Kinship carers allowances

sassysar

gizmo111 wrote: »

Hi,

I'm up to page 73:eek: To say a few issues have been done incorrectly must be the understatement of the year!! As far as I can see they moved your GD with no authority, no consent and no order. They then offered you no support financially or otherwise, no information and don't seem to have even made their minimum statutory visits.

I so wish I had seen this thread ages ago and been able to offer you some better support and advice. Oh well another 30+ pages to go.

Nothing new there then. Our social worker hasnt been over the doorstep since june 2009. We only got a vist last week because she is off sick (again ) and someone else came. Waiting for countless refunds on expenses etc. Chocolate teapot comes to mind!

gizmo111

sassysar wrote: »

Nothing new there then. Our social worker hasnt been over the doorstep since june 2009. We only got a vist last week because she is off sick (again ) and someone else came. Waiting for countless refunds on expenses etc. Chocolate teapot comes to mind!

What is your situation? Can't think of any area of social work that supports visits once every 10 months!

Savvy_sewing

I thought that they had to visit at least once every 6 weeks. Mind you the less I see of them the better!. Not to be horrible, but its the invation of privacy on my part. I thought they were supposed to Help people. Especially vunerable people but I dont see that these days I am afraid. My opinion has changed dramatically.
Anyway, I have now been promised Kinship allowances. So at least my DGD and I will survive while she is here.
The rest I will contact again and arrange to refund anything I have had incorrectly. IF I have got to do that.
Better dig out the Tax Credits number and call, so I dont get overpaid too much, as paying it back will be crippling, if I leave it too long.
Thanks

sassysar

gizmo111 wrote: »

What is your situation? Can't think of any area of social work that supports visits once every 10 months!

We foster a family member and should recieve visits once every six weeks. We have had every excuse from snow to car breakdowns. I think I could seriously drop her in it, but little one is thriving and it is less of an intrusion so I sort as much as I can myself . I know other carers have refused to work with her as she is so negligent. Laughable thing is she is a senior social worker!

As regards paying back tax credits mooloo you should only have to do that from the week you got your kinship money I would have thought. We were in the same situation as you and claimed for a few months. I just phoned and said that we were now recieving fostering money so did not qualify and they just stopped it.

Savvy_sewing

Hello, as I have just recieved a cheque back dated to the day DGD was placed with me, I have been on the phone.
Child benefit hadnt paid me anything anyway. So I just cancelled that claim.
Child Tax credits said I have to pay back what they paid me. (But thats only since 8th March, so around £350!). However as there is a new rule, as a Foster Carer, I am now classed as Self Employed. That means that I may be entitled to Working Tax credits. As the funding is split into Maintenance and into PLECS, I officially work more than 30 hours, and I earn £0, so I can claim around £80 a week the man things. So it practically cancels out the other two payments. (If I was to have got them).
But the next problem is my ESA. The Tax credits dont count them, but ESA may count the Tax credits? So I have to have an appointment with them to see what they say.
I shall be at a loss if I loose my benefit. I dont get DLA, as I am apparantly not bad enough to get it. But at the rate I am declining I may very well be!!.

So we will see how it goes. The Tax credits man said I could either Pay the overpayment back to them straightaway, or it could be reduced from what I finally get offered.

Time will tell I am sure. He said that if I was to have more than one child Fostered, then I may get too much money, and have to start to pay tax etc etc on it all. I have assured him i have no intention of taking on anymore children. My other two grandchildren better stay with thier mum!! (different mum).

gizmo111

sassysar wrote: »

We foster a family member and should recieve visits once every six weeks. We have had every excuse from snow to car breakdowns. I think I could seriously drop her in it, but little one is thriving and it is less of an intrusion so I sort as much as I can myself . I know other carers have refused to work with her as she is so negligent. Laughable thing is she is a senior social worker!

The thing is it is people like her that give the rest of us a bad name and put children at risk - they are not all as lucky to have people like yourself and mooloo looking out for them. Report her.

sassysar

gizmo111 wrote: »

The thing is it is people like her that give the rest of us a bad name and put children at risk - they are not all as lucky to have people like yourself and mooloo looking out for them. Report her.

I have been thinking that perhaps she is focusing on the ones that are really in danger and leaving us to it as she is overloaded. Seems to be in court a lot. Link worker is fab and so organized which is a help. One family member has already written to complain about her so I think if things dont improve I will have to do something.

Vomityspice

Mooloo wrote: »

I thought that they had to visit at least once every 6 weeks. Mind you the less I see of them the better!. Not to be horrible, but its the invation of privacy on my part. I thought they were supposed to Help people. Especially vunerable people but I dont see that these days I am afraid. My opinion has changed dramatically.
Anyway, I have now been promised Kinship allowances. So at least my DGD and I will survive while she is here.
The rest I will contact again and arrange to refund anything I have had incorrectly. IF I have got to do that.
Better dig out the Tax Credits number and call, so I dont get overpaid too much, as paying it back will be crippling, if I leave it too long.
Thanks

If your so keen not to have any involvement with the Local Authority, then you could always apply for special guardianship!

I don't want to sound rude but who do you think are paying you a kinship allowance? The 'horrible' Local Authority is actually giving you approx £7000 (tax free) per year (or £111,354 until 18). Again, that horrible social worker sorted out your payments and backdated them far quicker than any WTC you will probably ever make!

I don't understand your 'need' for privacy? You would undoubtedly be complaining if the Children's Department didn't talk to you with regards the care of the child (as they are required to do), but if they take an interest (as they a required to do by Statute) you seem to take this as some sort of invasion of your 'privacy'!?!?!? Simply, the good old tax payer has to shell out to remedy the welfare of the child, but apparently have to be sensitive to your desire for privacy........

You were asked to assist with looking after the child as research shows that children are better placed within family networks. Would you have rather the child was adopted?

sandraroffey

please please appeal the DLA claim,BUT BUT do it with the help of the citizens advice bureau. i was turned down several times over two years but they paid up in the end. its all down to how the form is filled in really, and the people from CAB will come with you to the tribunal. and it will be backdated to the first date of the claim. dont keep trying to do it on your own. they are worth their weight in gold on appeals.

gizmo111

Vomityspice wrote: »

If your so keen not to have any involvement with the Local Authority, then you could always apply for special guardianship!

I don't want to sound rude but who do you think are paying you a kinship allowance? The 'horrible' Local Authority is actually giving you approx £7000 (tax free) per year (or £111,354 until 18). Again, that horrible social worker sorted out your payments and backdated them far quicker than any WTC you will probably ever make!

I don't understand your 'need' for privacy? You would undoubtedly be complaining if the Children's Department didn't talk to you with regards the care of the child (as they are required to do), but if they take an interest (as they a required to do by Statute) you seem to take this as some sort of invasion of your 'privacy'!?!?!? Simply, the good old tax payer has to shell out to remedy the welfare of the child, but apparently have to be sensitive to your desire for privacy........

You were asked to assist with looking after the child as research shows that children are better placed within family networks. Would you have rather the child was adopted?

You may not wish to sound rude, but you are. Mooloo has been fighting for the money she is ENTITLED TO for 4 months. She has had very little support and actually was not really asked if she would look after the child more the local authority turned up with her. She has health problem sand her duaghter has LD. She has put herself out and struggled to keep this child in the family at great personal cost to herself - so I guess no she wouldn't rather the child was adopted. If the child was with her mother or with mooloo under special guardianship then mooloo would still be entitled to benefits and payments, just from a different tax payers pot, and the childs mother would be entitled to benefits.