Thursday February 12th 2026
Midlothian Community Action offices, Dalkeith
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Midlothian Community Action is launching a campaign to raise awareness of the Child Trust Fund and to encourage young people to find and claim their fund.
According to the HMRC, 750,000 young people in the UK are missing on an average of £2,242 from unclaimed Child Trust Funds (CTF).
Aiming to help anyone missing out on the funds, Midlothian Community Action are asking the Midlothian public ‘are you missing out on free money?’, launching a campaign to help raise awareness.
They explained: “Turning 18? Claim your Child Trust Fund money today. You could have over £500 waiting to be claimed! Find out how to access your savings and make the most of
your money.”
A CTF is a tax-free savings account set up by the UK Government for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. Now that you’re 18, the money is yours to claim.
Midlothian Community Action added: “What should you do with the money? Now you are 18, its up to you. You could move it to a savings account, a Cash ISA, put it towards a first home, invest it, spend it on a laptop for college, a car to get to work, or repay debt!”
A young person who claimed her CTF explained:
“Having my child trust fund account saved me from going into an overdraft or borrowing money when I had a lot of expenses at the start of university. It gave me independence and a great start to adult life, which I’m still grateful for.”
How to claim your money:
1. Find your account – contact your provider, or if you don’t know where it’s located, visit Child Trust Fund: Find a Child Trust Fund – GOV.UK
2. Once you know your provider reach out to access your funds.
3. Decide what to do – withdraw the money or transfer it to an adult ISA to continue saving.
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