<p>During COVID-19 pandemic the CMS ability to recover arrears via enforcement activity was affected as Enforcement Agents and the Courts were operating at a reduced capacity. Temporary changes were made to the Child Maintenance Service to ensure it could continue to deliver its priorities supporting separated parents.</p><p>The CMS worked with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service to establish alternatives to face to face court hearings by setting up video / phone hearings where outcomes were received digitally.</p><p>The CMS has now reinstated a full service and is committed to making sure that over time everyone pays or receives the right amount of child maintenance.</p><p> </p><p>In 2021-22 we made more referrals to enforcement agents than in any other year and the number of liability orders applied for each year is back to pre-pandemic levels.</p>