Mum's fight to unlock disabled son's savings

10 hours ago

Sarah Sanderson

Claire Stockton wants to see an easier way for parents to access their disabled children's government-backed Child Trust Funds

Carl Stockton Mother Claire Stockton has blonde hair tied back and she is wearing a black summer dress. She is sat down smiling at her son who is a wheelchair user and is now 20 years old. Her son is disabled and has a rare condition called ReNU syndrome. He is wearing a white t-shirt with a blue scarf and is looking back at his Mum, Claire. Both are sitting in front of the sea. — Claire Stockton wants to see an easier way for parents to access their disabled children's government-backed Child Trust Funds

A mum has asked the government to simplify the way in which parents of disabled young adults can access their Child Trust Funds.

Claire Stockton's son Finley, who is 20, has a rare condition called ReNU Syndrome which affects how the brain functions, affecting his learning, speech, movement and behaviour.

Although Finley lacks capacity, Claire, from Hull, was unable to access the funds on his behalf when he turned 18 and had to apply to the Court of Protection which she said took over a year.

The government said it was working to resolve the issues.

A Child Trust Fund is a long-term tax-free savings account set up by the government for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011.

The money becomes accessible to the child when they reach 18 but under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, if the adult cannot manage their own affairs, a parent or guardian must apply to the Court of Protection for a financial deputyship order to access the account.

Claire said the administrative process felt "really intrusive" with questions that seemed designed for elderly people in care rather than for parents.

"I felt that I'd already been tried and judged, that I was going to misuse his money," she said.

"It was really upsetting to be honest."

She said she accepted the need for safeguards but believed there should be a simpler system with less bureaucracy for parents to access the funds.

Claire has joined a national campaign urging the government to review the process by which parents and guardians of disabled adults can access their Child Trust Funds.

'Completely unfair'

She joined campaigners at the House of Commons on Wednesday at a meeting organised by parent campaigner Andrew Turner, charity Contact and a financial services provider.

Andrew Turner from Horsham, West Sussex, whose 23-year-old son Mikey has a rare degenerative condition, said Junior ISA's were also affected.

He said many parents were "totally confused by the whole situation and it's completely unfair".

Andrew said he wanted the government to create one simple, accessible system for parents to prove their circumstances and access money on behalf of their child.

He added the Mental Capacity Act was important, but "sending parents through a very complex and expensive court process simply isn't working."

In a statement, the government said: "We understand the difficulties parents of disabled children can face when seeking access to a Child Trust Fund once their child has reached adulthood.

"That's why we have digitised the application process and created a step-by-step guide to help parents through a system that exists to protect funds from fraud and abuse - and we are continuing to work across government to find ways to make it even easier for families to access these funds."

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