Financial Support & help
We want to support you in making sound financial decisions that are right for you now and for the future. Remember to access any of these offers please speak to your Young Person’s Advisor (YP) at any time:
Your money and benefits
- You will be helped to set up your own bank account.
- When you are 18 you can get support and information on how to access your Children’s Trust Fund, your Junior ISA and any savings you may have.
- You will have access to a Personal Allowance when you are aged 16-17, not living in foster or residential care and are unable to access public funds. This will continue when you are 18 if you have no recourse to public funds.
- You are entitled to £10 per week pocket money if you are in custody or hospital establishment and you are aged 16-17.
- You will receive rent allowance if you are aged 16-17 for the full cost of your rent or placement costs.
- We will support you to ensure you are receiving your benefit entitlement and offer support if there is delay in you accessing this.
- You will have the opportunity to make a claim to the Department for Work and Pensions prior to your 18 birthdays to ensure you receive benefits you are entitled to.
- Your YPA can help you meet with your Work Coach who will help you with benefits.
- If you have access to Universal Credit, you might be entitled to 6 months free unlimited internet access from TalkTalk. Your Work Coach can access this from the Flexible Support Fund.
- If you are on a low income you might be entitled to access specific lower cost wifi packages from a range of providers. Please speak to your YPA or contact 01902 551155 and ask to speak to the Duty worker
- You may be able to receive Emergency Crisis Payments, for more information please speak to your YPA or contact 01902 551155 and ask to speak to the Duty worker.
- You may be entitled to be a part of our free bus pass trial with Transport for West Midlands. Please speak to your YPA or contact 01902 551155 and ask to speak to the Duty worker.
Finance skills
- You will be offered opportunities to engage in courses on budgeting skills which could lead to an ASDAN award
- You will be supported to have good financial management skills and helped to avoid debt by your YPA.
Access to your Child Trust Fund
If you are aged 16 - 21 and were born in the UK after September 2002 you might have a Child Trust Fund.
Both HMRC and The Share Foundation offer support to locate your Child Trust Fund for no charge. There is no reason why young people need to pay to locate their account!
One particular organisation advise in their Terms and Conditions that there is a service fee of £350+VAT. They even charge a cancellation fee!
We have been made aware of one local authority representative who directed a young person to one of these organisations and the young person incurred a high fee that was taken out of their Child Trust Fund money.
For young people in care, The Share Foundation do send a letter when a young person is 16 to provide them with the appropriate link to start the process of locating their account (this may be a Child Trust Fund, or it may be a Junior ISA – so the relevant link for that young person is included in the letter).
You have not actioned this link by the time you are 17½, then the letter is sent again. But if you can’t find this letter or didn’t receive one then, with your national insurance number visit CTF - The Share Foundation who will be able to help you find it!
You can visit the REACH Café drop in centre every Thursday, 1pm – 6pm to meet with your peers, YPA’s and a variety of support services to help and support you whatever you need.
