Advice-Kinship care and social work problems

[annalouise123]

Hi, I'm looking for some advice and possibly a service I can contact to help sort out problems.
I'm currently looking after my 3 grandkids who are 3,4 and 5. This is the 3rd time social work has asked me to take them and I'm really struggling. I had them for 5 months, then back to parents for 4 months, me for 6 months, parents for 3 months then me since February this year so 10 months. It is a voluntary placement but social work has said the children can't go back to their own house.

I'm a single adult living on my pension and I just can't afford it anymore. Social work had been giving me £30 cash a week which doesn't even come close to giving the cost of caring for them. I needed new beds as only had 1 bed and 2 cots which they outgrew, SW said to buy bed and they would refund money, that was 6 months ago and still not got the money. They asked me if I would care for them on a more permanent basis which I agreed and they said they would sort out kinship payments and pay interm payments until it came through, that was 13 weeks ago and still had nothing. They haven't even paid me my £30 for the last 4 weeks. The kids parents are still getting child benifit and child tax credit but won't give me any money from it or buy things for kids. Social work were supposed to be assisting with getting payments to me instead but again was months ago.

I'm at the end of my rope, we are relying on food banks to eat, I can't afford Christmas presents(we have been given some preloved stuff from local community group so have a few things atleast), desperately needing more clothes and shoes but just cant find the money.

I don't want to sound like I'm doing this to get money, I just want to be able to feed and cloth my grandkids. I've phoned their social worker twice this week but just answer phone. I left messages but no reply yet. She has been off sick a few times so not sure if she is off again. I don't know where else to go, phoning the general social work line just gets message left for social worker. I understand things are more difficult with the current COVID situation but something needs to be done, it's not the kids fault they are in this situation.

I would ask to speak to the social workers manager and explain what you have said above. Failing that, can you contact the children's health visitor or school for support? They can hopefully get you in contact with the social work department.

Could someone like the Family Rights Group, or possibly Nat Ass of Therapeutic Parents help you get the package that your local authority absolutely should have set up for you? May be worth also contacting your MP?

The quickest way to get them to act is phone them and ask them to place the children with foster carers as you cannot afford to keep them. They will quickly sort out your finances to avoid this!

If you have been asked to have the children and they have been removed from their parents by court order than you are a foster carer and should be receiving an allowance as a foster carer.

To compare, I foster my niece and nephew. We receive £148 per child per week. When it went to court for the removal order they asked me at that point if I was willing to care for the children. I clearly stated that I would but that I would need financial support. I had a viability assessment and was emergency approved as a foster carer. This meant that I was able to claim the cost of furniture that I needed for the children and received £300 per child to buy them clothes, toys etc. right at the start as they came to me with nothing but what they were wearing.

Being approved as a foster carer does mean you are required to complete paperwork, attend meetings, complete training etc. However in my opinion it is worth it for the financial security as although no one does it for the money children can’t live on fresh air!

Ask them for a viability assessment ASAP and tell them they will need to remove the children if financial support isn’t sorted. Good luck!

Great advice from Madwife123
I would add that if you discuss it on the phone I would follow up with an email and ask them to confirm all that they have agreed. Also set a timescale as this can carry on for months. I had a dispute over payments. Everyone involved agreed that there should be an increase but it took 18 months of backward and forwards between professionals to get it signed off. When I received it it was less than originally agreed and not backdated. By that stage I was fed up with it all so just accepted.

(I can't scroll backwhile typing - apologies if I'm misremembering parts of your post)

My DGC were removed and placed with me as an emergency. They now live with me permanently and I have a Residence Order (in Scotland). You describe the children as having been placed voluntarily, so I'm not sure whether my situation is the same.

Based on my own experience as a kinship carer, if SW place the children with you, you are entitled to a weekly allowance for each child, based on age. If the DGC started living with you because of an informal arrangement between you and their parents, then you may struggle to get the kinship carer's allowance, but SW may make ad hoc payments.

You should be able to claim Child Benefit, and it is illegal for the parents to do so for children who are not living with them. The SW should support you to make a claim, because they can then deduct CB from any financial support they give you. Do this asap, because you will not be backdated for what has already been paid to the parents. Don't worry about the parents getting in trouble for a false claim. They are depriving your grandchildren of finances that would help you provide for them.

Have you claimed Universal Credit? Our SW expects every kinship carer to do this. I think, but I'm not certain, that at least part of it is deducted from any kinship care allowance. The Social Work finance office are sometimes helpful with this.

If you have a local kinship carers group, they can be an invaluable source of financial info. There is often a contact number to phone, and a facebook page. Some have input from solicitors on legal and financial matters.

Don't let covid be an excuse for SW dragging their feet. It sounds as though you have been doing this for a good couple of years now, long before they had cv for an excuse. Log everything - phone, texts, emails, and remember that a paper trail is best.

It sounds as though the children should be getting free school meals. Have you asked if they can get them during the holidays? Also nursery and after-school provision if it's available.

I hope things become easier for you very soon

I don't see how they are saying it is a family arrangement if they asked you to have the children. I would say you can't continue to provide care as it is not affordable. They will want to keep the children with you and assess you as a kinship carer. Contact the team manager or service manager if you are not getting anywhere.

Social workers can be the most uncaring manipulative animal you will ever meet. I'm sorry but your local authority is saving a fortune at your expense. They really don't give a toss about your suffering or the children. Madwife is offering very good advice. Do not be intimidated by the social worker telling you that the foster course is difficult or that the children will be placed miles away because you won't care for them. . A social worker will totally lie to your face and walk quite happy. In fact ring them today and tell them to remove the children because you can't afford to care for them. It's Friday, early dart day. They'll squawk and flap and give you the earth by three in the afternoon.

If the oldest is in school you may be able to get some support from school in chasing the local authority to help you. Also phone up repeatedly until you get a response and the f your social worker doesn’t respond, ring back saying you need to speak to their manager. Ring and ring and ring until something is done