I may just have lost my dp's help aaagggghhhhhh

[Jimjams]

Trainee SALT with 10 years experience as a nanny was going to help me for 18 hours a week over the hols- paid for by direct payments. Ideal person obviously. But the tax is a nightmare (because she has children so receives tax credits). The very helpful man at the tax credit office has told her its not worth doing the job as she risks losing all her tax credits. Aaagghhhh what is the point of SS funding direct payments if people then can't work as they end up worser off.

Honestly they have no suitable playschemes for my son, no respite, and now they make it impossible to employ an ideal person using funding from social services.

Luckily she is still keen (despite tax credit office man) and is trying to find out whether or not she can do it without being penalised. No-one seems to know.

Does the money push her over the salary limits maybe??

It's to do with tax codes and being a student. I think its simple if you are working/not working, but she gets a grant or something for her SALT course (which may or may not be taxable).

fio I think the playschemes here are to do with inclusion. So they'll fund support in mainstream playschemes as that is seen as being inclusive. So if your child cannot access a mainstream environment then they have nothing they can send you on. Surely inclusion in a specialist scheme is more inclusive than being stuck inside one house for 6 weeks because I can't go out the front door with ds1 + a sibling.
Inclusion my arse.

its disgusting, I dont know if you read that we were on the 'reserved' list for social serviuces playscheme and 'help' as i cope too well and the care is excellent, ggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Student grants aren't taxable, afaik. I really doubt she'd be worse off.

wtf fio? That's appalling on your behalf. Next time they come around leave a big poo somewhere and say "oh I haven't had time to get round to clearing that up yet" or something like that.

Some are scummy apparently. It wasn't helped by the fact that the SS payscheme people were about to put her on emergency tax which would have buggered everything. It's something to do with her tax code not being able to change.

my friend decised a system and some of you may not like this, but she used to ring up her social worker weekly or more often saying she had her head in the oven. She went to her GP to get Ads prescribed (and never took them ) all so she could get on the priority list

oh gosh you will all be shocked now.......

she has advisedme to do the same............

i cant believe I have just typed that. her dd is sevre and she really does need the help but they kept refusing as they said she was coping ok. You will all feel bad of me and my friedn now wont you

Can ss direct payments support people advise?

No, Fio. Ring them up and say you are so desperate you were thinking of saying that you had your head in the oven, Wtf do they want before they'll act? Silly sods.

This is a bloody farce Jimjams! I'm so sorry - I just hope the stupid man is wrong and everything will be ok.

No Fio - desperate times call for desperate measures - if they put you in difficult circumstances, the only thing to do is play them at their own game.

I completely understand why she did that. I was shocked to be given 18 hours (if I can find anyone to pay). I think we got it because SS came round and found us sitting in the dark. She was horrified, but didn't understand that that was on the next "to sort out" list. That weeks was something like geting ds1 to come inthe front door without pressing the neighbours bell/ sit at the table or something. Sitting in the dark with the tv on wasn't a problem! Anyway got us more dps

I did have that problem at first, could have had DPs for 3 months but couldn't find someone willing to go through the rigmarole of being an employee, even though it was only for 2.5 hours back then! Oh Fio, don't blame her at all, Choc is right about that.
Scummy, I didn't understand your short message about support people? Is it mistyped or have I swallowed too much gas today from putting head in oven?

i think scummy means the people who help run dps- we have some down here- not employed by SS. My co-ordinator has been very helpful today.

Ah, I've deciphered Scummy's message now. Yes, isn't there an org that advises? We have one though I've found that they make mistakes!

I think they're all set up locally, but could be wrong....

Yes, ours is local and gives advice to all residents with disability about a range of things including DPs. Is yours worth speaking to?

I have been, all day

Oh bum!

Oh Jimjams, what a mare. So sorry.
I know tax and benefits for students on NHS bursaries are really really difficult - my sister got caught in an NHS/benefits agency situation ? from the student's point of view it's really dangerous to go against their advice.

yes I know edam- I got caught years ago and this situation is even more complicated. Seems sooooo sill as this work would a)give her a little bit more money and b) be really excellent work experience for her.

silly even- agh can't type tonight.

Not surprised you can't type with all this to stress you out on top of everything else. God. I feel like a teenager muttering 'why is life so UNFAIR' and I'm only reading your threads, not actually having to go through any of this. Life is sh1t sometimes, isn't it?

Check your in-box JJ