Patterns of post-separation parenting, family dynamics and family wellbeing among separated parents registered with the Child Support Agency: a pre-reform snapshot and plan for post-reform investigation
Bruce Smyth, Bryan Rodgers, Jeremy Temple, Marian Esler and Allan Shephard (CSA)
Australian National University; Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; and Child Support Agency
Contact Email:   bruce.smythanu.edu.au

Sweeping changes to the Child Support Scheme were recently introduced, featuring a dramatically different system for the calculation of child support. The extent to which the new Scheme is perceived to be ‘fairer’ and has improved the wellbeing of children and their families is of considerable policy interest, both in Australia and overseas. This paper describes the parenting arrangements and circumstances of a national random sample of 5,046 Child Support Agency clients just prior to the introduction of the new formula on 1 July 2008. These pre-reform baseline data are the first plank in a new longitudinal investigation of the impacts of the revised Scheme.

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