The watchdog recommended that the agency engage parents by ensuring itsassessments were fair, accurate and quick. Staff confidence in the ITsystem should be rebuilt so they used the system, rather than processingcases manually.
The office also said the IT system needed to be stabilised so that"stuck cases can be progressed and new applications do not encounterproblems".
Kate Green, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, said theagency's failures had "caused hardship and distress for many of thepoorest families".
The report coincided with last week's admission by work and pensionsminister Lord Hunt that the agency is "not fit for purpose". Sir DavidHenshaw's proposals for the future of the child support system,commissioned by the secretary of state for work and pensions inFebruary, are expected this summer.
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