The payers and receivers of child support have some of the most complex needs of our customers. Our teams need to be well rounded and empathetic negotiators and communicators to reach good outcomes for customers.
IR has administered the Child Support Scheme since 1992. It’s an unusual product for us because the customers are both parents liable to pay child support and those who receive it.
We need to factor in a third set of customers—the employers of liable parents who deduct payments from salaries and wages.
Most parents pay on time and it’s good to see customers taking advantage of the improved digital tools in myIR that let them set up a payment plan, tell us about a change in their circumstances and ask for a review of their assessed payment amounts.
There are customers that disagree with compulsory deductions so we provide education on the legislation when they contact us. There are also customers we need to work harder to find because they will not engage, live overseas or have no obvious sources of assessable income.
Empathy for parents who rely on child support money is important as is our follow-up on issues they call us about. Missing payments matter because it’s money a parent has budgeted to support their children.
Addressing the actions of parents who attempt to side-step their obligations is a rewarding but time-consuming part of our work. It ensures the costs of raising children are shared fairly and goes directly to the wellbeing of 145,000 children.
We have used options such as seeking charging orders over properties and warrants to seize goods to encourage compliance.
One customer living overseas who had last made a repayment in 2014 was arrested at the New Zealand border after returning in 2023—their child support assessment was repaid in full so they could depart the country.
IR’s tools and systems have automated a great number of activities and can identify small issues, such as missing employer payment schedules, before they become significant. These efficiencies have freed up our people’s time—there is plenty to do such as more debt management and legal enforcement.
Overall, our child support teams aim to foster productive relationships between parents as much as their circumstances and the legislation allow. This year, we continued to improve teams’ negotiation skills, the quality of advice we give and decision-making.
Sometimes a better customer experience means just being very straightforward even if people do not get the result they want.
For example, the relative of a customer who visited our offices about his child support obligations said, “He was still not happy about paying, but now understood how it’s calculated and why he is paying it. He really appreciated how the officer conducted his appointment and explained the process to him.”