Gordon Brown's pre-Budget report revealed that consultations with financial intuitions would begin on a child trust fund that builds up year by year and could be drawn upon at the age of 18.

Forum Response: The Children's Society

Emily Blay, policy manager for the Children's Society, said: "The Children's Society welcomes the increased spending to the public sector but is concerned about the long-term effects on the government's anti-poverty agenda.

"We are worried that it will put a strain on initiatives like Sure Start and the Children's Fund, which tackle poverty locally.

"The Children's Society supports all of the principles of the child tax credit, but we would urge the chancellor to set rates at a higher level to reach one in three children still living in poverty."

Forum Response: GMB

A spokesman for GMB, said: "The GMB welcome the chancellor's proposals to increase the number of registered childcare places available and help for parents who wish for their children to be cared for in their own homes and helpful to parents who work shifts and parents of children with disabilities or special needs.

"There is currently a shortage of registered childcare places, with only one place available for every seven children. Since 1997 there has also been a considerable drop in the number of childcare workers, 98,000 to 75,600.

"If this scheme is going to work and benefit parents who are already juggling work and childcare then a fast track system needs to be adopted. The current process of registering means long delays to become registered with Ofsted of up to one year in some areas, and critically all persons registering will also need to be cleared by the Criminal Records Bureau.

"This will be a boon for shift workers who currently are more likely to rely on informal care, this system will allow them to choose to pay for care of their child in their own homes. We would expect that this would include being able to pay relatives who are registered."