DLA I know someone lying on form - advise pliz

tibawo

I am not sure what to do. I was asked today to fill in the support I give to a child at school. I answered truthfully but noted that the mother had blatantly lied about other things in order to get the higher rate.

E.g not being able to walk more than 200m yet the girl will go up and down stairs and takes a full active part in pe.
Saying she can't dress herself etc.

Do I ignore it?

What would you do?

evenasus

I wouldn't ignore it - I'd inform the relevant department at the DWP.

It's tax payers money she is trying to steal!

joebolton

Report it for what it is.Benefit Fraud.

http://campaigns.dwp.gov.uk/campaigns/benefit-thieves/

If people weren't exagerating thier circumstances to take more money out of the pot, there would be less need for the cuts which affect the truly disabled.

HB58

When filling in the form, the claimnt is allowed to dis!!!! anything that they can do but only with severe discomfort/fatigue and also anything that cannot be done repeatedly, reliably or safely.

Think hard about whether this changes your opinion. If you are sure that the form has been completed fraudulently, then you should report it.

spacey2012

Did you read the part about confidentiality ?

HB58

One of the (legally) acceptable reasons for breaching confidentiality is if a crime has been committed...

dori2o

joebolton wrote: »

Report it for what it is.Benefit Fraud.

http://campaigns.dwp.gov.uk/campaigns/benefit-thieves/

If people weren't exagerating thier circumstances to take more money out of the pot, there would be less need for the cuts which affect the truly disabled.

The cuts have nothing to do with fraud.

But you know this, yet prefer to go along with the Government propaganda.

OP, if you believe that the parent is not telling the truth, it is your duty to report it.

Do think however about the whole situation. How often do you see the child, do they sometimes have problems with stairs, with walking etc etc, do you know enough about the childs problems to make a clear assessment of what has been written?

If so, and you still believe that the whole truth has not been told, then it is your duty to report it and let the relevent people handle it from there.

EDIT- I will add however, should you really be reding through another persons private and confidential claim form?

You have been trusted with a private document, I don't think you have the right to betray the trust bestowed on you.

Just my opinion.

tibawo

I read the information relating to what i was asked to by the parent. i wrote my comment based on what i do nothing more.

nad1611

HB58 wrote: »

One of the (legally) acceptable reasons for breaching confidentiality is if a crime has been committed...

A crime hasn't been committed until it's been proven.

I think you need to tread very carefully here. As previously mentioned you need to assess what this child is like when you see her and say what you do for her. You're not being asked to give an opinion about when the child is not in your care are you?
Be honest about the parts you need to fill in and what you don't, if there are fluctuations in her care then you must say as much. You're only being asked to comment on your involvement.
If this child has fluctuations and may be worse when you're not around and as such may qualify for an award, such as at the end of a school day tiredness etc,by reporting her you may be doing this child an injustice. However if there seems to be a discrepancy between what you say and what the mother says, then they will follow this up with a visit or at the very least confirmation from GP and others who are better placed perhaps to give a professional opinion. I don't know what your qualifications are but are you really qualified to determine that the mother has blatantly lied. The desciptor also allowing for an action to be done repeatedly, reliably etc will be taken into consideration.
There's a lot at stake here both for you and the child, so I wouldn't rush into anything. Perhaps you could speak to the mother and fill the form in with her there, so she can see what you write, if she disagrees she can give examples about why she said something different, it may shed some light on the matter.
Good luck.

princessdon

You should ask your Head Teacher or Line Manager for advice.

I symptathise (I also see this regularly). Our stance is to inform the claimant and allow "consideration of their claim" - noting that we know and in the hope they do the right thing, and that we won't support this and if asked will be honest and that will involve the advice that we think the form wasn't factual.

As we never know the EXACT form submitted we don't know if advice is heeded or not.

If your head doesn't support this and you feel it is wrong, you can report as an individual.

cockaleekee

nad1611 wrote: »

A crime hasn't been committed until it's been proven.

I think you need to tread very carefully here. As previously mentioned you need to assess what this child is like when you see her and say what you do for her. You're not being asked to give an opinion about when the child is not in your care are you?
Be honest about the parts you need to fill in and what you don't, if there are fluctuations in her care then you must say as much. You're only being asked to comment on your involvement.
If this child has fluctuations and may be worse when you're not around and as such may qualify for an award, such as at the end of a school day tiredness etc,by reporting her you may be doing this child an injustice. However if there seems to be a discrepancy between what you say and what the mother says, then they will follow this up with a visit or at the very least confirmation from GP and others who are better placed perhaps to give a professional opinion. I don't know what your qualifications are but are you really qualified to determine that the mother has blatantly lied. The desciptor also allowing for an action to be done repeatedly, reliably etc will be taken into consideration.
There's a lot at stake here both for you and the child, so I wouldn't rush into anything. Perhaps you could speak to the mother and fill the form in with her there, so she can see what you write, if she disagrees she can give examples about why she said something different, it may shed some light on the matter.
Good luck.

An individual can (and should) make a report if they have reasonable belief that an offence has been/ will be committed.

The OP should report her concerns, explaining the context in which she has this information. Then it is for the DWP to decide what weight to give the report.

To suggest that the OP is not qualified to comment on the child's condition is pretty ignorant - it does not take a medical degree to state that the child is able to actively participate in PE lessons. She is stating fact, not giving a diagnosis.