Here - Health Promotion Agency

More documents

Recommendations

Info

9 Your rights and benefits The following pages are a guide to the main benefits available to families with young children. You may qualify for other benefits too. Benefits have to be claimed on many different forms, from many different offices, and the situation is always changing. The rates given here are accurate from April 2007. It’s always worth checking that you’re claiming everything to which you are entitled. There are many voluntary organisations that are happy to help. Don’t hesitate to ask for advice. If in doubt, get a second opinion. See the box below on where to get advice. 134 WHERE TO GET ADVICE AND HELP Working out what benefits and rights you are entitled to and making claims can be complicated. Get help if you need it. • You can go to your local Jobs & Benefits office or, in Northern Ireland, the Benefit Shop, Castle Court, Royal Avenue, Belfast. Tel: 028 9033 6958. Or go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau, library or other advice centre (see page 150). • Some local authorities have welfare officers. Phone your social services department (in Northern Ireland local Health and Social Services Trust) and ask. • Some voluntary organisations offer information and advice on benefits and rights at work, e.g. the National Council for One Parent Families (see page 149) and Working Families (see page 147), or you can phone Acas on 08457 474747. • You can contact the Child Support Agency national helpline on 08457 133133 or textphone 08457 138924, or visit www.csa.gov.uk B ENEFITS FOR ALL CHILDREN CHILD TRUST FUND What is it? A long-term savings and investment account for children. Who gets it? All children born on or after 1 September 2002, provided Child Benefit has been awarded for them, they live in the UK and they are not subject to immigration regulations. LEAFLETS WITH GENERAL INFORMATION Rates of benefits change every year, but you can find them in leaflet GL23, Social security benefit rates. Some other useful leaflets that you can get are: • BC1 Babies and children. A guide to benefits for anyone expecting a baby or caring for children. • CSL101 Child support: For parents who live apart. • NI17A A guide to maternity benefits. Further information about Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance - available from the Department for Work and Pensions website at www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/ni17a • WTC1 Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit: An introduction. • SD1 Sick or disabled? A guide for people who have a physical or mental illness or disability, including children – and people who look after them. There are also leaflets which give more information about specific benefits. You can get all these leaflets from your local Jobs & Benefits office, some large post offices, your Citizens Advice Bureau or other advice centres. How much is it? You will receive a voucher for £250 from the Government to start the account. If you receive the full amount of Child Tax Credit (CTC), because your household income is at or below the Child Tax Credit income limit (£14,495 in 2007/08), your child will receive a further £250. You can add up to £1,200 a year to the account and neither you nor your child will pay tax on any interest or gains you
make. The money cannot be taken out by anyone but your child, and they can only do so when they are 18. How do I claim? You have to do is claim Child Benefit for your child and meet the qualifying criteria shown in the second heading of this section. When Child Benefit has been awarded, you will automatically be sent an information pack and voucher within a month. For more information visit www.childtrustfund.gov.uk or call 0845 302 1470. B ENEFITS FOR ALL PARENTS PRESCRIPTIONS AND NHS DENTAL TREATMENT Who gets them? These are free while you are pregnant and for 12 months after you have given birth. Your child also gets free prescriptions until age 16. To claim for free prescriptions, ask your doctor or midwife for form FW8 and send it to your primary care trust (in Northern Ireland, ask for form HC11A and send it to the Central Services Agency). You will be sent an Exemption Certificate which lasts until a year after your due date. How do I claim? To claim after your baby is born (if you didn’t claim while you were pregnant) fill in form A in leaflet P11 NHS Prescriptions (in Northern Ireland read HC11 Help with health costs), which you can get from your doctor or Jobs & Benefits office. To claim for dental treatment, tick a box on a form provided by the dentist or show your Exemption Certificate. CHILD BENEFIT What is it? A tax-free benefit to help parents with the cost of caring for their children. It is payable for each child from birth until at least age 16. Who gets it? The mother, or the person responsible for the care of a child, but you must generally be living in the United Kingdom. How much is it? For your first child, £18.10 per week. For other children you get £12.10 a week per child. How do I claim? You may get a claim pack inside the Bounty Pack which most new mothers are given in hospital. You can also get a claim pack from your Jobs & Your rights and benefits Benefits office or post office (also from the General Register office in Northern Ireland). Alternatively, you can phone 0845 3021 444. Fill in the forms and send them with your baby’s birth certificate to the Child Benefit Centre (Child Benefit Office in Northern Ireland). The birth certificate will be returned to you. You can also apply online, or notify a change of circumstances, at www.hmrc.gov.uk/childbenefit/ (not available for Northern Ireland residents). Child Benefit can be paid directly into your bank account or by a book of orders which you cash at the post office. It is usually paid every four weeks in arrears, but single parents and families on low incomes can choose to be paid weekly. You should start to claim Child Benefit within three months of your baby’s birth, otherwise you will lose some of the benefit. Anything else? Child Benefit can help to protect your State Retirement Pension if you stay at home to look after your child. For every complete year that you get Child Benefit, but you don’t pay enough National Insurance contributions to count towards the basic pension, you automatically get ‘Home Responsibilities Protection’. MATERNITY LEAVE What is it? It is 26 weeks’ Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML) from work for any woman who is employed while she is pregnant. It doesn’t matter how many hours a week you work or how long you’ve worked for your employer. Also, if you’ve worked for your employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before your baby is due, you qualify for Additional Maternity Leave (AML). This means you can take an additional 26 weeks unpaid leave at the end of your Ordinary Maternity Leave. You must give your employer the correct notice. See box on page 136 giving notice for Ordinary Maternity Leave and Additional Maternity Leave. When can I start my leave? The earliest you can start your leave is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth (this is when you are about 29 weeks). You have to use the due date on your MAT B1 certificate which your midwife or GP will give you from about 20 weeks. Find the Sunday before your baby is 135
Page 1 and 2:
Birth five to This book gives you a
Page 3 and 4:
Birth five to Your complete guide t
Page 5 and 6:
1 The first weeks There’s somethi
Page 7 and 8:
The first weeks SCREENING AT A GLAN
Page 9 and 10:
The first weeks B REASTFEEDING Brea
Page 11 and 12:
The first weeks 2 Be patient… Sta
Page 13 and 14:
The first weeks Allow your baby to
Page 15 and 16:
The first weeks USING BREAST PUMPS
Page 17 and 18:
The first weeks STERILISING All the
Page 19 and 20:
The first weeks Follow the manufact
Page 21 and 22:
The first weeks S LEEPING Some babi
Page 23 and 24:
The first weeks room is too hot.
Page 25 and 26:
The first weeks If you’re finding
Page 27 and 28:
The first weeks NAPPY RASH Most bab
Page 29 and 30:
The first weeks WASHING AND BATHING
Page 31 and 32:
The first weeks T WINS ( OR MORE) P
Page 33 and 34:
YEARS MONTHS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2
Page 35 and 36:
How your child will grow • Walk o
Page 37 and 38:
How your child will grow BRUSHING Y
Page 39 and 40:
How your child will grow HEIGHT AND
Page 41 and 42:
How your child will grow You should
Page 43 and 44:
3 Learning and playing What we call
Page 45 and 46:
Learning and playing I DEAS FOR PLA
Page 47 and 48:
Learning and playing H OW TO MAKE S
Page 49 and 50:
Learning and playing TRANSITION FRO
Page 51 and 52:
Learning and playing MAKING CHILDCA
Page 53 and 54:
4 Habits and behaviour There are so
Page 55 and 56:
Habits and behaviour PROBLEMS WITH
Page 57 and 58:
Habits and behaviour • By twelve
Page 59 and 60:
Habits and behaviour A NEW BABY IN
Page 61 and 62:
Habits and behaviour • Sometimes
Page 63 and 64:
Habits and behaviour time he or she
Page 65 and 66:
Habits and behaviour out to buy one
Page 67 and 68:
5 Feeding your child Food is one of
Page 69 and 70:
Feeding your child - push the bowl
Page 71 and 72:
Feeding your child ALLERGIES Babies
Page 73 and 74:
sensible for adults, but not for ba
Page 75 and 76:
Feeding your child • Squashes, fi
Page 77 and 78:
Feeding your child FAMILY F OOD For
Page 79 and 80:
Feeding your child ‘When you go s
Page 81 and 82:
Feeding your child Types of vegetar
Page 83 and 84:
Feeding your child • Fruit and ve
Page 85 and 86: Feeding your child F OOD SAFETY You
Page 87 and 88: Feeding your child • If your chil
Page 89 and 90: 6 Illness and accidents Every child
Page 91 and 92: Illness and accidents ● ● out-o
Page 93 and 94: Illness and accidents smoking or en
Page 95 and 96: Illness and accidents D IARRHOEA YO
Page 97 and 98: Illness and accidents ● ● ●
Page 99 and 100: Illness and accidents Alternative t
Page 101 and 102: Illness and accidents After these m
Page 103 and 104: Illness and accidents ILLNESS INFEC
Page 105 and 106: Illness and accidents practice nurs
Page 107 and 108: Illness and accidents swelling wher
Page 109 and 110: ecome a carrier and develop serious
Page 111 and 112: Illness and accidents ❑ ❑ ❑
Page 113 and 114: Illness and accidents ● ● ●
Page 115 and 116: Illness and accidents IF YOUR CHILD
Page 117 and 118: Illness and accidents at the knee a
Page 119 and 120: Illness and accidents THINGS STUCK
Page 121 and 122: Illness and accidents W HEN A CHILD
Page 123 and 124: Your own life P HYSICAL PROBLEMS A
Page 125 and 126: Your own life visitor about other l
Page 127 and 128: Your own life Stress also comes fro
Page 129 and 130: Your own life • Share the housewo
Page 131 and 132: Your own life • Suggest a regular
Page 133 and 134: 8 Your services There is a wide ran
Page 135: Your services H OW TO CHANGE YOUR G
Page 139 and 140: Your rights and benefits of childca
Page 141 and 142: Your rights and benefits child’s
Page 143 and 144: Your rights and benefits Anything e
Page 145 and 146: Your rights and benefits Who gets t
Page 147 and 148: Your rights and benefits HOUSING BE
Page 149 and 150: USEFUL ORGANISATIONS Some of these
Page 151 and 152: Council for Disabled Children 8 Wak
Page 153 and 154: INDEX A accidents 108-18 additives
show all

Here - Health Promotion Agency

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?