I am FUMING

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi

If she wasnt caring for you for 35hrs a week and earning over the permitted £95pw, then she wouldnt be entitled to Carers Allowance.

Her National Insurance number would have flagged as she was claiming benefits when she worked the 4 weeks before Xmas.

Have you been called in for an interview yet?

It is very sad that someone so young now has a criminal record over something so silly. Like another poster stated, even getting insurance, bank account or morgage could be difficult now. A visa would also be required if visiting most other countries too I think.

Can you not appeal the decision?

PP
xx

qwertyuiop12345

I feel sorry for your grand daughter but there is probably very little she can do. All benefits seem to come with leaflets clearly explaining the terms and what you would have to report as a change of circumstances, so whilst it is understandable that she overlooked this, it can't really be excused.

On a more positive note, I know someone who received a criminal conviction of some sort at age 18 for a very mild crime which was unfortunately caught on cctv and it has not hampered their job prospects or life in anyway. I don't know much about it, but don't some cautions and convictions disappear after a certain length of time?

On most job applications there is a section to provide extra information. If she has had to state her official caution, I am sure she could explain about it here. She may even be able to make it positive by using it to bring up the effort she has made to care for you, when she could presumably be out earning far more if she wasn't so kind and helpful.

gizmo111

What records is this on? How does a panel hearing become a criminal conviction? I thought you had to be prosecuted and found guilty through the courts for this to happen?

dmg24

gizmo111 wrote: »

What records is this on? How does a panel hearing become a criminal conviction? I thought you had to be prosecuted and found guilty through the courts for this to happen?

If you are willing to accept a caution, it does not go through the courts system.

redz

dmg24 wrote: »

If you are willing to accept a caution, it does not go through the courts system.

Yes, cautions are used to spare the expense of a trial and require (and are considered as) an admission of guilt.

seven-day-weekend

pampam wrote: »

I receive the middle rate of DLA and my granddaughter aged 21 receives Carers Allowance for caring for me. She does a wonderful job and I don't know what I would do without her.

Last year I had a friend come over to stay with me for a holiday. She catered for my needs so my granddaughter got a well earned break.

She decided to do a bit of casual work to earn some extra money for Christmas. Over 4 weeks she worked a total of 55 hours earning a total of £295.

About 4 months later she received a letter from the DSS saying she had committed fraud. We contacted them and explained that she had not given it a thought and had not intentionally tried to defraud. We offered to pay back the whole amount. This was ignored and she was taken before a panel. The outcome of this is that she repays the money (no problem with that). She has been officially cautioned and that caution will stay on her record forever.

This was a genuine oversight on our part and whilst I fully agree that she should repay the extra money she claimed I do not think this "offence" should be on her records forever. She is not a criminal she is a lovely girl who restores your faith in the youngsters of today.

When you think of the thousands of pounds the MP's have claimed over years and what do they get??

A smacked wrist and a huge payoff!! Where is the justice??

But the fact remains that for four weeks she was not actually caring for you and and did not report this fact. She was not entitled to receive Carers' Allowance for that period.

What MP's expenses have to do with it I've no idea. They were wrong yes, but it doesn't make your Grand-daughter's misdemeanour less wrong.

nexuss

Ignorance is no excuse.If she was not caring for you for 4 weeks but still claiming the money then it is fraud simple.

lin473

There is very little grace in this world is there?

I agree that it is harsh.
If your grandaughter really does care for you for the long hours required to be eligible for Ca she deserves every penny of it and deserves an occasional break to do something else with her life.

Even caring for someone you love with all your heart will feel like drudgery if it is day in day out without any respite.

It is unjust that workers every other job would expect to have paid holidays why not carers?
Many people choose to do casual work during paid holidays from their regular work and would not expect to forfeit their entitlement to holiday pay.

pampam

lin473 wrote: »

There is very little grace in this world is there?

I agree that it is harsh.
If your grandaughter really does care for you for the long hours required to be eligible for Ca she deserves every penny of it and deserves an occasional break to do something else with her life.

Even caring for someone you love with all your heart will feel like drudgery if it is day in day out without any respite.

It is unjust that workers every other job would expect to have paid holidays why not carers?
Many people choose to do casual work during paid holidays from their regular work and would not expect to forfeit their entitlement to holiday pay.

\thank you for your understanding

my granddaughter is one in a million. She cares for me without complaint and always with a smile. The small allowance she gets for it should be doubled if not more. I take it from the adverse comments I have had that these people don't know what caring for someone entails.

poet123

The fact is that those who transgress through ignorance of the system are penalised for the actions of those who abuse it. People like your granddaughter who make a mistake are in the minority, and as those who work at the front line are faced with fraudsters every day, sometimes it is difficult to believe that everyone is not out of the same mould.

It is a harsh lesson to learn, but it is not the end of the world.