (BOPCAS) (2001-10-31)
British Official Publications Current Awareness Service.
18.7. Central Office of Information (2001-10-31)
Government Press Releases (today's, and historical)
18.8. Channel 4 (1999-07-28)
Viewer_Enqs@Channel4.co.uk
18.9. Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) (1999-07-28)
Publish the "Child Support Handbook" written by Emma Knights and Simon Cox. The 5th edition is for 1997-8, has ISBN 0-946744-94-7 and cost UKP 9.95.
The book is very useful and relatively cheap.
One user of the newsgroup warns that that virtually all of the information contained in this book is either obtained from, or checked and vetted by the CSA. Therefore, please don't treat it as a fully authoritative piece of work - there are several omissions, which are not the fault of the authors, but are due to them having been fed statements that may fall into the category of "terminological inexactitudes".
18.10. Child Support Agency (CSA) (2001-10-31)
CSA of Great Britain:
- General Enquiries.
- National Enquiry Line: for general advice on any aspect on child support maintenance call on: 08457 133 133
or for those who are hard of hearing and have a textphone: 08457 138 924
CSA of Northern Ireland:
- Contact information - addresses, telephone numbers (hotline, etc), and email addresses.
- Customer Help Line. Phone 9089 6896 if you are calling from Belfast, or 0845 713 9896 if you are calling from outside Belfast.
- The Customer Help Line also has a text phone on Belfast 9089 6704, or 0845 713 9704 from outside Belfast.
Decison Maker's Guides (in the form of PDF files) used by CSA staff themselves.
18.10.1. Central Adjudication Services (1999-07-28)
Lots of data about case law including CSA
http://www.cas.gov.uk/index.htm
The Child Support Adjudication Guide (http://www.cas.gov.uk/csagcont.htm) is now withdrawn (see above). It was several very large documents but easily understood and useful.
Until the new guide is published the old one is the best available guide to how CSOs do their job. Some newsgroup users have copies and may send them on request. You need Acrobat to read them (like any other pdf file).
As they are so large you probably don't want to print them. It's not obvious how to save them. In Explorer at least, don't 'open' the page for viewing but instead use a *right* mouse click on the link and do a "save" or "save as" from the pop-up menu. Presumably Netscape is similar? Anyone?
It is helpful to download the index file, "csindex.pdf", too. This allows you to double-click on items and Acrobat Reader will get you to the particular item in the proper file.
18.10.2. Chief Executive (1999-07-28)
Child Support Agency
Quay House
The Waterfront
Brierley Hill
West Midlands DY5 1XA
18.10.3. Child Support Commissioners (1999-07-28)
Newspaper House, 8-16 Great New Street, London EC4A 3BN
0171 353 5145
23 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7PW
0131 225 2201
The Child Support Commissioners are the superior appeals body to the ITS. Unlike the ITS where hearings are informal the Commissioners are highly legalistic and not for the faint-hearted or those with no knowledge of the law.
The CSA and ITS are, in theory, bound by their decisions.
Some of their decisions are published on
http://www.hywels.demon.co.uk/commrs/decns.htm
These are the decisions which they believe are of most general interest.
18.10.4. Data Protection Unit (1999-07-28)
You can demand all the agency's computer records on you under the terms of the data protection act. They are required to supply them in 40 days.
Sometimes they "forget" that data on D/EASE is computer data, too. The D/EASE data print should be separate to the normal print and will include account information etc. Its first page is titled ARCHIVED:FMA.
Room 165H(i)
DSS Longbenton
Newcastle NE98 1YX
18.10.5. Management Information Team (1999-07-28)
Provide CSA statistics.
Longbenton (anyone got full contact information?)
18.10.6. Open Government Contact (1999-07-28)
CSA Open Government Contact
Central Data Protection Team
Child Support Agency
Room 165J
DSS Longbenton
Newcastle upon Tyne NE98 1YX
Tel 0191 22 53154
FAX 0191 22 53954
18.10.7. Publications (2001-10-31)
All about how to get CSA publications.
18.10.8. Solicitor (1999-07-28)
Office of the Solicitor
Dept of Social Security
Dept of Health
New Court
48 Carey Street
London WC2A 2LS
Main Switchboard: 0171 962 8000
Fax for Litigation Branch: 0171 412 1523
Direct Dial for Litigation Branch: 0171 412 1489
18.11. Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) (2001-10-31)
See your local telephone book for local details.
Please make sure your local office is aware of this newsgroup, this FAQ, NACSA and the Family Support Agency, especially NACSA's Survival Guide. NACSA have sent every Citizens Advice Bureau in the country an information pack and posters. Please make sure they are using them.
Citizen's Advice Bureaux:
There are some currently available documents (you will need to register).
18.12. Consumer Credit Counselling Service (1999-07-28)
Wade House
Merrion Centre
Leeds LS2 8NG
Tel 0113 297 0121 and 0800 1381111
FAX 0113 297 0100
They are a registered charity, reportedly very helpful. They can negotiate with all creditors and may be able to get the interest stopped.
18.13. Data Protection Registrar (1999-07-28)
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel 01625 545700
http://www.open.gov.uk/dpr/dprhome.htm
You will find contact numbers there, plus lots and lots more useful info.
Officer mainly concerned with the CSA is Mark Thorogood.
Publish a Guidance Note on the CSA, last edition 1994.
The Data Protection Act requires that records are kept accurate and up to date so, if you have a problem with the CSA keeping inaccurate or out of date information on you, you should ask the Data Protection Registrar for advice.
18.14. Google Groups (2001-10-31)
Google Groups is a web front end to searching newsgroups. It can be used to search for old threads in this newsgroup.
18.15. Department of Social Security (1999-07-28)
http://www.dss.gov.uk/
Dept of Social Security
Richmond House
79, Whitehall
London SW1A 2NS
Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Social Security
Stephen Timms, Minister of State: Deputy to the Secretary of State
Patricia Hollis, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Lords
Angela Eagle, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Hugh Bayley, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
See http://www.dss.gov.uk/hq/ministers/mainframe.htm
Baroness Hollis of Heigham
PUSS for Social Security
[PUSS is short for Parliamentary under Secretary of State]
FAX: 0171 238 0682
18.16. Families Need Fathers (2001-10-31)
Families Need Fathers
0171 613 5060
A lot of FNF people contribute to newsgroup
uk.people.fathers
18.17. The Family Support Agency (1999-07-28)
Victims of the CSA can find help and advice on the Family Support Agency website.
The Site includes:
+ On line CSA assessments
+ Golden Rules
+ 200+ MP's E-mail addresses
+ 50+ UK newspaper E-mail addresses
+ Weekly meetings on the Chat Page
+ Real case stories from other victims
+ Instructions on posting anonymously
+ CSA Newspaper Stories
+ A tribute page
+ Links to other CSA related sites
+ Read uk.gov.agency.csa from your browser
+ Use your rights under the data protection act
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/6913/
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/6913/assess.htm
smash_csa@geocities.com
18.18. Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) (1999-07-28)
Acts of Parliament (only 1996 onward, so not the Child Support Act)
http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts.htm
Source of the DSS publication "Financial redress for maladministration" ISBN 011762473X
0171 8739090
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