Yesterday, Gingerbread and a fantastic team of single parent campaigners submitted our open letter that calls on the government to implement crucial changes to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS).  It had the support of over 1,600 individuals from England and Wales, including several organisations such as, Women’s Aid, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, End Child Poverty Coalition, Future Men, Surviving Economic Abuse, Women’s Budget Group, and Children North East.

We visited the Department for Work and Pensions at Caxton House in London, to personally deliver this vital call for change. The letter will now be shared with Baroness Sherlock, the government minister responsible for the CMS.

We will continue to stand with the thousands of single parents across the country who know the CMS must do better. The current system is failing too many families. Over half (52%) of those not receiving proper child maintenance, struggle to pay essential bills. We also know that proper maintenance payments can reduce child poverty by 25%. The government has a duty to act on this and has to see the real stories behind these figures.

This marks a significant milestone in our campaign to #FixtheCMS and build a system that truly puts children at its heart. We want to thank everyone who has stood with us to amplify the voices of single parents . From every individual who signed, to the MPs and organisations who added their support. We wouldn’t have made it this far without our passionate supporters. By sharing the letter with your families and friends, you made it all possible. You can find full details on the number of signatures and check if your MP signed the open letter here.

We couldn’t have reached this point without dedicated single parent campaigners. Laura, who joined us in London to submit the CMS open letter, shared this:

“Making our voices heard by handing the letter in to the DWP was an important part of our campaign for CMS reform, they have to see us as people behind the statistics.”

Reform of the CMS

In June 2025, the government announced significant upcoming changes to the CMS. Our open letter to Baroness Sherlock, asks the government to embed 5 key principles into future service plans.

• The consolidation of service types must prioritise reducing child poverty

• All CMS users must receive clear, accessible, and timely communication

• Effective monitoring and follow-up must support parents leaving the CMS

• Sufficient resources must be allocated to manage and transfer existing Direct Pay cases

• Clear and measurable targets must be set to evaluate success

With key government reforms on the horizon, it’s more important than ever that these priorities reflect the needs of single parents.  Embedding these principles is vital to ensure thousands more aren’t left behind. You can read more about our work with Single Parents and the other ways we need to #FixtheCMS in our Fix the CMS Report.

What’s Next?

We’re keeping up the pressure and continue to call for urgent reform as part of our #FixTheCMS campaign, with single parents’ voices at the heart of this.

There’s more to come. We’ll be making further announcements soon about the campaign and how you can get involved and show your support.

In the meantime, stay connected by following us on social media and signing up to our mailing list below. We’ll keep you updated with regular opportunities to take action and help drive real change.