The cost of bringing up a family can be a real worry for some parents. This page provides advice on the range of financial support you may be able to claim which could make a real difference to your family as well as advice on money management and dealing with debt.
- Money management and dealing with debt
- Benefits you may be entitled to
- Financial help for families affected by disability
- Help with childcare costs
- Financial help if you are bringing up children
- Help with household bills
- Credit unions in Warwickshire
- Further help
Money management and dealing with debt
Managing your money and the family finances can be a difficult enough job at the best of times. The services listed below will give you support and advice on dealing with day to day financial issues such as:
- Budgeting and managing family finances
- Dealing with debt
- Mortgages and loans
- Savings and investments
- Pensions
- Citizens Advice Bureau – Money Management – advice on managing debt, bankruptcy, mortgage problems, credit problems, bailiffs, debt management companies, court action for debt and budgeting.
- the Money Advice Service – Your Money – provides information and advice on issues such as credit cards and loans, mortgages and homes, insurance, pensions and retirement, savings and investments, tax and benefits.
- National Debtline – gives free, confidential and independent advice to people with debt problems.
- The CCCS – Consumer Credit Counselling Service – is a national debt help charity who offer free advice to help people who are in financial difficulty. They are the Citizens Advice Bureau’s preferred partner for debt management plans and they are endorsed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. They provide free, independent and realistic advice on personal budgeting, use of credit and dealing with debt problems including debt repayment.
- The Debt Support Trust – is a registered charity who can give you expert debt advice and support if you are struggling to manage your debts.
- the Money Advice Service – Divorce and Separation – If you are going through divorce or separation, the Financial Services Authority Money Made Clear team can help you with the financial issues you face, providing advice to help you stay on top of your financial situation.
Benefits you may be entitled to
There are a number of benefits, grants and allowances that you and your family may be entitled to if you are:
- bringing up or expecting children
- in work, out of work or looking for work
- a lone parent
- a sick or disabled parent or you have children who are sick or disabled
You can download our ‘Financial help fact sheets’ from the Downloads and documents section of this page, which will also tell you what benefits and grants you may be entitled to.
- Gov.uk – Benefits – provides an overview of the wide range of benefits and allowances you may be entitled to.
- Citizens’ Advice Bureau – Benefits information – includes advice on benefits and tax credits for different groups as well as information on help with council tax and housing costs, the payment of benefits and what to do if you have any problems with benefits.
- Citizens Advice Bureau – Benefits for people who are sick or disabled. – Gives information about benefits and tax credits that you or a family member may be entitled to.
- Gov.uk – budgeting loans – are tax free loans. No interest is charged but you do have to pay the loan back. Budgeting Loans can help you spread the cost of things you need to buy every so often.
- Warwickshire Welfare Rights Advice Service – is an advice agency for the people of Warwickshire, which raises awareness of Social Security benefits and how to claim them.
- Turn2us – Benefits and Grants advice – Turn2Us is an independent charity that can help people to get the money available to them – through welfare benefits, grants and other help.
Financial help for families affected by disability
If you or a member of your family has a disability, there are a number of benefits and other forms of financial help which you may be able to apply for. This section also includes information on:
- whether you or members of your family are eligible for specific financial help
- how to claim and when to claim benefits and grants
- how different benefits are paid
- Citizens’ Advice Bureau – Benefits for people who are sick or disabled – gives information about the benefits and tax credits that you or a member of your family may be entitled to.
- Gov.uk – Financial Help for Disabled People – includes information about Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, tax relief and other deductions that you may be able to claim if you or another family member has a disability.
- Contact a Family – Benefits for looking after a disabled child – gives details of benefits and tax credits that you may be entitled to if you are looking after a disabled child, how they are paid and when to claim them.
- Gov.uk – direct payments – Arranging your own care and services – Direct payments are made by councils to people receiving social care services instead of the council providing the service directly. This link tells you more about whether you can get direct payments, what they can be used for and how to apply for them.
- Family Fund – The Family Fund supports families caring for children under 16 who are severely disabled or seriously ill. They provide grants and information to make life easier and more enjoyable for the disabled child and their family.
Help with childcare costs
Childcare can be expensive. There are, however, a number of financial support schemes which could help you with the costs of childcare including Gov.uk – Tax credits, childcare voucher schemes and nursery education funding.
Find out more about help with childcare costs.
Other financial help if you are bringing up children
Bringing up children can be costly and expensive. The web pages listed below will provide information on benefits, grants and allowances available to working and non-working parents including
Tax credits as well as information to help you with the planning, budgeting, managing and balancing of your family finances.
Our Financial Support for Parents and Carers factsheet will also give you an at a glance guide of what you may be entitled to.
- Gov.uk – benefits for families – including information about benefits, grants and allowances that you may be entitled to.
- Gov.uk – tax credits – are payments from the government. If you’re responsible for at least one child or young person who normally lives with you, you may qualify for Child Tax Credit. If you work, but earn low wages, you may qualify for Working Tax Credit.
- HRMC – Tax Credits Calculator. – This online tool helps you to work out roughly how much tax credit you are entitled to.
- Child Maintenance Options – gives advice and support to help parents make the best choices about child maintenance options to suit their individual circumstances.
- The Child Support Agency – helps tackle child poverty by making sure that parents who live apart from their children contribute financially to their upbringing by paying Child Maintenance.
- Financial Services Authority – Parents guide to money – aims to help parents and their families learn more about money and managing their finances (pdf, 581Kb)
Help with household bills
If you are struggling to pay your household bills, there are a number of schemes available which may be able to offer financial help with paying:
- Council Tax bills
- Gas and electricity bills
- Water bills
The government’s Gov.uk – Cold Weather Payments scheme and the Gov.uk – Warm Front Scheme can also help with paying for heating costs and insulation improvements to your home.
- Gov.uk – Council Tax Benefit – Whether you are working or not, if you are on a low income and need help to pay your Council Tax bill, you may be able to get Council Tax Benefit.
- The Severn Trent WaterSure Scheme – is for customers who pay for their water charges via a water meter. The scheme can help you if you have problems paying for your water because of high water usage or because you are on a low income.
- The British Gas Energy Trust – aims to help those most in need by providing grants to help families pay for their energy charges and other household bills and costs.
- The EDF Energy Trust – aims to help you by reducing the level of your debt repayments and to help make it easier for you to pay your energy bills in the future.
- npower – Spreading Warmth – The npower Spreading Warmth programme offers help to those most in need such as the elderly, low income families, disabled and chronically sick by helping people to manage their bills, keep warm and reduce their energy costs.
Credit Unions in Warwickshire
Credit unions are financial co-operatives owned and controlled by their members. If you and your family need financial help, they can offer you savings and great value loans. There are a number of credit unions helping people throughout Warwickshire. If you would like to find out more about credit unions in your local area, the contact details are listed below.
Bedworth & Bulkington Credit Union
7 Leicester Street
Bedworth
CV12 8GG
Tel: 024 7631 1999
New Way Credit Union
158 Long Street
Atherstone
CV9 1AE
Tel: 01827 718951
Nuneaton Credit Union
Hatters Space
Upper Abbey Street
Nuneaton
CV11 5BT
Tel: 024 7664 2480
Rugby Credit Union
CVS House
North Street
Rugby
CV21 2AG
Tel: 01788 577900
South Warwickshire Credit Union
6 Windsor Court
Greenhill Street
Stratford-upon-Avon
Warwickshire
CV37 6GG
Tel: 01789 261505
Email: southwarwickshirecreditunion@rocketmail.com
Also at:
Community Link Office
4-6 Clemens Street
Leamington Spa
CV31 2DL
Further help
For more information about the financial help that may be available to help you and your family, contact the Family Information Service on 0845 090 8044 or 01926 742274.
