Children

Children as young as four are being encouraged to join savings clubs as part of a bid to prevent them relying on payday loans or racking up heavy debts later in life.

Parents who fail to pay child maintenance could find they're rejected when applying for credit cards, mortgages and mobile phone contracts as non-payment and arrears information may be shared with credit reference agencies, the Government announced today.

Over 50,000 separated parents in England, Scotland and Wales have been sent letters by the Government warning that they will face a charge for administering child maintenance payments unless they can reach an amicable agreement.

Child Trust Funds can be transferred into junior Isas from April 2015, the Government has announced.

New rights to share parental leave with a new-born baby's father will help stop women feeling they have to choose between having a career or a baby, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says.

Thousands of divorced women or those whose relationships have broken down are at risk of being turned down for mortgages because many lenders don't take child support payments into account when considering loan applications.

Free childcare will be extended so it benefits double the number of families on low incomes, the Deputy Prime Minister says.

Parents across the UK are being asked to reveal how the soaring cost of childcare affects them, as two leading charities call on the Government to improve help for struggling families.

Parents whose children have money in a child trust fund (CTF) savings account have been urged to move their cash to a top-payer soon.