We'd like your views about the Health in Pregnancy grant and Child Trust Funds

I am greatfull for the CTF - both my boys have one and we can afford to put £10 a month in, plus any money they get from family goes in there to, they wont have tons when they are 18 in fact i think its predicted at only £4000 or something but that is enough for them to learn to drive with or to help towards Uni (although not much!)
Without them they would have got to 18 and had zilch.

The health in pregnancy grant is rubbish i know not one person who has used it for its intended purpous.

Sure Start Maternity grant was better but i think it should only be given for the first child.

Not only was the HiP grant not used by anyone I know for healthy eating, it was issued long after it really mattered what you were eating. If it had been available in the first trimester, maybe it would have been used for what it was intended, but so far as I remember, you didn't get it until you were 20 weeks. If you hadn't been eating healthy for your baby up until then, it was a bit late to start. I used mine for an Amby Hammock, I am not ashamed to say. But I eat healthy anyway.

CTF is useless. I put it into some stupid account where it will sit, probably still worth £250 when my son is 18, and opened an ISA for him (well, in my name, but the funds came from his 'welcome to the world' monetary gifts and will be added to by his XMas and Birthday gifts) since I have much more control over how the money is invested.

I think they were a mammoth waste of money to start with.

CTF was nice, but £250 really isn't going to translate to anything like enough to, for example, pay top up fees, especially not with the restrictions placed on investment of the CTF. Since they are replacing it with a mini-ISA parents can still save for their childre if they want (and can afford it).

Health in Pregnancy grant was a waste too. That money would have been better spent on post-natal care. I would imagine better post-natal care might save the NHS money as well. Just a thought.

These things were all frills when money should have been spent on something substantive.

What is the Saving Gateway?

Well yes SPB but did they not stop to think "oh hang on we already give people who can't afford it vouchers to spend on fresh veg". If they really wanted to extend it to everyone then it needed to be in voucher form. In any case people are not, by and large, going to radically change their diet late on in pregnancy (when they give the grant) when they are all tired and pregnant. I would have thought you needed to target people earlier on.

Both a waste of money especially the HiP grant which wasn't means tested (I think there are Sure Start grants for pregnant people who really need it aren't there?)

I don't like the lack of control over the CTF so we haven't added to DD's and are saving for her benefit in our own ISAs instead. It's also a bit annoying to now have one for one child and not the other.

Would have liked to see a higher threshold for removal of child benefit though, I know quite a few families who have around a 45K income and do rely on it.

Glad to see the back of all non means-tested grants.

We cannot afford them and they were gimmicks anyhow.

I think the ida behind the HiP grant was that no-one had any excuse for not buying fresh fruit and vegetables - they couldn't say they couldn't afford it.

CTF I think a good idea if you can be bothered with it, most people I know werent and just left it to go wherever the government put it. I put money in my sons ctf every month and its all added up theres quite abit now.
If i didnt recieve the voucher for £250 I dont think I would of bothered to set up a savings account for ds as he was only 6 months and its the last thing on your mind, Im glad I recieved mine and its nice knowing there is something there for ds when hes 18 :)

HIP grant I didnt recieve but I had friends that recieved it and put it towards a dearer pram or more baby clothes etc.
Dont think it was necessary they must know people arent going to spend £195 on fruit and veg like previous posters said would have been better in supermarket vouchers. Think the idea to give people more money for expanding their family was stupid and shouldnt have ever been brought in in my opinion.

I thought the CTFs were a waste of money when they were started and I still think that, I was pleased that they were axed. It is not up to the government to provide savings for my children.

The HiP grant was badly thought out and I don't for a momen believe that people quietly divided it my the number of months left of their pregnancy and used it to buy more fresh fruit/eat better. It was a nonsense. Those who really couldn't afford to eat well would qualilfy for the healthy start vouchers anyway (as I did when I had my first). The vouchers are far more sensible since they can only be used for milk (fresh or formula) and fresh fruit and veg.

I assume it's the top up a child receives at 7

HiP and CTF = Complete waste of money - better off keeping child benefit. As a family we received both. I bought maternity clothes with HiP (nice but not necessary) and we will not be adding to the CTF as we feel we want more control over any money our daughter has and will save in different ways/accounts. No idea what the Saving Gateway is so not missed by us!

The child trust fund isnt helpful to my family at all, DD got one but my other 2 children havent and being a family who needs all of their income we cannot afford to save for all 3. CTF a waste of government money unless you can afford to pay in to it!

HiP should have been given in vouchers to be redeemed against food in the supermarket TBH, I have seen many people cash this in and spend on nice things for baby etc which wasnt what it was intended for. Im also a little bitter as its being scrapped and i will miss the deadline by 2 weeks ;)

getting on this thread...