ABSTRACT
Where contact with the CSA had taken place, this was overwhelmingly initiated by the CSA rather than by the fathers themselves (Table 10.3). The majority who had contact received a Maintenance Enquiry Form (MEF), some 88 per cent, and of those 86 per cent had completed and returned the MEF to the Agency. However, a quarter of the never paid fathers had not returned their MEF, compared with only 13 per cent of current payers and only 10 per cent of past payers. Where the MEFs were not returned (30 cases in total), just over half said it was because they did not want to return it, and just under a quarter did not specify a reason. Hardly anyone said it was because they did not have enough
Table 10.3 Nature of contact with the CSA and the outcome of contact, by fathers' maintenance group
Respondent contacted CSA first 9 3 17 9 CSA contacted respondent first 91 97 83 91 Base (155) (64) (35) (254) Chi Sq = 5.68 df = 2 Sig* CSA sent MEF 90 89 80 88 CSA did not send MEF 8 9 14 9 Don't know if MEF sent 2 2 6 2 Base (155) (63) (35) (253) Not Sig Returned completed MEF 87 89 74 86 Did not return MEF 13 10 26 14 Base (139) (57) (27) (223) Not Sig Why did not return MEF didn't want to return it 39 (4) (5) 53 not enough information to complete (1) 3 advised not to return it (1) (1) (1) 10 still completing it (2) 7 didn't know how to fin it in (1) 3 other reason 33 (1) 23 Base (too few cases to test association) (18) (5) (7) (30) CSA sent final/interim assessment 59 56 32 55 No CSA assessment received 41 42 68 45 Base (150) (62) (31) (243) Chi Sq = 7.67 df = 2 Sig*
*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001.
