Escaped domestic abuse advice please

[Mammicar]

My db and three dc's have been through hell the last 18 months.

Yesterday it finally came to a head. Social services Have been involved for a long time and I had a phone call with their assigned social worker and it was decided that i
should go get them.

I need advice about finances. Their mother was claiming and had their tax credits on sat. She's left db and kids without a penny the baby didn't even have nappies. I've pretty much used up my funds getting there (6 hour round trip) and buying nappies and bridge fee to get back.

It's obviously going to take a while to sort my brothers benefits out (tax credits child benefit etc, luckily he managed to get the kids birth certificates)

What can we do? Can social services help us out with this for now? We don't get paid till next week and even then I have three kids of my own. I plan to go down to dwp today with him and the housing here and get things moving. The kids won't be back with their mother from what social services have said (she's been sectioned, mental health illness and drug addiction).

It's such a sad situation so I wanna help as much as I can x

These arrangements have replaced the old crisis loans and are run by local councils (so they vary);

www.turn2us.org.uk/information__resources/benefits/social_fund/local_welfare_provision.aspx

Thank you would I need to go to my council or his? Confusing as he's in my house now with three dc x

If they are in your house and can't go home due to DV, then it should be your council. That would be in line with usual DV procedure.

If the council gets difficult, he needs to assert that 1) They can't return to old address due to DV so 2) Your address (although temporary and new to him) is now his ONLY address.

Mankind is the charity/helpline for male 'victims' (hate that word) of DV. They might be able to help and advise further.

for being such a great sister and aunt BTW

Thank you I will give mankind a call at a more social able hour. Wide awake, silly because we have six kids to contend with tomorrow

I couldn't leave the dc's where they were! Will get onto their social worker tomorrow and my council thank you so much Google was giving me too much info to process at this time

It's the adrenaline. You need cocoa with a tot of something

Good luck. I do hope you get some sleep

Social services have a section 17 budget that can be used in these type of situations. You need to call the allocated social worker and be polite but firm about what you need. That's what the budgets are for.