Do Social Services support applications to local authorities for toys for deprived children?

[LaCerbiatta]

Dh is saying that social services can apply for money to give toys (playstations was the specific example) to children in deprived families. Is this true?

I'm not commenting or passing judgement, just intreagued that with the unhealthy number of hours I spend on mumsnet never came across that information...

I work with social services in another agency but in a safeguarding role with families in need and I’ve never heard this but I know some family support workers for certain charities will sometimes arrange to give second hand toys they’ve acquired through donations, usually homeless charities or resettlement charities. Also for children with disabilities there are often funds for iPads or laptops to make their lives easier.

The only specific thing I’ve ever heard of that springs to mind was a couple of years ago in a child protection meeting the child has undiagnosed ASD and the parent was struggling, one of the only things they liked doing was bouncing on a small gym type trampoline which had broken, so the family support worker involved managed to get them a new one

What I have known is before Xmas organizations like the roundtable gathering lists of wanted toys or age groups of dc.
They then bought and donated toys.
But it didn't stretch to PlayStations.

Sounds like something your DH might have read in the Daily Express. No doubt they get “flat screen” TVs to play their PlayStations on too.

I've heard of a few charities who do something similar.

Thanks all. Dh has a new job where he interacts with local authorities and that's where this came from, but I think something may have been missed...

We are Scotland. Social work apply to cash for kids which provides this type of thing. M

@brokengate

We are Scotland. Social work apply to cash for kids which provides this type of thing. M

Interesting, thanks. Maybe it happens in other areas as well! 🙂

The family fund will provide items to children to support family life, so possibly a child with a health condition that relaxes when playing or similar. They support a huge number of children each year with really positive feedback. They will also support parents with washing machines or tumble dryers if this can be shown to support the child.

Is the family fund from the local authority or separate?

The Family Fund isn't LA or govt. And it supports families where there is a disability. Some of the families at the specialist school that I taught at got grants from them for things like washing machines or dryers (many of our children were in nappies) or even for furniture where the most severely learning disabled children had trashed what the parents had. It's possible that they'd provide something like a PS if a child was severely autistic and could only be calmed that way. But it's not something I've come across myself.

www.familyfund.org.uk/about-us

www.familyfund.org.uk/about-us

To clarify, it's a charity. But it's LAs and schools that refer the families of disabled children to it.

There are locally a variety of charities that you can apply to for grants for various things, mainly essentials, but I suspect if you could raise a good case for a child's toy you may be able to get funds for it. Not sure about a playstation, but they certainly did laptops for school work during lockdown.
The LA would help you apply, but wouldn't apply for you.

Thanks all for explaining! 🙂

Is he being critical of this, like people who moan that prisoners are allowed to watch TV?

There is precious little support for disadvantaged families, tbh.

I am a child protection social worker and have provided toys for families - never something as expensive as a PlayStation though. We also usually give out Easter eggs and Xmas presents to those that cannot afford them. It depends what locality you work for though, some are more generous than others and wouldn’t do this.

In a previous role I was able to give Christmas presents to children on my caseload, and social care did as well. There were loads of presents all over the office and you basically chose what you though the child would appreciate and took it to the parent for them to wrap. (We had to fill in paperwork of course, and the parent had to sign that they had received it).Never a games console though. Toys for little ones, and lynx for teenagers. A few books. Loads for little children, little for teens.

@picturesandpickles

Is he being critical of this, like people who moan that prisoners are allowed to watch TV?

There is precious little support for disadvantaged families, tbh.

The opposite! He works in a inequalities role and looks into why there are big differences in the support families receive from their case workers.

We've actually been arguing because he's taking my incredulity at families getting playstations as judgement and me thinking they don't deserve them.