Children's centres offer benefits health check

Parents at Howard Street and Sandbrook Sure Start Children’s Centres have been checking the budget with a new service from the Citizens Advice Bureau which offers a benefits health check.

Fully qualified Citizens Advice Bureau advisors are now offering free and confidential sessions, which gives families with children aged five and under the chance to work out their full benefits calculation and entitlement.

The free sessions are for a limited time. They are aimed at educating parents in what benefits they are entitled to particularly with advice on financial support towards registered childcare costs.

The sessions run on a Wednesday, 9.30am – 12.30pm, at Howard Street Children’s Centre and on a Friday, 9.30am – 12.30pm, at Sandbrook Children’s Centre. The appointments are face to face and last for up to 45 minutes. Appointments are booked through the Family Information Service on 01706 719900.

The sessions are open to all parents with at least one child aged 0–5 years, however parents who are out of work, planning to start work or are a working parent paying for childcare may find this session with the Citizens Advice Bureau advisor particularly useful.

One parent who has used the service said: “Our personal circumstances have changed recently, so I thought I’d make an appointment to see if it affected the benefits we could claim. The advisor was really helpful and friendly which made talking about money easier and I now know what we are entitled to. With a young family, even a little bit of support is helpful."

Lisa Fitton, Project Manager said: “New Year is a great time to review the family budget and this free service gives parents a unique opportunity to review what they are entitled to, make sure they are not missing out on anything and how to claim it. The service is free, confidential, independent and impartial. It covers a health check of benefit entitlements and any other financial issues that families may have encountered, so why not start the new year with a clean bill of financial health?”