Written evidence to be reported to the House
Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill
12:00 pm
Professor Wikeley: As I said, we need to look at the enforcement system. It is a mistake to concentrate on the big stick, because that sends the wrong message about compliance. It says that anyone involved in child support is, by definition, a bad dad or a deadbeat dad. It is about creating a culture in terms of responsiveness towards people and their circumstances—for example, making sure that direct payment from salary is seen just as something you do like paying utilities by direct debit, not as a punishment for someone who has not performed their duties. Yes, there is a place for extra sanctions, but it certainly is not the be-all and end-all. Over-emphasis on that sends entirely the wrong message.
We are all in this because we want compliance to be better, and there are various strategies that we can use, one of which is to focus on deterrents. However, it does not seem to me, from past experience, that that is necessarily the most efficient way, either in child support or other fields. You are much more likely to improve compliance if you build a consensus about what is socially acceptable and socially unacceptable. My recollection is that 20 or 30 years ago people used to drink and drive and it was not really regarded as a serious problem, but it is now. Other examples are the wearing of seatbelts and smoking in public places.