Kinship carers allowances

Vomityspice

gizmo111 wrote: »

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.

I suspect you think i'm rude because you don't agree with what I am saying!

If you re-read my post, (and I have, just to be sure!) I never suggested she wasn't ENTITLED (why the capital letters?) to financial support for the LA. Before financial support can normally be arranged, LA would normally need to undertake an assessment of the kinship placement (to ensure the child wasn't placed in a risky environment). Whilst this was happening, there was nothing to stop the LA making interim payments under S.17. Why the SW didn't do this is anyone's guess.

The point I was trying to illustrate is that you can't have it both ways! i.e. expect the LA to stump up £133 per week but not then fulfil their obligations to ensure the child is appropriately cared for and take an interest in what is happening. It's a bit like a 'package deal', they give you the money and they get to 'monitor' how the child is doing. Seems reasonably fair to me.

In addition, I also made the point that Special Guardianship would enable the OP to avoid having the SW involved. Actually, the same could be done via a Residence Order (S.8). A simple solution to ensure the OP's privacy could be restored.

Please note I made no ascertains as to why the child was needed to be looked after. The reason's why the biological mother (or indeed the father) were unable to care for their child was not an issue for me.

If the OP needed support, then perhaps a more sociable attitude towards the SW might have helped? SW's have a range of resources to assist with family difficulties and it would perhaps be more helpful to sign post her in that direction.

Whilst is not unknown for LA's to dump children with their extended family, this could only have happened if the OP had agreed with the plan. I appreciate that it is very difficult for many people to refuse to look after individuals from their own extended family, if the OP wasn't truly able to cope then they should have said so. The long term stability of the placement would not be helped if the carers are unwilling/ begrudgingly involved in the process.

gizmo111

There has been no assessment - waiting for it to be done.
No financial support.
Originally she was told she would have child for 3 weeks whilst mother was assessed - that took 8. No CIN (s17 ) payments were made or offered despite mooloo asking for help.
No other plans have been made or discussed. She has had child for 21 weeks - letters of complaint triggered the payments not the correct procedures and fostering regs.
Social workers have ignored her in times of crisis. She is not saying she doesn't want their support - she has begged for it.
Anyhow this is not my argument but read her full thread and you will get a feel for the case.

Vomityspice

gizmo111 wrote: »

There has been no assessment - waiting for it to be done.
No financial support.
Originally she was told she would have child for 3 weeks whilst mother was assessed - that took 8. No CIN (s17 ) payments were made or offered despite mooloo asking for help.
No other plans have been made or discussed. She has had child for 21 weeks - letters of complaint triggered the payments not the correct procedures and fostering regs.
Social workers have ignored her in times of crisis. She is not saying she doesn't want their support - she has begged for it.
Anyhow this is not my argument but read her full thread and you will get a feel for the case.

Sadly I have never read the full thread (had a quick look just not but there are 100+ pages of it and I don't have time to read it all!)

However, I did notice that Mooloo's location is in Northamptonshire. This is a LA i know very very well! I can't believe (actually I probably can!) they have been so rubbish with their practise! Shocking!

Can you tell me which team (Has to be either Northampton, Daventry, Kettering/Corby or Wellingborough)? Actually, it will probably be two teams - the area where the child was originally living and the Kinship Care team (who should be doing the assessment). Have the delinquent Sw's been named and shamed? (Actually don't do that as it would only complicate matters!).

From the brief description it sounds like a 'family support team' type of action! rather that a childcare team (although who knows!). I can't understand why their is such a delay with payments? SW's in Northamptonshire fill out an F1 form for S.17 money. It is signed off by a Principal Social Worker (who is authorised up to £500 per F1). Setting up a regular payment is no more difficult than to fill in one form! (It's is sent off to XXXXX at Northampton House to input onto the electronic payment system (linked via CareFirst)). Pay runs are done weekly.

Has Mooloo gone through to the complaint's department? There is a three stage process. Stage 1, the Team Manager attempts to resolve, Stage 2, an independent person does the investigation and Stage 3 via the Ombudsman. Mooloo can go straight to Stage 2 if she has no confidence in Stage 1 working. The advantage on going straight to Stage 2 is to ensure a prompt response (2 reasons, Service Managers get performance related pay - one of the indicators are complaints!, and 2, Stage £ complaints are publicly reported against the Council and there are financial penalties attached))

All SW teams have 'Duty Workers', who are meant to cover if SW is too busy to respond immediately. I guess this isn't working for her?

Savvy_sewing

Gosh such discussion over my questions.

thankyou Gizmo for backing my situation.

I did indeed feel that the post was an insult to my being, and my claiming benefits from the tax payer. I HAVE BEEN A TAX PAYER SINCE I WAS 17 HYEARS OLD until all of this hindered my health and I lost my job in January last year.
I loved my work, and all throught bringing up the 4 children I had, two with learning difficulties I still worked. So I am as entitled to Tax payers money as anybody.
All I am asking for is enough funding to be able to feed, cloth and care for the child the best I can. I have lived on £89 for the last 21 weeks. Not only caring for my Granddaughter, but also trying to support her mother, her twin sister, and her two children. I think that I really do not mind which pot it comes out of, as long as we can survive.
I do not mind Social services visiting, I do mind the fact that every time I just get a rapour with a social worker they are moved on. Or go on longterm sick, or get pregnant.....etc etc etc

I want the best for my Grandchild and if in the end it was adoption then so be it. However I do not think that that is the best and I think that Mum should have had the chance and because of One social worker the bad apple, the child has been taken off of her, and placed with me. Without the proper proceedures.

oh I have complained. I have even gone to my MP.

i have to go now, to another Social Services meeting, for my other grandchildren.
I do not get expenses, or paid, or anything else, but I do get involved with all that is required of me.

My girls are not bad mums. They are just unlucky, they have learniing difficulties.

Savvy_sewing

I started this thread asking a question. What Benefits am I entitled too?
I do not want anything that I am not entitled too, and do not want to profit from my daughters situation, or from my Granddaughter. I just wanted to be able to feed us. Having only £90 a MONTH to feed us, pay for cleaning materials is not exactly living the high life. Not in my book.
I have now been told what the allowance is. I have also been told I needed to revoke any claims to Childbenefit and Child tax credits. Which I already did immediately Yesterday.

So as far as I am concerned. I no longer need to keep this thread going. So I am no longer going to continue to post in the Benefits board.

I hope if you are reading this, and you are seeking Kinship carers allowance too, that you will not let the system beat you down. I am aware that it nearly did me.

I hope the future will now be brighter as we will be able to buy food without, worrying about the bill going over £25 a week.

I believe that I shall be paid fortnightly from now on. So at least we can now do a budget.

Thanks for all the helpful advise.
regards
Mooloo

sassysar

Mooloo wrote: »

I started this thread asking a question. What Benefits am I entitled too?
I do not want anything that I am not entitled too, and do not want to profit from my daughters situation, or from my Granddaughter. I just wanted to be able to feed us. Having only £90 a MONTH to feed us, pay for cleaning materials is not exactly living the high life. Not in my book.
I have now been told what the allowance is. I have also been told I needed to revoke any claims to Childbenefit and Child tax credits. Which I already did immediately Yesterday.

So as far as I am concerned. I no longer need to keep this thread going. So I am no longer going to continue to post in the Benefits board.

I hope if you are reading this, and you are seeking Kinship carers allowance too, that you will not let the system beat you down. I am aware that it nearly did me.

I hope the future will now be brighter as we will be able to buy food without, worrying about the bill going over £25 a week.

I believe that I shall be paid fortnightly from now on. So at least we can now do a budget.

Thanks for all the helpful advise.
regards
Mooloo

I know how hard it is to do what you are doing and well done. There are many hard days and often very little thanks but many rewards. good luck for the future:)

floss2

Vomityspice wrote: »

Sadly I have never read the full thread (had a quick look just not but there are 100+ pages of it and I don't have time to read it all!)

Perhaps you had better start reading before making suggestions or stating that you "can't believe" that particular council would behave that way.... it makes very frustrating reading, believe me.

Mooloo has tried to make complaints, has written countless letters, has made numerous phone calls, has had to contact her councillor, the head of Childrens Services AND her MP to try to get the support she has been told she can have but that has not been forthcoming..... she has only just received some cash (from tax credits) to support her granddaughter, the promised assessment after 6 weeks has not yet been done - over 5 months later, the social workers involved have been changed, been unsupportive, been unavailable to speak to, have offered cash & then withdrawn it, have offered a nursery place that is no longer available, have offered safety equipment that still hasn't appeared. She is of very limited resources, is unable to work due to her illness, does not have a financially secure family to help out, and has had very little actual support from the SW's involved....... and you wonder why she has not had a "more sociable attitude towards the SW".

To me, the phrase "walk a mile in anther man's shoes" springs to mind - please read the original thread and you will see how poor the support provided to Mooloo has actually been.

robbo67_2

vortexx wrote: »

My wife and I are kinship carers for our 3 grandchildren, and we were not allowed to take child benefit or tax credits, jus the carers allowance from the social services. We are in Wales if that makes a difference.

M

would it be possible to let me know where in wales you are as i am at this time looking into claiming the kinship carers allowance and just need as much information on putting the claim in as possible as it seems that even people who should know about this dont know about it IE i have been in touch with grandparents rights and they didnt know much about it
thanks
Angela

Savvy_sewing

robbo67 wrote: »

would it be possible to let me know where in wales you are as i am at this time looking into claiming the kinship carers allowance and just need as much information on putting the claim in as possible as it seems that even people who should know about this dont know about it IE i have been in touch with grandparents rights and they didnt know much about it
thanks
Angela

!!! this thread hasnt been used in a while it might be beneficial to do a PM to the person you were asking the question.
I found it a complete mindfield and nobody seemes to know what was right and what was not!.
I got my funding on a technicalaty in the end. But we are in England so its different. Good luck anyway.

scowets

My daughter has been asked by social services to look after my grandaughter. They are organising a Legal Meeting for this week. I already have a Residence Order for my grandson which was granted through the courts. All legal costs were covered by myself, no help offered by social services. I have since been told by a friend about Kinship Carers and my daughter has asked the social worker about it. The social worker has said that this is no longer available. Is this right? If not does anyone know how to go about applying. My daughter is in full time employment but is finding it financially hard at the mo.