Bad timing

As part of the masses of paperwork we got from the midwife, we got a guide to what benefits and financial help we can get as parents-to-be. First off, I think it's utterly brilliant that we get a extremely detailed centimetre-thick bound booklet Parent's guide to money. The downside is that that in several places there are notes like … until January 2011… or …born before 31 December 2010… and so on.

The new government is dropping or cutting back a number of benefits for parents. This is apparently a bad time to have a baby as far as government support goes. The big obvious ones I've noticed (that impact me) are:

• completely stopping the Health in Pregnancy Grant (a one-off £190 paid after 26 weeks)
• completely stopping Child Trust Funds (a savings account for your child they can use then hit 18)

On top of that, the Child Benefit (a weekly payment regardless of income) appears to also be cutting back, but I can't find anything which says definitively for whom it's being cut back and when. Either some people won't be able to get it at all, or they'll get it and have it taxed at 100%. The BBC seems to imply that the changes won't start til 2013. Does anyone know for sure? I don't want to get a benefit and find out a year later I have to pay it all back.

The annoying thing is that this is the first I've heard of most of these. Reading the booklet I keep thinking "wow, that's a great and really civilised idea! That'd definitely help." Which makes it all the worse with them being cut.

Now come the part I hope does not digress into a political rant…

It strikes me as odd that the government seems to be targeting its cuts in areas meant to ensure healthy and prosperous generations to come. So, in ensuring that the next generation is not saddled with debt, we're stripping from them both the things they need to get a good start in life and the tools they need to manage things for themselves. I just don't see how this isn't we-pay-now and they-pay-later. I'd much rather it be one or the other, not both. I'd much rather the next generation be in debt, but have the skills to pay it off. Or, more altruistically I'd much rather if I had to go through the whole cutbacks and austerity thing, that I'd be comfortable knowing the next generation would at least get off to a good start and a fair fighting chance of it when it came their turn.

Plus, to top it off, I may not be able to get paternity leave either. I'd have to be employed with my company for 6 months before taking it. The kidlet is due at the end of July. My company is downsizing and I have about a 50% chance of being made redundant by March. So I'd have to have a new job in place and started by the end of this month in order to be able to take my fortnight of leave. This, of course, is not helping.