A new report shows a bad situation is getting worse. This really is a case for draconian action from the state

Men don’t pay and won’t pay. Governments for more than 30 years have failed abysmally to make fathers pay for their children. The latest report, following a long line of them, shows how few fathers are paying maintenance, and how many separated mothers are giving up in despair. Child poverty has risen to 44% in single-parent households, but when children do receive maintenance it cuts the child poverty rate by 25%. Why does the state fail to collect on children’s behalf?

The long and sorry saga of the Child Support Agency began in 1993. It was disastrously mismanaged from the start, arousing maximum rage with rebellious fathers’ protests for minimum actual collection of cash. When it was shut down, billions in arrears owed to mothers and children were simply wiped clean, never collected. The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) that replaced it has done no better. This week’s report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Gingerbread, the single parents’ charity, finds 41% of parents caring for children (almost all women) have no maintenance agreement at all from non-resident parents (almost all fathers). They have been failed by the CMS.

Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist

In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org