History of child support in some (non-UK) European countries

This page is being evolved as part of a long-term project. I ask anyone with useful material to get in touch at: history@childsupportanalysis.co.uk .

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden

Austria

When?	What?	Information
1962-01-01	Hague Convention #8 on the law applicable to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1962-01-01	Hague Convention #9 concerning the recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1969-07-16	United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance	Ratified.
1989	It became the responsibility of never-married parents to establish paternity and decide what to do about child maintenance.	Corden.
1992-08-06	United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child	Ratified.

Belgium

When?	What?	Information
1962-01-01	Hague Convention #9 concerning the recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1966-07-01	United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance	Accession.
1970-10-24	Hague Convention #8 on the law applicable to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1976-11-09	Hague Convention #24 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations	Only signed.
1991-12-16	United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child	Ratified.

Denmark

When?	What?	Information
1888	Advanced maintenance scheme for illegitimate children.	Corden.
1908	Advanced maintenance scheme for all children.	Corden.
1959-06-22	United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance	Ratified.
1960	Divorce & maintenance determination dealt with by statsamter (local offices of national and civil law).	Corden.
1966-01-01	Hague Convention #9 concerning the recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1986	New statute on advanced maintenance.	Corden.
1988-01-01	Hague Convention #23 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions Relating to Maintenance Obligations	Entry into force.
1991-07-19	United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child	Ratified.

Finland

When?	What?	Information
1962-09-13	United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance	Accession.
1967-08-24	Hague Convention #9 concerning the recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1974	Child Maintenance Act.	Corden.
1977	Security of Child Maintenance Act. Security of Child Maintenance Decree.	Corden.
1983-07-01	Hague Convention #23 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions Relating to Maintenance Obligations	Entry into force.
1991-06-20	United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child	Ratified.

France

When?	What?	Information
1960-06-24	United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance	Ratified.
1963-07-01	Hague Convention #8 on the law applicable to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1966-07-25	Hague Convention #9 concerning the recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1977-10-01	Hague Convention #23 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions Relating to Maintenance Obligations	Entry into force.
1977-10-01	Hague Convention #24 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations	Entry into force.
1990-08-07	United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child	Ratified.

Germany

When?	What?	Information
Federal Republic before re-unification
1959-07-20	United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance	Ratified.
1962-01-01	Hague Convention #8 on the law applicable to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1962-01-01	Hague Convention #9 concerning the recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1969	Regelunterhalt ("maintenance rules"?) - regular support - for non-marital children.	Corden.
1969	Basic amounts for child maintenance were set in legislation, and have been adjusted regularly.
1987-04-01	Hague Convention #23 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions Relating to Maintenance Obligations	Entry into force.
1987-04-01	Hague Convention #24 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations	Entry into force.
Re-unified Germany (October 1990)
1990	Federal Republic (West Germany) law (see above) was introduced across what had been the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).	Corden.
1992-03-06	United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child	Ratified.
1993	Access to the advance maintenance scheme was widened.	Corden.

Netherlands

When?	What?	Information
1962-07-31	United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance	Ratified.
1962-12-14	Hague Convention #8 on the law applicable to maintenance obligations towards children	Ratified.
1964-04-28	Hague Convention #9 concerning the recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to maintenance obligations towards children	Ratified.
1981-03-01	Hague Convention #23 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions Relating to Maintenance Obligations	Entry into force.
1981-03-01	Hague Convention #24 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations	Entry into force.
1993	Research by Netherlands Institute for Budget Control and the Central Bureau for Statistics, which was subsequently used to set the minimum amounts.	Corden.
1995-02-06	United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child	Acceptance.
1997 (January)	Enforcement of child maintenance transfered to a new agency - LBIO (Landelijk Bureau Oderhoudsbijdragen). One of the aims was to increase compliance.	Corden.

Norway

When?	What?	Information
1957-10-25	United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance	Accession.
1965-11-01	Hague Convention #9 concerning the recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1978-07-01	Hague Convention #23 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions Relating to Maintenance Obligations	Entry into force.
1981	Act on Parents and Children.
1991-01-08	United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child	Ratified.
1992	Maintenance determination moved from fylkesmann (local offices of national and civil law) to local offices of NIA (National Insurance Administration).	Corden.

Sweden

When?	What?	Information
1937	Advanced maintenance scheme for both non-married & divorced women.	Corden.
1958-10-01	United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance	Ratified.
1964	Law on Maintenance Advance.	Corden.
1966-03-01	Hague Convention #9 concerning the recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to maintenance obligations towards children	Entry into force.
1977-05-01	Hague Convention #23 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Decisions Relating to Maintenance Obligations	Entry into force.
1990-06-29	United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child	Ratified.
1996	Law on Maintenance Support. Transfered administrative responsibility for assessing liabilities of non-resident parents whose child are receiving maintenance support from public funds.	Corden.
1997	Legislation to avoid inflation of expenditure on advanced maintenance as a result of low levels of voluntarily agreed maintenance.	Corden.

Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain

Corden: Apparently few lone mothers in Greece, Italy, Portugal, or Spain receive significant amounts of child maintenance, nor are there official public authorities for collecting child maintenance.

References

Finer: The Finer Report - Report of the "Committee for One-Parent Families".
Command paper Cmnd 5629 & 5629-I
ISBN 0-10-156290-X
ISBN 0-10-156291-8

Corden: Making child maintenance regimes work
Family Policy Studies Centre & Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Anne Corden
ISBN 1-901455-35-1
Summary

Page last updated: 18 December, 2003