Help at hand for parents of newborns (From Swindon Advertiser)

Help at hand for parents of newborns

12:30pm Friday 17th February 2012 in News

PARENTS of newborn babies in town will soon be offered a service designed to take the hassle out of initial parenthood.

Swindon’s Register Office will be offering the Tell Us Once for Births service, which removes the need for customers to provide information to government departments on several occasions.

The service is voluntary and will be offered to all residents in the borough from Monday. It gives the person registering the birth the option to give additional information following the birth registration, which will then be sent through to central and local government departments.

As a result, changes to council tax benefit, housing benefit, library services, Child Information Services, Working Family Tax Credits and HM Revenue and Customs can be automatically updated.

In addition, parents can bring in child benefit application forms with them and staff will verify details on the form, instead of them having to provide birth certificates. The application will then be sent off by the Register Office.

The service follows on from the Tell Us Once option for deaths which was introduced by the Register Office in June and, will save local and central government money by reducing the duplication of details.

Coun Rod Bluh, Leader of Swindon Council and the cabinet member responsible for the Register Office, said: “As a parent I know how difficult it can be trying to cope with a new addition to the family and filling out the various forms that go with a birth, so I am delighted we are able to offer this new service.”

For more details about the Register Office call 01793 521734 or email superintendentregistrar@swindon.gov.uk.