A new start for Mooloo

gizmo111

Just read 102 pagessince last night, what a hard time you have had and still no permanace plan in place for your GD. regards Biggest and her assessment they can still carry out the assessment and it will just be that they will not place the child until she moves to a bigger place, anything else is just fobbing you off.
I see a few pages ago that you wanted to get the family together to discuss the future - ask (demand) a family group conference from the SW.
Have you thought about some sort of shared care arrangement with biggest? 4 days each? Although it does seem as if she may be having 2nd thoughts. Have you thought about what you will do if she cannot have your GD?

Regards

Savvy_sewing

gizmo111 wrote: »

Just read 102 pagessince last night, what a hard time you have had and still no permanace plan in place for your GD. regards Biggest and her assessment they can still carry out the assessment and it will just be that they will not place the child until she moves to a bigger place, anything else is just fobbing you off.
I see a few pages ago that you wanted to get the family together to discuss the future - ask (demand) a family group conference from the SW.
Have you thought about some sort of shared care arrangement with biggest? 4 days each? Although it does seem as if she may be having 2nd thoughts. Have you thought about what you will do if she cannot have your GD?

Regards

Gosh, I must be on a different set up, I seam to have 68 pages and i thought that was long enough. sorry that you have had to wade through all of my trials and tribulations.
I shall have a word with the Social Services when our worker is back off of her holiday. Rang to speak to her today, and got told she was on annual leave. (Would be nice to know that they are going away!). If we go away and dont tell them there is trouble!.
I think that the decision at the moment is that DGD will stay with me, and that I will get as much help from her mum. (twin1) as we can. Thats why the family are hoping that I will relocate, with the help of the social services into a town/village nearer to them all. My village is too remote, and no real bus service for her to get here.
I think one of the problems I have is that there are two different departments of the social services involved and the two dont seem to get the message that I am torn in two half of the time.

gizmo111

Whilst your actions are commendable who has made this decision? On what basis will they place your GD with you? What protection (ie court orders, special guardianship, residence order) will you have and what support will they offer? How much are you realisitically expecting from twin 1 and what happens when she meets another partner and has another child (I don't intend to sound rude or judgemental, but she is still very young). How often are they visiting GD at present? On what basis is she placed with you at moment - if you are not sure ask the legal basis. is she still subject to a CP Plan or has that been ended? How will yor health cope with this and what does your GP say about you taking on a 2 year old? He will be asked as part of the kinship assessment.
There are many things you need to know and be clear about before you commit to this for the sake of all of you.

Savvy_sewing

fWell as far as I am aware, there are really nothing clearly done.
The only plan was a family safety agreement, which was before the assessment on Twin1. That really is out of date. All it said was that DGD had to stay with me until Mum could be assessed.
The assessment was done in February, but absolutley nothing was done in the interim. There was no court orders or anything similar.
The whole thing seems to have been a bit wishywashy.
The assessments on me still have not been done.
My doctor was not thrilled when I spoke to him on the phone, but we will have to see how my health is. Thats the biggest fear for me.
Twin1 sees DGD every week, here at my house, and stops over, usually 2 nights a week, but she is living here at the moment as her tenancy at the flat ran out.
The new place with supported living has fallen through at the moment.
The only form I signed was about the kinship application as far as I know.
I think that when the Social Worker gets bck of of her holiday then I will need to have words and ask for copies of any appropriate letters.
Can I ask you, Gizmo, are you a carer, or do you work in the system. I really need to know what I am about, and have floundered around for far too long. Trying to keep the family together, its been hell on earth at times.

gizmo111

Mooloo I'm a child protection/community team social worker, and hopefully not as useless as the ones you have been dealing with or I'll write my resignation right now and go and work in MAcDonalds:eek:

Savvy_sewing

gizmo111 wrote: »

Mooloo I'm a child protection/community team social worker, and hopefully not as useless as the ones you have been dealing with or I'll write my resignation right now and go and work in MAcDonalds:eek:

Ah, well dont go doing that. We need Good ones desperately!
I am sure there are many good ones out there. I just feel I went into the oblivious net.
I have been on the phone to Child benefit and cancelled my claim. Hadnt received anything anyway.
I also rang the Tax credits. Thanks. It appears that your right. I am not entitled to Child Tax credits, but that I am entitled to Working Tax credits, if I go self employed. Its a new thing that Foster Carers are to be self employed. So I have to pay back the Child tax credits recieved in the last three weeks.
But that as I earn £0, due to the funding being Maintenance, and DGD's personal allowances, I will be entitled to an approximate £80 a week. So not a lot different then the Childbenefit/tax credits I would have got. But the ESA is an anomily. As I am allowed to Earn up to £92 i think it was, a week, for up to a year and still get ESA, but as I am not earning anything, its a bit of a strange one. But at least for a year I should be safe.
I have an appointment with Working links arranged just to make sure, well the appointment will be in the post.
I do not want to find out that I am getting the wrong funding, and have to pay it back again. As I do hope that one of these days DGD will be back with her Mum.
I think twin1 should be allowed to have her daughter with time. If she had to loose her at all. Although I have had my moments since the placement that I thought that she had not been bothered. But after a few months of her stopping here in the week, and talking etc etc, it appears that really it was a bit of a defence mecanism, and the influence of one of her so called mates.

Anyway. I have started to get the money sorted out.
I will ask the Social Services to please give me copies of anything that we have signed? Double check what they are, and anything that Twin1 may have signed.
Then I will see if we have a legal stance too. I think we do have. But the solicitor or Law person we saw, only once, didnt seem to bother to do anything on Twin1's behalf. But I will check. Or get Twin1 to check, (with my guidance if you get me).
I think I will have to make "office time" an important thing for us. I really do need to get organised, as I am not. Torn into two differnt corners with them, and again with DS in the middle of it. Life should be easier!

I am hoping that we can get a good solution for the childrens sakes never mind mine. That is all I can aim for.

(Then a nice retirement in Oxford with BF, if he ever could manage to have me!).:D

PS. he has also now booked our accommodation for the little weekend away and although I do not know where we are actually going, I am excited. Now I want to be raiding my wardrobe, seeing what will still fit me, and what will mix and match to make a change, with only having my hand luggage!. Not an easy task for someone with so many clothes as me!! oops.:o

gizmo111

What sort of solicitor have you got mooloo? You need one that specialises in public law cases, not just plain family law. Twin1 should have been given a local list ages ago by the social worker, if not before when she removed GD from her care. Ask on what basis they did this - reading through your thread they had no court order, no police PPO (protection order) and consent seems very sketchy.
Have they given you any paperwork to cover the fostering assessment? And ask them on what legal basis are they doing this? Is a sect 20 children Act, and if so make sure you have a signed copy of the consent and copies of any medical consent that your daughter should have signed. These are very important in emergencies (particularly in mental health cases, which probably doesn't apply here but you dont want to be accused of kidnap on a dark Friday night, when only emergency out of hours are available).
Will they be seeking formal orders through the court. How long do they plan for their assessment to take (should be withing 6 weeks of child being placed)
Have they offered any support with nursery etc, GD should be entitled to 12 hours early years placement.
If you need any help let me know - sounds like you have an uphill struggle and Ss are not helping you at all.
Can't really help too much with twins as housing is not my area of great expertise, have they been formally diagnosed with LD and if so do they get DLA?

bertiebots

gizmo111 you dont know how good it is to hear from someone who knows what mooloo should be doing! :T
We have all been following along banging our heads against a brick wall in exasperation for poor mooloo's situation....it has all been handled so badly and mooloo has been left to hold everything together alone:mad:.


And lets hope that cheque clears soon eh!:D

gizmo111

bertiebots wrote: »

gizmo111 you dont know how good it is to hear from someone who knows what mooloo should be doing! :T
We have all been following along banging our heads against a brick wall in exasperation for poor mooloo's situation....it has all been handled so badly and mooloo has been left to hold everything together alone:mad:.


And lets hope that cheque clears soon eh!:D

I come across this thread from mooloos thread about kinship care money - I wish I had seen it earlier, I amy have been able to have made it easier for her, but nothing in the title gave the subject away, anyhow onwards and upwards from now on or MacD here I come.:rotfl:

Savvy_sewing

will catch up after the meeting. xx