Child support handbook

Jacqui McDonald, Child Poverty Action Group, 94 White Lion St, London N1 9PF, 436 pages, paperback, £15.95

The Child Support Agency (CSA) came into existence in 1993 following the introduction of the 1991 Child Support Act, which laid down the principle that both parents of a child have a duty to contribute to its maintenance. For example, when a child is being cared for by a single mother, the absent father must pay his share of the costs.

The CSA has the responsibility for calculating the amounts which should be paid and for enforcing the law. Despite reluctance by some single parents to apply for help, last February it had almost a million assessed cases.

This is the ninth edition of a book which gives detailed guidance on who is eligible, the amounts to which they are entitled, how to make a claim, and much else. A valuable contribution to our understanding of a very complex system.