worried guardianship allowance will stop

[lulu]

Hello new to all this i am worried guardianship allowance will stop. I want to get ahead of myself and get as much info just incase, anyone know good solicitor, i dnt qualify for leagal aid thanks

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Hi Lulu,
Welcome to the friends and family forum! You have come to the right place to get advice about special guardianship orders.(SGO) and the support that it attached to these orders... A lot people using the board have SGO’s and have been through the process of being assessed for any support that is available.

Have a look at our advice sheet about SGO’s which provides a lot of detail about the financial support and other support that you could be assessed for.

here it is
DIY Special Guardainship Orders


You say that you didn’t qualify for legal aid. You could ask children’s services ( CS)-new name for social services to contribute to your legal fees-they often do so as the” SGO regulations” give them the power to do so and it can save them money in the long term.

If you have been assessed as receiving a special guardianship allowance then the amount you receive should be put in writing to you.

It will usually be looked at by CS every year so this means that you may lose the allowance after a review. Also if your financial circumstances change you are expected to notify children’s services of this so that they can re assess you. So in these circumstances the SGO allowance could stop. However, CS would have to put their reasons in writing and you may be able to challenge their decision.
One carer who posts regularly on the forum has an agreement in writing from CS that they will pay her allowance until the children are 18.

I hope this helps but please come back with more questions.
Best wishes,

Suzie

[lulu]

cut backs are coming in manchester really worried sent my finicial assessment in two days ago when do you think i will hear back thanks

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Ask the social worker who is carrying out the assessment when it will be ready. You could email him/her for this information. Local authorities are required to provide you with information about the assessment process-how long it will take, what will happen while they assess you. However, the assessment should be based on what is called the “common assessment framework”-this says it should be completed within 35 working days but can be completed much sooner.

Is it a yearly re- assessment that is taking place? If not much has changed then it should all be done on the correspondence and will be quicker than a first assessment for support which can take some time.

If it is a first assessment ot you are asking for more support-then there is a lot more to consider.
As well as ongoing financial support they can also consider one off costs when a child comes to live with you such as an extension if another bedroom is desperately needed or other one off payments. The assessment for finances will be based on a means test. Any allowance you receive will be based on the basic fostering rate.

They should also assess you for support in relation to contact between the child and parents and other family members who had an important relationship with the child. This can be cash to help with the expenses of contact-such as travel as well as mediation to help contact run smoothly. Therapeutic support for the child, mediation and counselling and respite are all also available.
Please have a look at the advice sheet on DIY SGO's for more information. Page 26 to 30 deals with the finances.
DIY Special Guardianship Orders


Please post back if you have more questions.

Best wishes,

Suzie