Son in Residential School

cheekipixi

Hello,

My son has ADHD, ODD, learning difficulties, dyslexia and severe behavioural problems and is highly medicated he is nearly 11yrs old.

His first 2 primary schools could not cope with him and the only alternative for him was to be taught at home, he was entitled to 5 hrs per WEEK of education. Before he left his 2nd school I enlisted the help of a solicitor, 1 of the reasons was to find a suitable secondary school. We found a school, which is a residential school but the children could also be a daily pupil.

My son has been there nearly a yr and has NOT been excluded up to now and I am thrilled. He is terrified of everything, dogs, cats, strange noises and thinks he is going to be taken away all of the time. This school also helps children with these kinds of difficulties.

After much thought I decided to try the Residential side of things, my son is in his 2nd week and I have noticed a difference already, so I have decided that to make this on going, he will come home every weekend and all holidays and even though this is killing me to be away from him but in the long run it is best for him and his future.

Can anyone please help me with the money side of things, my son receives DLA - high rate care and low rate mobility, I receive his family allowance and child tax credit, I still do his washing, still have to attend many meetings for him and therapy, and when he does come home at weekends I still need to have a busy schedule for him, he still breaks things that need replacing, he loses coats, jumpers etc, the only difference is he sleeps at the school 4 nights per week.

Sorry so long and thanks

CarerQuie

I am pleased that this is working for vou.

You must let DLA know because you only get the Carecomponent when you care for 35 hours per week. In practice,this leads to variable pro-rata amounts.

With him being home most week ends,there should be minimal adjustments.

I'm not sure whether any adjustments are made to the mobility component.

The 24 hour Curriculum certainly helps some children and I'm glad that you can see progress.I hope that he continues to make strides. xx

Indie_Kid

CarerQuie wrote: »

I am pleased that this is working for vou.

You must let DLA know because you only get the Carecomponent when you care for 35 hours per week. In practice,this leads to variable pro-rata amounts.

This is incorrect:
DLA continues for I think the first 84 days. After this, it would be based as you say, on pro-rata amounts. It's nothing to do with caring for someone for 25 hours. Those 35 hours would be quite easy to fit in over 3 nights and 2 days.

Savvy_Sue

If residential school was named on his statement with the need for him to be resident, LEA would have to pay.

ask the school about this, but you may also need IPSEA.

caspercaz

It is the carer allowance you need to give 35 hours a week for. Do let Dla know as you will have the care component adjusted, the mobility should stay the same and be used for transporting him to and from school , appoinrments etc.. SO glad he is responding to the consistency of the support. Look after yourself as well.

DX2

When your child is in a residential school or care

If your child is currently in a residential school or residential care (including for short term breaks) and this is paid for from ‘public funds‘ then the DLA care component stops being paid after 28
days. The mobility component is currently not affected although the government has proposed changing these rules from 2012 so that DLA mobility stops after 84 days.

Counting the number of days away from home

When counting the number of days away from home, the day your child enters hospital and the day they are discharged are both treated as days at home. For example, if your child goes into hospital on a Monday and comes back on Friday, then only Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will count as days away from home. This is a total of three days.

Our understanding is that the same rules should apply to residential care. Contact the helpline for further advice if your child goes into a residential setting and the DLA office don‘t apply these rules.

When a child is in hospital or a residential setting this can impact on any Carer‘s Allowance paid to their main carer. However, even if your child is in hospital or a residential setting for long periods,
you may still be able to carry on getting Carer‘s Allowance if your child regularly spends at least two days at home. You must provide at least 35 hours care during the ‘benefit week‘ they come home.
A benefit week runs from Saturday midnight to the following Saturday midnight.

Time spent preparing your home for your child‘s visit or cleaning
up afterwards can count towards the 35 hours care.

Be careful!

This is a complex area of the benefit system which can sometimes result in families being overpaid DLA. This usually happens when families unknowingly fail to inform the DLA Unit about their child‘s
stays away from home.

To avoid any confusion, we strongly advise you to tell the DLA Unit about any stays away from home in the places above. It‘s a good idea to keep a record of the dates you travel to and from your child‘s place of stay. The DLA Unit need to be clear about how many days have been spent away from home to decide when these rules apply.

If you‘re unclear about your situation, contact the helpline for further advice.

Families should also be aware that stays away from home may also have an effect on other entitlements, like tax credits or Income Support. This too is very complicated so seek further specialist
advice. Again, contact the helpline.
http://www.cafamily.org.uk/pdfs/DLA_factsheet.pdf

cheekipixi

Hi, the statement does say that this is the most appropriate school for my son, alderhey hospital recommended this school but for him to be a residential pupil, Social services have agreed this is the most suited school, when his statement is reviewed it will state that a residential settings is more appropriate for my son. However, it was different story when it came to funding, Social Services have funding half and Health have funded the rest. I am very grateful for this but now, from Social Services have now labelled him a looked after child, which doesn't impress me at all, as they don't have any concerns about him. Thanx for your advise

matelot123

Just to say I am in a similar situation as my son just started a residential placement today up here in Scotland so know what you're going through! With regard to the Looked After Child status, whether or not the SS have concerns, it is normal practice that children or young people who are looked after away from home on a regular basis are considered under the terms of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (similar legislation in England and Wales) to be Looked After children under the terms of the relevant part of the act. In our case, our son will shortly be designated as placed in care voluntarily which is covered by sect.25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.This is normal practice and ensures that they are properly supervised in their placement by the agencies who sent him there and who after all are paying for it. We noted that after a period of six months being accommodated under the terms of sect 25 of the Children (Scotland ) Act 1995, we are required by law to provide written notice of our intention to remove our son and will obviously watch for any attempt by SS to change his status from voluntary to statutory which would not be a welcome move but they are known to have done this in the past.
good luck
mac

DX2

matelot123 wrote: »

In our case, our son will shortly be designated as placed in care voluntarily which is covered by sect.25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.This is normal practice and ensures that they are properly supervised in their placement by the agencies who sent him there and who after all are paying for it.

Section 25
This section imposes a duty on local authorities to provide accommodation for children, if:

• No one has parental responsibility for them;
• They are lost or abandoned; or
• The person who has been caring for them is prevented from providing suitable accommodation/care.

matelot123 wrote: »

we are required by law to provide written notice of our intention to remove our son and will obviously watch for any attempt by SS to change his status from voluntary to statutory which would not be a welcome move but they are known to have done this in the past.

:eek: That sounds mighty scary ^^^
I hope you have sought proper legal advice.

paddedjohn

"Can anyone please help me with the money side of things, my son receives DLA - high rate care and low rate mobility, I receive his family allowance and child tax credit, I still do his washing, still have to attend many meetings for him and therapy, and when he does come home at weekends I still need to have a busy schedule for him, he still breaks things that need replacing, he loses coats, jumpers etc, the only difference is he sleeps at the school 4 nights per week."

IVE JUST READ YOUR POST AND CANT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU FEEL YOU NEED EXTRA CASH TO DO THINGS FOR YOUR SON THAT OTHER MOTHERS AND FATHERS UP AND DOWN THE COUNTRY DO DAY IN DAY OUT FOR NOTHING. HE'S YOUR SON SO WHY SHOULD YOU BE PAID TO DO HIS WASHING AND ATTEND TO HIS GENERAL WELFARE. THE WORLD IS GOING MAD

devizes18193

paddedjohn wrote: »

"Can anyone please help me with the money side of things, my son receives DLA - high rate care and low rate mobility, I receive his family allowance and child tax credit, I still do his washing, still have to attend many meetings for him and therapy, and when he does come home at weekends I still need to have a busy schedule for him, he still breaks things that need replacing, he loses coats, jumpers etc, the only difference is he sleeps at the school 4 nights per week."

IVE JUST READ YOUR POST AND CANT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU FEEL YOU NEED EXTRA CASH TO DO THINGS FOR YOUR SON THAT OTHER MOTHERS AND FATHERS UP AND DOWN THE COUNTRY DO DAY IN DAY OUT FOR NOTHING. HE'S YOUR SON SO WHY SHOULD YOU BE PAID TO DO HIS WASHING AND ATTEND TO HIS GENERAL WELFARE. THE WORLD IS GOING MAD

Beacuse the running costs of a child or adult is a lot more then that of a normal child , both financial and mental with the stresses of caring .I guess you get one on every thread