No help from local authority

[damppatchnot]

I have been caring for the 2 year old daughter of my sisters daughter, my niece.

She was renting my sisters house until June. My sister contacted me at this time as she had been having parties in the house with the two year old present with unknown males and drugs were found on the premises. I contacted the police and social services and my niece agreed for her daughter to come and stay with me on 8th June 2020.

Following this she continued to have parties and my sister threw her out at the end of June as the house was being wrecked.

My niece was then homeless for a while until I took her in mid July. She left a week later having come home after being missing for a day, heavily intoxicated with alcohol and drugs.

She went missing for a few days then ended up at my sisters house where she lives with her partner

My niece has recently got a new rental and her daughter went back 1st October. SS are monitoring and I see the two year old at weekends

I’m a single mum on a low income and had no financial assistance from the LA.

I’ve sought legal advice and been told I’m entitled to fostering allowance. I was told Her parents are financially responsible for her. My niece was homeless !
When I went back to work in sept (I work in a school) I had to use a nursery

If I hadn’t taken my great niece she would have gone into care and at some cost to the LA.

Anyone else had this issue ? I’ve spoken to a family law firm and they said as LA involved I should get fostering allowance for the 4 month period I had her. I’m now £1,200 in debt because I took my nieces daughter on but would do it again and still might have to.

The local authority will regard it as an informal in-family arrangement, not through them and not involving a qualified foster carer.

In theory the child's parents should pay you the allowance but it sounds like that won't happen. I think you'd have to fight the council through the courts for any money.

You can see their point though. If it was easy, siblings could foster each other's children with the council picking up the bill for all of them.

You agreed to take the lo saving the la initiating public proceedings, as such you're not entitled to anything

I've had my grandson since he was 10 months old, he's nearly 2 now I've had no allowance

To qualify for assistance the la need to start public proceedings and place the child with you legally OR you take private proceedings, lodge for a residency order then apply to la for an allowance

And I seriously doubt they'll pay "back dated" money