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PRINTEmbargoed until: Thursday 28 October 2010
Turn2us is encouraging new mothers and pregnant women to check their benefit entitlement and eligibility for grants in light of its new research which shows more than half of mothers (53%) have built up debt whilst on maternity leave.
The study, which was carried out for Turn2us by Bounty Parenting Club shows the financial hardship new and expectant mums face, with almost a quarter (23%) of women, who are currently on or have been on maternity leave, confessing to using credit cards, the same figure relying on overdrafts and 27% using up all or most of their savings.
Meanwhile, 14% say they can’t afford to have anymore children, while one in five (21%) of mums say that they felt the impact of a child on family finances had made or will make them return to work earlier than expected.
Emma Aldridge, Projects Manager of Turn2us, said: “We know that bringing up children is a costly expense for parents, especially during maternity leave when there is usually less income coming in. At a time when there are considerable changes planned for the welfare benefits system, it is more critical than ever that expectant mothers and families living on low-incomes check their benefit entitlement as soon as possible, in addition to their eligibility for grants.”
Turn2us is currently working with Home-Start and the Child Poverty Action Group to provide a service to help families with young children who are in financial need to ensure they receive the practical help, support and confidence to access the benefits and grants available to them.
Aldridge added: “Four million children live in poverty in the UK , one of the highest rates in Europe, with children under five remaining at greatest risk of poverty than any other age group . Child poverty can impact on later life, with research showing that experience of poverty in the early years has a long-term impact on educational attainment and cognitive development .”
The survey also shows that over one in five (22%) survey respondents got advice from family and friends about child benefit and tax credits, whilst 76% don’t know or are not sure where to look for charitable support to cope with financial difficulties.
Faye Mingo, Parenting Spokesperson of Bounty, said: “Mums tell us that taking maternity leave and often dropping from two salaries to one is a challenge. We would urge expectant parents to budget carefully and use the help and support available to them. Whilst expectant parents may feel tempted to splash-out, over spending can risk the longer-term financial security and happiness of their new family.”
Turn2us, part of the charity Elizabeth Finn Care, helps people in financial need access the money available to them – from welfare benefits, grants and other financial help – through its comprehensive website www.turn2us.org.uk
ENDS
For further information and interviews, please contact:
Laura Johnston, Press Officer. Telephone: 020 8834 9260. laura.johnston@elizabethfinn.org.uk Kellie Smith, Senior Press Officer. Telephone: 020 8834 9263. kellie.smith@elizabethfinn.org.uk. Hythe House, 200 Shepherds Bush Road, London, W6 7NL.
Notes to Editors:
Bounty
• Bounty’s Word of MumTM omnibus surveys are run bi-monthly from January until November each year.
• Members of the Bounty club have been invited to become Word of Mum TM panellists and participate in our surveys regularly.
• The Word of Mum panel TM is managed by EasyInsites on behalf of Bounty. EasyInsites send emails to Word of Mum TM panellists on behalf of Bounty with an invitation to click on a link and participate in a survey.
• The September Word of Mum TM omnibus survey was carried out between the 17th and 30th September 2010.
• A total of 2,335 interviews were carried out, amongst women in the early stages of pregnancy through to mums with a youngest child aged two years.
Elizabeth Finn Care
• Elizabeth Finn Care is a national charity that helps people in financial need to improve their lives.
• Elizabeth Finn Care gives direct financial support to people from over 120 occupational backgrounds, and through Turn2us helps millions more people in the UK to access the money available to them in welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help.
• Turn2us is part of Elizabeth Finn Care.
• Since being founded in 1897, Elizabeth Finn Care has given away over £130m in direct financial assistance to people in need. In 2009/2010 over 3,500 British and Irish citizens received grants totalling almost £4m from Elizabeth Finn Care.
Turn2us
• 13.5 million people in the UK live below the poverty line (source - Households Below Average Income: An analysis of the income distribution 1994/95-2007/08). Yet latest annual figures show that around 16.8 billion of welfare benefits go unclaimed and there are also over 3,500 charitable funds available which distribute grants worth over £366 million a year.
• Turn2us helps people to access to the money available to them in welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help. Turn2us is part of the Elizabeth Finn Care Charity registered in England and Wales: 207812 and Scotland: SCO40987.
• The Turn2us free, confidential online service - www.turn2us.org.uk is designed to help individuals quickly and easily find welfare benefits, tax credits or charitable grants available to them - all in one place. The site has a number of tools to make the process simpler, including a benefits checker, grants search and ‘find an adviser’ tool to help locate someone to speak to. Over 3,500 charitable funds are listed on the website and people can apply online to many of the charities for help. In the last 12 months over 2 million people have used the website.
• Turn2us works in partnership with organisations across the UK, including AdviceUK, Association of Charitable Officers, Citizens Advice, Child Poverty Action Group, Home-Start UK and Money Advice Trust to develop our services and reach the many millions of people that need our help.