5. Support for parents-to-be and parents
[ch 5: page 46]What’s new?
• A new pregnancy and baby payment replaced the Sure Start Maternity Grant in Scotland in December 2018;
• Child Tax Credit has been replaced by Universal Credit (UC) for most people (see Chapter 1). You can now only make a new claim for Child Tax Credit if you get the severe disability premium (see page 12) or got it in the past month and are still eligible for it;
• Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Amber Rudd has instructed Jobcentres to take a more flexible approach to support for childcare costs under Universal Credit (UC), which is paid in arrears, including using the Flexible Support Fund (see Chapter 1).
Benefits available to help parents and guardians raise their children include:
• Statutory Maternity Leave and Pay;
• Maternity Allowance;
• Sure Start Maternity Grant;
• Shared Parental Leave and Pay;
• Statutory Paternity Leave and Pay;
• Statutory Adoption Leave and Pay and Surrogacy Leave;
• Child Benefit; and
• Guardian’s Allowance.
Universal Credit (UC) (see Chapter 1) has replaced Child Tax Credit for most people.