Post placement support: advice please!

[hackneyLass]

Hi I need some Mumsnet wisdom.

My 2 DN, now 5 & 6, were in care for 18 months then with us as special guardians for the last 16 months. It has been difficult. As you may know LAs are not obliged to provide any support in special guardianship cases and so the LA where the boys were in care didn't (thanks guys). But now we have reached breaking point the LA has suddenly want to meet next week, and asked us to send them a list of support we might want by Monday morning. Trouble is, I have no idea of what kind of support could be available.

The boys are very unsettled, don't see why they should be with us rather than FC, have behavioural problems - defiance, inappropriate touching, hitting etc and are generally very unhappy. They get support from other agencies: speech & language through school; one gets weekly (psycho)therapy from CAMHS. We currently get temporary intensive support from a local SW who come to the house every day early evening to help with dinner/bath/bed (amazing!).

In the past the boys' received 1 life story session (delivered badly; promised further sessions never materialised). They had no transition support.

We are trying to base our requests on what adoptive parents might get, and would like to be as specific as possible. Our LA (who seem good) are willing to provide some services if other LA where the boys were in care willing to pay. But as this could turn into a long dispute about money I'd like to find out about other services too. We live in London so would be great to hear about anything there.

So, what worked for you (and what didn't work)?

Would suggest too them that they could help work with school and home partnership. Ask if they would apply a continued PEP (personal Education plan) and transfer the Pupil premium plus (£1900 per year per child) too control of LA's schools virtual head , would enable too access LA's support services.
This is not new some local Authority's already do this. Is being watched by Department of Education, and Children's Minister Edward Timpson , may well be rolled out Nationwide in the future.
Google Gareth Marr Adoption Train will give you an in sight of what is happening. Lots of support cash is not being used or used inappropriate many parents don't apply for PP so is wasted as its voluntary by application (£190m for PP) which could be used in Leaving care support Adoption, SGO. if cash was allocated for every child when they leave care as apposed too the merger New amount £19m for Adoption Support just announced. Could be £200m.

I found Family Futures very informative when enquiring about post adoption support...

Definitely worth giving them a call.

www.familyfutures.co.uk/

I also hear good things about PAC who have a London base www.pac-uk.org/adoptive-parentcarer-support/

If it were me, based on what you posted, I would be asking for therapeutic support for you and your boys together (possibly by specialists in Attachment and play therapy) and I would also be asking for support for you as adults, because this is really tough and I certainly needed specialist time to offload and get advice.

I would ask them to let you have their schedule of courses that they run for adoptive parents (if they have one), and an assurance you could join any or all of those. Our LA also has a regular support group specifically for people using special guardianship arrangements, so yours might too?

Thanks guys, Family Futures & PAC keep being recommended. And I didn't know about PEPs, that's my weekend reading then