Better for everyone: a new vision for child maintenance
Last updated: 30/10/2025
Ambitious proposals for systemic reform of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to improve financial security for children in single parent families and reduce poverty among this priority group, guided by robust evidence and lived experience.
Read our report and sign our open letter to the Prime Minister, calling for urgent reform.
Better for everyone: a new vision for child maintenance
Evidence-based policy proposals for systemic reform of the child maintenance system
Sign Our Open Letter
We know what needs to change — now we need action.
Add your name to our open letter to the Prime Minister and call for a child maintenance system that delivers for all children in separated families.
Better for everyone: a new vision for child maintenance
This report is the result of a two-year collaboration between IPPR Scotland, Fife Gingerbread and One Parent Families Scotland as part of the ‘Transforming Child Maintenance’ project. With support from The Robertson Trust, the partnership has worked alongside single parents with lived experience of the child maintenance system to develop practical, evidence-based proposals for reform to both strengthen financial security and reduce poverty in single parent families.
Download Better for everyone full report
Our summary report provides an overview of our main recommendations for reforming the child maintenance system.
Download Better for everyone summary reportNavigating the child maintenance maze
Navigating the Child Maintenance Service can be confusing and exhausting. Our Single Parent Expert Group shared their experiences to shape the above report and drive reform.
This video previews an interactive simulation of seeking help from the CMS.
Explore the simulation, and discover poems, stories and artwork from members of the Group.