Footprint

About this time last year Mike Smith of Durham Legal Services was enthusiastically telling me about a new development, Footprint. It was designed in anticipation of the child support reforms to help parents make their own child maintenance arrangements without involving the the Child Support Agency. Footprint records details of contact arrangements and keeps a diary creating a record which maybe accessed by lawyers and used to resolve disputes. There is "an absolutely unique interface where messages about the children can be exchanged in a neutral way, cutting down on those angry email exchanges and telephone calls." There is charge of £75 that includes a written Private Maintenance Agreement plus 12 months' use of the Footprint online system.