The Balance Collective Ask Me Anything – Signposting for financial and childcare information support

This week, it’s a bit of a different take on the AMA! As you may have seen on my socials, each month I ask for YOUR issues A question was asked on LinkedIn,  about the new free child-care provision policy, and my immediate answer was “It’s not my expertise”. However, what I DO quite well (if I do say so myself), is to gather information and signpost. So, whilst I initially passed at this question, I have decided to expand the theme to finance in general, and hopefully point you in the direction of some fantastic resources.

This week, I want to focus on where you can get more information and potential guidance around money.  I don’t think I’ve met anyone in the past two-plus, years who isn’t finding their finances stretched beyond recognition. The impact of rising costs in every sector creates stress and worry; it can make us feel isolated. But nothing breaks down barriers more than information and connections, so today, let me share some places that may help you with your finances.

I’ll start with Nugget Savings; they are amazing at breaking down the realities of all elements of finances for parents, including two pressing points, childcare and parental leave. They also have a useful, and expanding, collection of parental leave policies uploaded as part of their membership. These can help you when you are searching for a new, family-friendly company.

There are two places that I recommend when considering what extra help.  These are Turn2us and Entitledto.  Turn2us is a national charity providing practical help to people who are struggling financially, whilst Entitledto not only helps individuals but helps organisations to inform their staff about entitlement to support. The calculators are great at identifying what extra help you may be eligible for, with handy explanations to provide context.

Sometimes the concerns we have around finances are linked to policies, or organisations not providing you with what you are legally entitled to – such as parental leave, sick pay, or disciplinary elements For this, I would recommend ACAS.

Finally, in this quick overview, if you have issues around pregnancy, the new childcare policy or rights as a parent, the fantastic charity, Pregnant then Screwed is one to reach out to. Their website is full of advice!
All of these places are a great start to unpick what you can access for finance support, and to give you some tools and insights to manage the financial transitions that parenthood brings!

Let me know what other charities or organisations you recommend, and I can add them to this blog!

Check out the other Ask Me Anything Q&A’s here.
This blog is also useful for a wide range of resources and support for your well-being.