Claiming child benefit and tax credits. Help needed. Regarding grandchild now living with grandparent

[leoleo]

I need some advice for my sister. She has her grandson living with her afetr his mum died (not her dd). His df is not capable of looking after him as he has an addiction and social services took the child away about a month before she died.
My sister has had to leave work and resign and therefore her income has dropped dramatically.
She needs to claim family allowance and tax redits i would have thought.
Any ideas how she does this as things are strained between the 2 families (my sister and the mums family).
Would she be entitled to anything else?
Social services are involved and they all have meetings regularly.
Thank you. I would esp appreciate help from anyone who has been in a simular situation.

A poster named Joash has been in a similar(ish) situation and now cares for her grandchild. Hopefully she'll see this.

bump.

I think the first thing to sort out is that she is receiving the child benefit (family allowance?), I think once she is then she becomes entitled to claim the tax credits. I think she needs to ring child benefit people and ask how she claims someone must be receiving it at the moment and if she has full time care then it should be her.

The money is going to the mum's account who passed away. My sister is struggling a bit for money. We all know expensive nappies are etc esp when you aren't used to th expence.
WOuld she need the death cert? I though social services would have sorted it out tbh.

Thanks lizziemum

Hi
We looked into a similar situation before. If you ring the child benefit etc they can advise you.
Basically, you need to stop the claim from going to one person and then start going to the new carer.
It seems that they are happy to pay the money to whoever is looking after the child as long as one claim stops before you start another one.
HOpe that made sense, if you ring them, they will help you.

Quite possibly will need to prove to Child Benefit people that she has died - her account should be frozen! Perhaps SS have assumed that your sister has already sorted it out. Once she has claimed CB she may be entitled to Guardians allowance I'm busy googling trying to fnd the phone number or info?

0845 302 1444.

phone number if you know the child benefit number then it would be helpful but I'm sure the can manage without.

I would have thought that the Mum's account is frozen so the money should be being bounced back anyway - or is it just sitting their accumulating I have no idea what happens when someone dies.

From the website it sounds like she should fill in a claim form and send it in probably with a letter to explain the circumstances - here is what is on the website:-

Child Benefit can only be backdated for up to three months from the date your claim is received in the Child Benefit Office, so it's best to make your claim straight away to avoid losing money.

You should claim Child Benefit as soon as:

your child is born
a child or young person comes to live with you that you are responsible for
you adopt a child who is living with you
you start to contribute to the cost of looking after a child that you are responsible for, unless the person the child lives with is already getting Child Benefit for them. The amount you contribute must be the same as, or more than, the weekly amount of Child Benefit you get for that child.
You can claim in any of the following ways:

(The forms below are in Portable Document Format (PDF). To be able to view and print out a PDF document you must have a PDF reader installed on your computer. Adobe reader is provided for download)

complete a Child Benefit claim form on screen and print it out
print out a blank Child Benefit claim form (PDF 117K) and fill it in
if your child has just been born - fill in the Child Benefit claim form that was in the 'Bounty Pack' that you may have been given.
Send the completed form to the Child Benefit Office with the child?s original birth or adoption certificate. Before completing the claim form you must read the Child Benefit claim form notes (PDF 101K).

Top

Documents to accompany your claim
You will need to send us the child?s original birth certificate, or the birth certificate you get after adoption, or the adoption certificate. You do not need to send us the certificates for any children that you (or someone else) have received Child Benefit for in the past.

Please note: We cannot accept photocopies of certificates.

If you cannot send us the certificate now, send us the claim form anyway. We will ask you to send the certificate later.

Thanks. The girls mum hasn't sorted anything out regarding bank accounts as far as I can make out.
The circumstances surrounding her death aren't clear either so it is difficult to talk to the other grandmother.
My sister is in touch with solicitors I think about the guardianship. At the moment her gc is on the at risk register.

Thank you! I'll pass that on to my sister. I know social services are put upon but i would have expected a bit more support.

I think SS are probably in the belief that the GS is being properly looked after at the moment by a candidate who should be deemed suitable as taking over guardianship therefore saving them time & money...