What do placing LAs fund?

[MrsBW]

Hi

I found out while talking to someone (an adopter) the other day that placing LAs fund 'exceptional items' - i.e. bedroom furniture, activities that you do during intros with the children etc

Is there any truth in this as far as all you lovely people are concerned (i.e. did you find this?)

If so -

Was it means tested?
Did you have to ask for it, or was it offered proactively?

Anything else that they fund that we may not know about/think about?

Thanks very much for any advice.

[Whatutalkinboutwillis]

Yes it is means tested in our la and we got nothing x

[Fusedog]

We got a settleling in grant

Pram

Chest of draws


Travel Cot

[Moomoomie]

Back in 2001 we got a settling in payment, I think it was a couple of hundred pounds. I don't think it was means tested? I'm not sure if these are still being paid. I think they were one thing taken away to save money.
It is worth asking.

[RabbitRabbit78]

It now depends on the LA - our placing authority gave us a settling in grant, but we know that our assessing authority doesn't give anything when it places children!

[hifi]

Depends on LA, we have had up to £1000.

[KristinaM]

I've never heard of funding to do activities during the introductions.

Some agencies will give settling in grants. It's likely to be means tested. And more likely if you are adopting a hard to place child or large sibling group (3 or more children )

[TeenAndTween]

Seven years ago we had a non means tested placement grant.

It was around 200 I think for 2 children, plus new car seats. we had to provide receipts. They also paid mileage during introductions. I think that if we'd had to stay away from home for intros they would have paid accommodation.

Worth asking.

[Choccyjules]

Hi,

our LA pays a set settling-in grant of around £500 and they told us this week on our training that this is very unusual and most LAs do means-testing before paying anything.

As we may well adopt from outside our LA we may miss out on this!

[GirlsWhoWearGlasses]

We received a non-means tested settling in grant of £750. Well we've sent off the form and are waiting for it to appear in our bank.

There is also a postadoption allowance which we're approved for in theory, but it's means tested. I think that's around whether a child is considered 'straightforward' or not and is meant to pay for anything additional they may need.

[allthingswillpass]

We got the price of a car seat so we picked a very good one
Nothing else.

[MrsBW]

Thanks all!

Seems - as everything else with the adoption process - that it's entirely inconsistent from LA to LA (or agency to agency etc).

At least I know to ask. And even if it's only a car seat, it's better than nowt (when the time comes).

Thanks!

[Devora]

Yes, it varies between LAs.

We got nothing, zilch, not a postage stamp .

[PheasantPlucker]

Our LA ( a few years ago) gave a non means tested settling in payment for a cot, buggy and car seat. They gave up to £500 - reimbursed by receipts submitted.

[Inthebeginning]

We're adopting from another la so I imagine we'll get accommodation paid for etc but I don't want to sound greedy. ....who do I ask and when? or should I ask our s worker too?
Slightly off subject but when we were on our course a lady was insistent that merlin gave free annual passes to adoptive families. everything she was going to do, bonding etc revolved around this! I gave this look quite often

[Copper13]

Our LA stopped payments about 3 months before our LO was placed with us. So we got not a bean!

[mrsballack]

We received a settling in grant of up to 750 per child, which we had to submit receipts for. We spent the full amount.
It was not means tested.

Funnily enough we had our LAC review today and there was some surprise from the review person that we were not receiving any sort of ongoing payments while we have not officially adopted the little ones. The social worker said that they don't do it unless there are significant disabilities and even then it would be means tested which means we wouldn't get anything.

It strikes me as a bit rubbish really when you consider how much it costs them to keep a child in foster care that we aren't entitled to any financial support.

[LadyPenny]

We receive £138 a week for our dd. the money will increase as she gets older and is paid up until her 18th birthday.
It was a complete shock to us we giant think they paid anything.

[Angelwings11]

We were funded to purchase a car seat only also (We were not expecting anything so were quite pleased when we were told).

[Angelwings11]

I forgot to add that we also had our accommodation and some mileage costs paid for. We were approved via a VA and the LA our AD is from was over 100 miles a way.