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The latest official figures show there are 87,300 looked-after children in the UK at the moment and the saving to the Treasury of scrapping CTF for these children is just £14 million a year.

No child born after midnight on 1 January 2011 will get a CTF because of budget cuts. ippr thinks this is backward step, but is particularly urging the government to retain the CTF for looked-after children.

Nick Pearce, Director of ippr said:

'Although we understand the pressure on the government to make savings, we think axing the Child Trust Fund is a mistake. We are especially concerned about the impact on children in care.
'The cost to the taxpayer is tiny, while the small amount of savings that the Child Trust Fund would give to teenagers in the care system could make a significant difference to their lives.
'These young people have to establish an independent life much earlier than children who have been brought up in a family home. If they had some money in a Child Trust Fund it would help them go to college, take driving lessons or pay for a deposit on their first rented flat.
'The 'junior ISA' account that the Government is considering as a replacement for the Child Trust Fund will not help children who do not have a parent to save for their future.'

Notes to editors

ippr first recommended a 'baby bond' scheme in a 2000 report (Ownership for All by Gavin Kelly and Rachel Lissauer). The Child Trust Fund policy was included in Labour's 2001 manifesto.
Every child born since September 2002 has received £250 from the government to deposit in their Child Trust Fund, with children in the poorest one-third of families receiving an additional £250. From September 2009, children reaching the age of seven received a further £250 or £500 according to their circumstances.
Children being looked after in the care of a local authority also received an additional £100 CTF payment each year.
If a family was receiving Disability Living Allowance for their child, that child received an extra £100 or £200 CTF payment every year (the amount depending on the degree of disability).
The Coalition government announced on 24 May that payments to new-born children would be reduced to £50 with effect from 3 August (£100 for those in the poorest families and with disabilities) and that payments to seven-year-olds would be stopped from 1 August. It also announced that the Child Trust Fund scheme would be abolished for children born from January 2011 onwards.
The government is currently consulting on the idea of introducing a 'junior ISA' - a savings account for children that could receive payments from family and friends.

National, regional and local authority breakdown

The latest official figures show there are 87,316 looked-after children in the UK. To restore their entitlement to the Child Trust Funds would cost £14,183,000 a year.

There are 64,400 looked-after children in England, 5,165 in Wales, 15,288 in Scotland and 2,463 in Northern Ireland. Below is a full breakdown by region and by Local Authority.

East of England - 6,180 children, at a cost of £1,004,250 a year
Bedford Borough, 165, £26,812
Central Bedfordshire, 165, £26,812
Cambridgeshire, 480, £78,000
Essex, 1,440, £234,000
Hertfordshire, 1,140, £185,250
Luton, 340, £55,250
Norfolk, 885, £143,812
Peterborough, 300, £48,750
Southend-on-Sea, 265, £43,062
Suffolk, 775, £125,937
Thurrock, 230, £37,375
East Midlands - 4,220 children, at a cost of £685,750 a year
Derby, 420, £68,250
Derbyshire, 630, £102,375
Leicester, 490, £79,625
Leicestershire, 330, £53,625
Lincolnshire, 520, £84,500
Northamptonshire, 700, £113,750
Nottingham, 520, £84,500
Nottinghamshire, 580, £94,250
Rutland, 30, £4,875
London - 10,970 children, at a cost of £1,782,625 a year
Inner London - 4,920 children, at a cost of £799,500 a year
Camden, 265, £43,062
City Of London, 15, £2,437
Hackney, 305, £49,562
Hammersmith and Fulham, 255, £41,437
Haringey, 590, £95,875
Islington, 315, £51,187
Kensington and Chelsea, 155, £25,187
Lambeth, 565, £91,812
Lewisham, 525, £85,312
Newham, 560, £91,000
Southwark, 555, £90,187
Tower Hamlets, 350, £56,875
Wandsworth, 205, £33,312
Westminster, 245, £39,812
Outer London - 6,060 children, at a cost of £984,750 a year
Barking and Dagenham, 380, £61,750
Barnet, 310, 310, £50,375
Bexley, 220, 220, £35,750
Brent, 370, 370, £60,125
Bromley, 285, 285, £46,312
Croydon, 1010, £164,125
Ealing, 400, £65,000
Enfield, 280, £45,500
Greenwich, 590, £95,875
Harrow, 160, £26,000
Havering, 200, £32,500
Hillingdon, 425, £69,062
Hounslow, 355, £57,687
Kingston Upon Thames, 130, £21,125
Merton, 140, £22,750
Redbridge, 225, £36,562
Richmond Upon Thames 95, £15,437
Sutton, 150, £24,375
Waltham Forest, 340, £55,250
North East - 3,650 children, at a cost of £593,125 a year
Darlington, 145, £23,562
Durham, 495, £80,437
Gateshead, 300, £48,750
Hartlepool, 165, £26,812
Middlesbrough, 325, £52,812
Newcastle Upon Tyne, 525, £85,312
North Tyneside, 275, £44,687
Northumberland, 285, £46,312
Redcar and Cleveland, 155, £25,187
South Tyneside, 295, £47,937
Stockton-On-Tees, 285, £46,312
Sunderland, 390, £63,375
North West - 11,180 children, at a cost of £1,816,750 a year
Blackburn with Darwen, 360, £58,500
Blackpool, 375, £60,937
Bolton, 480, £78,000
Bury, 290, £47,125
Cheshire East, 430, £69,875
Cheshire West and Chester, 320, £52,000
Cumbria, 510, £82,875
Halton, 145, £23,562
Knowsley, 295, £47,937
Lancashire, 1,285, £208,812
Liverpool, 910, £147,875
Manchester, 1,425, £231,562
Oldham, 350, £56,875
Rochdale, 435, £70,687
Salford, 495, £80,437
Sefton, 375, £60,937
St Helens, 355, £57,687
Stockport, 315, £51,187
Tameside, 350, £56,875
Trafford, 250, £40,625
Warrington, 265, £43,062
Wigan, 520, £84,500
Wirral, 630, £102,375
South East - 8,130 children, at a cost of £1,321,125 a year
Bracknell Forest, 90, £14,625
Brighton and Hove, 465, £75,562
Buckinghamshire, 345, £56,062
East Sussex, 520, £84,500
Hampshire, 1,105, £179,562
Isle Of Wight, 180, £29,250
Kent, 1,455, £236,437
Medway Towns, 350, £56,875
Milton Keynes, 260, £42,250
Oxfordshire, 450, £73,125
Portsmouth, 295, £47,937
Reading, 205, £33,312
Slough, 175, £28,437
Southampton, 375, £60,937
Surrey, 770, £125,125
West Berkshire, 125, £20,312
West Sussex, 785, 785, £127,562
Windsor and Maidenhead, 105, £17,062
Wokingham, 80, £13,000
South West - 5,000 children, at a cost of £812,500 a year
Bath and North East Somerset, 140, £22,750
Bournemouth, 205, £33,312
Bristol, City of, 650, £105,625
Cornwall, 450, £73,125
Devon, 620, £100,750
Dorset, 275, £44,687
Gloucestershire, 490, £79,625
North Somerset, 230, £37,375
Plymouth, 435, £70,687
Poole, 120, £19,500
Somerset, 430, £69,875
South Gloucestershire, 185, £30,062
Swindon, 245, £39,812
Torbay, 180, £29,250
Wiltshire, 350, £56,875
West Midlands - 8,010 children, at a cost of £1,301,625 a year
Birmingham, 2,035, £330,687
Coventry, 590, £95,875
Dudley, 615, £99,937
Herefordshire, 160, £26,000
Sandwell, 505, £82,062
Shropshire, 220, £35,750
Solihull, 415, £67,437
Staffordshire, 740, £120,250
Stoke-On-Trent, 405, £65,812
Telford and Wrekin, 270, £43,875
Walsall, 495, £80,437
Warwickshire, 575, £93,437
Wolverhampton, 400, £65,000
Worcestershire, 585, £95,062
Yorkshire and Humberside - 7,050 children, at a cost of £1,145,625 a year
Barnsley, 245, £39,812
Bradford, 885, £143,812
Calderdale, 270, £43,875
Doncaster, 465, £75,562
East Riding of Yorkshire, 275, £44,687
Kingston Upon Hull, City of, 575, £93,437
Kirklees, 555, £90,187
Leeds, 1,415, £229,937
North East Lincolnshire, 155, £25,187
North Lincolnshire, 160, £26,000
North Yorkshire, 470, £76,375
Rotherham, 405, £65,812
Sheffield, 580, £94,250
Wakefield, 375, £60,937
York, 225, £36,562
Northern Ireland - 2,463 children, at a cost of £400,237 a year
Belfast HSC Trust, 587, £95,387
Northern HSC Trust, 519, £84,337
South Eastern HSC Trust, 562, £91,325
Southern HSC Trust, 370, £60,125
Western HSC Trust, 425, £69,062
Scotland - 15,288 children, at a cost of £2,484,300 a year
Aberdeen City, 701, £113,912
Aberdeenshire, 458, £74,425
Angus, 261, £42,412
Argyll & Bute, 204, £33,150
Clackmannanshire, 207, £33,637
Dumfries & Galloway, 441, £71,662
Dundee City, 587, £95,387
East Ayrshire, 524, £85,150
East Dunbartonshire, 129, £20,962
East Lothian, 202, £32,825
East Renfrewshire, 159, £25,837
Edinburgh, City of, 1328, £215,800
Eilean Siar, 48, £7,800
Falkirk, 437, £71,012
Fife, 799, £129,837
Glasgow City, 3280, £533,000
Highland, 456, £74,100
Inverclyde, 318, £51,675
Midlothian, 353, £57,362
Moray, 211, £34,287
North Ayrshire, 501, £81,412
North Lanarkshire, 728, £118,300
Orkney Isles, 31, £5,037
Perth & Kinross, 197, £32,012
Renfrewshire, 718, £116,675
Scottish Borders, 193, £31,362
Shetland, 37, £6,012
South Ayrshire, 290, £47,125
South Lanarkshire, 490, £79,625
Stirling, 218, £35,425
West Dunbartonshire, 376, £61,100
West Lothian, 406, £65,975
Wales - 5,160 children, at a cost of £838,500 a year
Isle of Anglesey, 75, £12,187
Gwynedd, 175, £28,437
Conwy, 175, £28,437
Denbighshire, 165, £26,812
Flintshire, 160, £26,000
Wrexham, 145, £23,562
Powys, 145, £23,562
Ceredigion, 75, £12,187
Pembrokeshire, 145, £23,562
Carmarthenshire, 245, £39,812
Swansea, 560, £91,000
Neath Port Talbott, 390, £63,375
Bridgend, 290, £47,125
Vale of Glamoran, 185, £30,062
Cardiff, 530, £86,125
Rhondda Cynon Taf, 480, £78,000
Merthyr Tydfil, 165, £26,812
Caerphilly, 330, £53,625
Blaenau Gwent 120, 120, £19,500
Torgaen, 235, £38,187
Monmouthshire, 85, £13,812
Newport, 295, £47,937

Contact

Tim Finch, Director of Communications: 020 7470 6110 / 07595 920 899 / t.finch@ippr.org