For being angry that my son did not see his Dad one last time before he died?

[1forward2back3sideways]

After being broke for nearly 6 weeks concentrix decided I wasn't committing fraud and living with my ex partner....paid off all my unpaid bills and arranged for my ex to have our children so I could take my eldest to see his Dad, belated, as had promised to do this at the start of the summer holidays. Plan was to go this weekend. Was contacted today to be told that his Dad died yesterday 😢😢 can't even comprehend the news I have been told, can't even begin to imagine how I am going to tell my son this news tomorrow, heartbroken for him. I know tax credits is a benefit and some may not agree with this but in this country the law states I need it to raise my children. I feel now that my son had paid the worse price ever for a nasty company being allowed to strip families of what they need to function and he never has the opportunity to ever see his Dad again. I just can't understand that I thought the least of my problems was how to supply food which is a perishable item to find out the biggest cost was my son seeing his Dad one last time!

You must be feeling incredibly raw right now. I remember when my DP died, that the 'what ifs' were all-consuming. I'm so sorry for you and your DS.

Child Bereavement UK were very helpful. There are lots of other charities that help children through the grieving process, too - if you are not near a branch of CB, you could try googling in your area.

That's truly awful. I'm so sorry a) for the loss your son (and you) are going through and b) that those bastards stopped your tax credits. They actually are to blame for you having no money, that's so obvious I don't know why anyone can say no one is to blame. I got a letter from them a few months ago accusing me of living with a partner. I haven't at all lived with a partner except my daughters father and we split years ago. I called and asked why have I been sent this, where is the logic, who do they think is living here and they openly admitted there is no suggestion from anyone that I have someone living with me, no accusation, no evidence they just randomly choose people to send the letters to but don't put you've been randomly selected for entitlement checks because they want to scare people who maybe committing fraud. It is a ridiculously nasty way of doing things. They also won't accept emailed evidence so I spent over £15 printing a year's worth of bank statements and utility bills at the library and sending recorded delivery just for them to send them back and say ok we were wrong. I'm so grateful I didn't have any lasting consequences from their horrid bullying of benefit claimants and really sorry you have. Concentrix are just like ATOS, awful private companies being asked to deliver sensitive checks which if they absolutely need to be done should be done by the public sector not by people whose primary motivation is profit and who get paid by results.

Clearly the death was not totally unexpected, although sooner than hoped, so I imagine the Dad was too ill to travel. I would also hazard a guess he lived some way away since the travel was too expensive to undertake until the tax credits were reinstated. He was probably simply physically incapable of travelling himself to see his child. I don't think we need more detail than that.

This may be an extreme case, but it does highlight the human cost of treating everyone who claims any kind of benefits as "naughty" rather than normal decent members of society trying to get by on a low income. Statistically the vast majority are honest with it. The presumption should be innocent until proven guilty, most particularly when doing it the other way round leaves families short of the necessities of life.

My 2 cousins lost their dad a number of years ago. It was heartbreaking to be around them the day they were told. They were really young at the time. Their father passed away and they hadn't seen him in a while either due to a split family. He died in a RTC so it wasn't expected and no way to have known that a visit to him would have been their last. I think that is why people are asking about your DCs fathers death. There would be different ways of breaking the news to him if it was a something like a RTC to him passing through an illness such as cancer.
You're right though OP, either way, a child has lost his dad.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way of telling your DC. I think (from the experience of my cousins) is that you just need to give him the facts and answer any questions he may have honestly but making it age appropriate.

for you and your son during this time

You can't blame it on benefits, they are not guaranteed and have always been subject to several checks. Something must have flagged up re a credit check etc to make them carry out the investigation. It's why it's never wise to rely on them and to ensure your salary covers the important stuff.

What you should be concentrating on is your son and his loss. Your money issues are not his concern and shouldn't even factor at this time. He's going to need a lot of support to get through the funeral and then come to terms with everything.

Sparkly, as SianSteans points out, there really doesn't have to be any valid concern flagged up for Concentrix to decide to do an investigation. People really need to complain to MPs, the ombudsman and everywhere possible and keep complaining about this sort of conduct. There can be no reason why someone on a minimal income has to spend money on sending them evidence to prove they are innocent when Concentrix has no reason to think they are guilty. Unless we complain and make a real stink about this, nothing will change.

sian that's exactly what I got. A letter to say they had information and reason to suspect I had a partner living here. When I rang the guy said that's not true, standard letter, but I needed to send information. Cost me half my weekly WTC to do it to only be told that I'm fine. I was lucky because I know others, as the OP has, have had money stopped incorrectly.

Thanks Judy, and youarenot. Sparkly you're being massively ignorant and your concern trolling of the OP is gross.