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All evidence on this site is primary-sourced. All four intelligence dossiers are free to download and redistribute. Press enquiries, interview requests, and document access: thebigchildmaintenancescandal@gmail.com
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The Government's Own Admission
On 25 June 2026, DWP confirmed in writing that CMS enforces debts using its own administrative template — not a court order. 790,000 families. 18+ years. The government wrote it down themselves.
DWP FOI2026/50177 · 25 Jun 2026300 Orders. One Hour. No Scrutiny.
Weston-super-Mare Magistrates' Court, 8 July 2026: approximately 300 CMS liability orders in a single sitting lasting just over one hour. No individual consideration. No examination of any debt. No Article 6.
Documented · 8 Jul 2026 · s.33(4) CSA 1991£1.2bn for Stolen Software
The calculation platform generating every CMS debt was built on judicially confirmed stolen source code. US 5th Circuit, November 2025. DWP awarded TCS a new contract one month after the damages ruling.
5th Circuit No.24-10749 · Nov 20254,600 Deaths — The Data DWP Won't Study
DWP's own figures show 9,258 paying parent deaths in five years. STOPSuicides UK calculates 4,600 excess. A 14.28× mortality rate. Baroness Sherlock received this data in February 2026. She has commissioned no independent research.
DWP FOI2025/78063 · STOPSuicides UK 2026The Minister Who Built the System She Runs
Baroness Sherlock: CEO of the lobby group (1997–2003), Treasury adviser on the legislation (2000–2003), board member when the IT system was commissioned (2008–2010), now the minister responsible — zero declarations on appointment.
Hansard 2012–2023 · Ministers' Interests May 2025The Post Office Parallel
Wrong software, wrong calculations, people imprisoned — but in the CMS case the software platform was built on stolen code, the government admits the documents aren't court orders, and 790,000 people are affected. Scale comparison: Post Office involved approximately 700 prosecutions.
Volume 2 · Post Office comparison tableFictitious Debts — Documented at Scale
NAO qualified opinions for 30+ years. £29.7m in confirmed incorrect calculations. Compliance at a record high — but unpaid balances grew by £54m in the same year. Hundreds of parents across multiple platforms documenting debts that don't match their payment records.
NAO HC 104 · DWP Client Funds Account 2020–21The Charity That Lobbies Its Funder
Gingerbread receives £383,595 from DWP. It hand-delivered a lobbying letter to the minister who used to run its predecessor organisation. That minister issued a formal ministerial response. Gingerbread also writes the briefings MPs use to question DWP.
Charity Commission No.230750 · Gingerbread.org.uk · HansardWhat You Can Access
Documents Available on Request
For Fact-Checking
Every claim in this investigation is sourced. If you are fact-checking a specific claim, we can point you directly to the primary document. We have never retracted a factual claim — every claim we have made has been sourced to primary evidence before publication.
Independently verifiable sources include: NAO reports at nao.org.uk · Hansard at hansard.parliament.uk · DWP accounts at gov.uk · US court records at law.justia.com · Contracts at contractsfinder.service.gov.uk
We are available to assist journalists in verifying claims before publication. We do not ask for copy approval — only factual accuracy.
Contact for Interviews,
Documents and Briefings
Christina Little — researcher, lay representative (AC-2025-LON-001412), and author of the CMS Files Intelligence Series — is available for interview, background briefing, and document access.
thebigchildmaintenancescandal@gmail.com
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All four intelligence dossiers — 325 pages, 136 pages, and more — are free to download and redistribute without restriction, with attribution.
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