Janet Wojtkow is the Director of Child Maintenance Options and has been involved in the development of this service since June 2009. Janet was inspired to join Options because of the different challenges and opportunities faced when trying to help separating and separated parents, and the hundreds of thousands of children whose lives are affected by separation .
“It astonishes me that less than 50% of children in Britain’s 2.6m separated families benefit from regular maintenance payments,” says Janet. “It highlights the scale of the challenge for Child Maintenance Options to engage and help as many separating and separated families as possible put in place appropriate maintenance arrangements that are right for their particular family circumstances.
”As Director, Janet manages the contact centre, which has over 150 specialists ready to take calls. She oversees the face–to-face Options consultation service, and is also responsible for Options online services. In addition, Janet is always looking for ways to improve and develop the Options service, to help meet the needs of customers. Janet works closely with other organisations like the Centre for Separated Families and Relate. “Co-parenting is a major issue for families today and there are many organisations working hard to help parents put in place effective co-parenting relationships that give children the support and stability they need to have a balanced childhood. We are keen to work closely with them to make sure we are reaching as many separated parents as possible.” Janet is also passionate about providing family and friends with information and support on child maintenance issues. Research shows many separating parents often turn to family and friends for support but it’s important they have the right information to help. That’s why the service isn’t just for parents, but for anyone who wants to help make sure that children are financially provided for - including grandparents, friends and other family members. Thanks to the commitment of Janet and her colleagues, Options has already helped tens of thousands of families in Great Britain. But there is a still lot of work to do. “Our work is about supporting as many separated or separating families as possible, by helping them to understand all the options available and choose the one that best meets their circumstances.”
