Father says change needed for Child Trust Funds

A father from Horsham has said he will continue to campaign for children with disabilities to get easier access to their savings.

Andrew Turner wanted to buy his son Mikey an adapted bike from his Child Trust Fund (CTF) when he reached 18.

However, he found he would have to go to the Court of Protection for permission, which he said was like using a "sledgehammer to crack a nut".

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice Mike Freer told a Westminster Hall debate last week he would see whether anything could be done to make the system more accessible.

CTFs were set up by the Labour Government in 2005 for all children born from 2002, until they came to an end in 2011.

Money in the tax-free accounts belongs to the child and they can only take it out when they reach 18.

But an oversight meant no provision was made for children with disabilities who were unable to manage their own finances.

A report in April 2023, suggested 80,000 such young people were unable to access their CTFs without their families going through the Court of Protection.

Mikey, now 21, has a rare life-limiting genetic condition that became apparent when he was a toddler. He now lives in residential care.

Mr Turner told BBC Sussex: "For our family it has been a difficult journey and the Child Trust Fund issue is just something we really didn't need.

"To put disabled young people and their family through this is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

A CTF provider helped the family gain access to the money eventually but Mr Turner wants the government to make the process easier for other families.

Last Tuesday, the Conservative MP for Horsham, Jeremy Quin, held a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on the issue.

Mr Freer responded: "Broadly speaking, where I am coming from is improving education, improving access and improving knowledge.

“But I cannot in all good conscience say I am going to throw open the accounts and give unfettered access without some checks and safeguards to ensure that the very small minority do not have the ability to abuse a young adult.

“However, I will commit to following through with colleagues at the Department for Work and Pensions to see whether there is anything we can do… to make the system more accessible.”

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