Below is a list of questions that are answered in this section.
Questions
I am under 16 and a parent – what do I do?
Who has parental responsibility for my child?
My child is being looked after by a local authority – what happens for them?
I am a foster parent. Can I claim for a Child Trust Fund (CTF) account for the children I foster?
What happens if there is no one with parental responsibility?
I have adopted a child, what should I do about their CTF account?
Will the local authority manage the CTF accounts of looked after children?
How much do children who are looked after by the local authority receive?
I am homeless, will this affect my child’s CTF account?
What about travelling families?
Answers
Q. I am under 16 and a parent – what do I do?
A. If you are under 16 you cannot open or manage a CTF account. Please call the CTF Helpline (see contact us button at the top of this page). HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will open a stakeholder account for your child.
HMRC will let you know where the account has been opened. The provider will send you all the details so you and your family and friends can add to the account. Once you are 16 you will be able to manage this account for your child. You will be able to change the account to a different type and/or different provider should you wish to.
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Q. Who has parental responsibility for my child?
A. Parents who are married to each other will each have parental responsibility. Where parents are not married the mother will automatically have parental responsibility. The father will have parental responsibility if:
- he is registered on the birth certificate or
- parents agree by means of a parental responsibility agreement or
- a court so orders.
Other individuals may have parental responsibility including adoptive parents, a step-parent under a parental responsibility agreement, testamentary or special guardians and a person with whom a child is living under a residence order (under which they take on parental responsibility).
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Q. My child is being looked after by a local authority – what happens for them?
A. Has someone claimed Child Benefit for this child ?
Yes - If Child Benefit was awarded for the child before the local authority started looking after them, then the person who claimed Child Benefit should have received a voucher and could have opened an account before the child became looked after. However, if an account has not been opened by the time the child becomes looked after, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will open a stakeholder account for them.
No - If the local authority started to look after the child before Child Benefit was awarded, HMRC will open an account and will write to a person with parental responsibility for the child, explaining where the account is and encouraging them to take over the management of that account.
In cases where there is no one appropriate with parental responsibility for the child, his or her CTF account will be managed by the Official Solicitor in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or the Accountant of Court in Scotland, until someone appropriate with parental responsibility becomes available.
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Q. I am a foster parent. Can I claim for a CTF account for the children I foster?
A. Only a person with parental responsibility for a child can open and manage a CTF account. Foster parents do not usually have parental responsibility for the children they foster. If there is no one appropriate with parental responsibility the Official Solicitor in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or the Accountant of Court in Scotland will manage the account, until someone appropriate with parental responsibility becomes available.
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Q. What happens if there is no one with parental responsibility?
A. In cases where there is no one appropriate with parental responsibility for a looked after child, his or her CTF account will be managed by the Official Solicitor in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or the Accountant of Court in Scotland, until someone appropriate with parental responsibility for the child becomes available.
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Q. I have adopted a child, what should I do about their CTF account?
A. If you have parental responsibility for the child, you can become the registered contact for the account. Please contact the provider who will tell you what you have to do. It is likely that the provider will ask to see a copy of the adoption order to check that you have parental responsibility for the child. Once you are the registered contact you can, if you wish, transfer the account to another type of account or to another provider.
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Q. Will the local authority manage the CTF accounts of looked after children?
A. No, local authorities (and Health and Social Services Trusts in Northern Ireland) cannot manage any CTF accounts. They can however contribute to a CTF account if they wish, for example at birthdays, Christmas or special occasions.
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Q. How much do children who are looked after by a local authority receive?
A. All children born on or after 1 September 2002 and who are being looked after by a local authority on 6 April 2005, are entitled to a starting payment from the Government as set out in the table below. The different amounts recognise that accounts could only be opened from October 2005.
How much they receive depends on when they were born. Use the table below to check:
Child's Date of Birth | £ |
|---|
1 September 2002 - 5 April 2003 | £566 |
6 April 2003 - 5 April 2004 | £548 |
6 April 2003 - 5 April 2005 | £523 |
6 April 2005 | £507 |
If, however, a child born on or after 1 September 2002 first became looked after by a local authority after 6 April 2005 and did not have Child Benefit claimed for them, then HM Revenue & Customs will open an account for them with a starting payment as set out in the table below. The different amounts recognise that accounts could only be opened from October 2005.
Date child first became looked after | Starting payment |
|---|
7 April 2005 – 5 May 2005 | £507 |
6 May 2005 – 5 June 2005 | £506 |
6 June 2005 – 5 July 2005 | £504 |
6 July 2005 – 5 August 2005 | £502 |
6 August 2005 onwards | £500 |
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Q. I am homeless. Will this affect my child’s CTF account?
A. A parent's status does not affect a child’s eligibility for the CTF, but they will have to be awarded Child Benefit to receive a CTF voucher for their child. The annual statements will be sent to any mailing or contact address the parent chooses to give to the provider.
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Q. What about travelling families?
A. Children in travelling families are entitled to the CTF but a parent will have to be awarded Child Benefit to receive a CTF voucher for their child. We can arrange to send a CTF voucher or other correspondence to the address the parent normally uses to receive information from us.
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