If you agree the amount of child maintenance to be paid, you can reach a private agreement with the other parent called a “family-based arrangement”. Whilst this may be a relatively easy way to arrange child maintenance, such an arrangement is not legally binding, so if the payments aren’t made, you won’t be able to enforce them against the non-resident parent. If the non-resident parent doesn’t make the agreed payments under a Family Based Maintenance Arrangement, or if you can’t agree how much should be paid, then you should apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS).