| In the budget in April, the chancellor Alistair Darling | | | | would argue that the government are taking the easy |
| announced that children with a disability will get an | | | | way out by throwing money at the problem without |
| extra £100 per year towards their Child Trust | | | | thinking of schemes that benefit those in need. |
| Fund. This will be £200 per year for those | | | | Giving a flat rate of £100 a year for most |
| children with a severe disability. | | | | disabled children and £200 for severely disabled |
| The Child Trust Fund began in 2005, and is a scheme | | | | may also be misusing the money. It is not focussing on |
| whereby the government give parents of each new | | | | methods of improving the assistance disabled children |
| born child a £250 voucher to invest on behalf of | | | | get, but just giving each individual child an equal amount |
| the child. Family and friends can add an extra | | | | (although there are two categories). Surely there are |
| £1200 per year towards the fund, and an extra | | | | more than two levels of disability, and therefore each |
| £250 is added by the government when a child | | | | child should be helped on a more individual basis. There |
| turns seven. The child cannot touch the Child Trust | | | | are, of course, other schemes that are used to help |
| Fund, until their eighteenth birthday, when they can do | | | | disabled children, but more money spent in these areas |
| with it as they please. The Child Trust Fund is designed | | | | may have been a more useful option than spending it |
| to give young adults a head start in life. | | | | on the Child Trust Fund. The needs of the disabled are |
| With the extra amount for disabled children, it means | | | | about services and facilities, and not just about pure |
| that an extra £2,900 would have been invested | | | | money. These services and facilities cost money, and |
| on behalf of a disabled child by the time he/she has | | | | this is where it should be going. Once eighteen the |
| turned eighteen. This will be £5,800 for severely | | | | money can be used however the beneficiary wishes, |
| disabled children. If it has been invested well it could be | | | | so may not be used to help them with their disability |
| significantly higher by that time. | | | | anyway. |
| This is obviously good news for a disabled child once | | | | The one advantage of this money being put towards |
| he/she turns eighteen. It could be questioned though, | | | | the Child Trust Fund is that it will be worth more when |
| whether this is the best use of the money. Those with | | | | it comes to the child using the money. £100 |
| disabilities need extra help, but there may be better | | | | spent now is only £100, while the accumulation |
| ways of helping them. A child with a disability needs | | | | of all this money plus interest over many years could |
| more help now, and not being able to touch the money | | | | be significantly more. |
| until they are eighteen will not solve that problem. Many | | | | |