Money advice 16+

Watch

Watch: Learning to use money (opens new window) The comic strip about 'Sid can so Sid will' comes from the following short video about Learning to use money, made by Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living with one of their Young Pioneers families, discussing their experience.

Financial Support for additional needs

Benefits and grants

Training for managing money

From the age of 11 it is legal for young people to open a bank account when supervised by a parent or guardian. When you have a bank account you will need to start learning how to manage your money.

One of the toughest parts of growing up and living independently is Paying my bills. It can be daunting but it does not need to prevent you from working towards the kind of life you want.

For information on training courses to support you with managing money visit:

Work Wiltshire: Find Me A Course (opens new window)

Sudden changes to the income of a family can add pressures which impact on your wellbeing. Working out a budget is a really good way to keep on top of your finances. It allows you to work out if you have enough money to do the things you need or would like to do. You can find more information on budgeting on this Citizens Advice: Work out your budget (opens new window) page.

Who can help

Carers providing unpaid support to a family member, partner, friend or neighbour may be entitled to financial support in the form of Carers allowance. To find out more please visit the following page:

Carers Allowance

A direct payment is a sum of money paid to a family instead of a provided service. The advantage of a direct payment is that a family can choose how to spend the money and can provide a more specific service for their young person. For more information please visit the following page:

Using direct payment

Many independent organisations offer support to help you understand what is available to you and how to access it, please visit the following page to find out more:

SEND Advice and Information