“The law is in the wrong place” – momentum builds at historic parliamentary roundtable
4 mins read
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Last week, Contact brought parent carers straight to the heart of Westminster for a packed parliamentary roundtable focused on our campaign to unlock the savings of thousands of disabled young adults.
The meeting marked a major milestone in our mission to elevate parent voice. We wanted to put families directly in front of the key decision-makers who have the power to fix this system.
“A sledgehammer to crack a nut”
When a young person lacking mental capacity turns 18, their families often find it difficult to help them access savings.
They are forced to navigate the complex, often costly and lengthy Court of Protection process just to look after money that belongs to their child. Contact is supporting parent Andrew Turner’s campaign to change this.
Jim Islam CEO of financial provider OneFamily summed it up:
“Asking families to go through the Court of Protection process to access a Child Trust Fund is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”
Contact Changemakers Claire Stockton and Michele Creed closed the meeting by powerfully sharing their own lived experiences. They spoke about the heavy emotional toll the current rules place on families and the urgent changes needed.
Justice Minister praises “powerful case” made by campaigners
The meeting saw a positive, solution-focussed tone from the government, driven by the genuine commitment of Justice Minister, Baroness Alison Levitt.
Baroness Levitt praised the tireless work of families. She stated that campaigners like Andrew Turner and Contact have made a “powerful case”. She directly acknowledged the flaw in the current legal framework:
“The law is in the wrong place, and we have created a system that is disproportionately complex and time-consuming.”
Baroness Levitt, Justice Minister
The Minister emphasised that fixing this problem requires cross-governmental working. Rachel Blake from the Treasury echoed this sentiment, noting that they were “very keen to understand the issues.” The shift in energy was palpable, with Lord Young observing that “the whole tone of this debate has changed thanks to Alison [Baroness Levitt].”
Cross-party and financial industry support
We were backed by a fantastic turnout of supportive MPs, including John Milne, Sarah Smith, Ben Coleman, and Daniel Francis. All spoke passionately about the urgent need to resolve this barrier for families.
Major financial providers OneFamily, Nationwide, and Santander also joined the call for a simplified, government-backed solution. Crucially, they shared details of the vital work that they are already doing, using their own self-developed industry process to release funds safely to parents without forcing them through the courts.
Contact’s view
“Seeing a parent-led campaign and watching our families stand in Parliament, in a room full of Ministers, MPs, financial providers and other stakeholders was a really powerful moment.
Contact is dedicated to amplifying parent voice. Last week proved that when decision-makers sit down and truly listen to the realities of what disabled families are experiencing, it is hard to ignore the need for change.
We now need to see this desire for change turned into a workable solution for families, so that young people everywhere can access their savings”.
Maria Scholey, Campaigns Engagement Lead at Contact
What you can do next
If you are worried about your child’s savings being locked away, or want to help support our campaign, you can:
- Use our step-by-step Child Trust Fund flowchart to figure out how to navigate your child’s account as they approach 18.
- Join the community: Connect with hundreds of parents navigating this exact issue, share tips on using the provider “industry process”, and get active in the Unlock Our Savings Facebook group.
- Share this Facebook post with your MP and ask them to back the 10 Minute Rule Bill on Child Savings Accounts (Mental capacity and Disability)