19th February

Financial Guidance for New Parents
After successful trials of the Parent's Guide to Money (PGM) the Financial Services Authority is to take the scheme nationwide this summer. Around 1500 prospective parents received a copy of the PGM either directly, through employers or children's centres. The PGM includes information on topics such as maternity leave, state benefits for families, going back to work, cost of childcare, how to save through Child Trust Funds and much much more. Included with the PGM is a cd-rom to help people with a computer work out how their income and spending will change after their baby has been born and whether they will gain or lose financially by returning to work.

Whilst the PGM will be distributed by midwives to mothers in the early stages of pregnancy, it has been recommended that online access through children's centres should be explored.