Kingship foster care, financial support

[Advance]

Hi all, hopefully I'm posting this in the right place. Me and my partner were became kinship foster carers for my nephew's this year. When we were going though all the meetings and checks we were told we would get financial support for his hobbies and other stuff needed were now over a year in and I'm having to call the social workers every week trying to chase unpaid expenses theve told me i should claim. I've been told they were going to send me forms on what I can claim but never received them. And I'm just getting lied to daily. There even trying to get out paying fuel expenses I just feel that now they have pushed us to a kinship rather than sgo that there just trying not to support us in any way.
All there works are on annual leave or sick all the time when we need to talk to them it's really frustrating. Is there any advice anyone can give about any of this thanks in advance.

[Robin D]

Hi @Advance, and welcome here.

Sadly that's the norm. Money is tight in local authorities, and you really have to fight. Sadly too, verbal promises are more often than not denied when challenged. Too late for you the moment, but worth remembering to always get things in writing, and if they refuse or ignore you, write to the social worker recorded delivery with statements like. "At our meeting on dd/mm/yyyy you offered me abc to support {name] to do xyz. Would you please confirm in writing?" That way they either have to write back to you to deny it, or it stands as a fact. Either way you can use it in the complaints process for evidence that you were misled.

I suggest a formal complaint to the local authority. Its a three stage process and the general feeling is that stages 1 and 2 are a waste of time as the complaint is very likely to be rejected. At stage 3 it goes to an independent person and is much more likely to be accepted. Unfortunately you have to go through the other two stages first. The advice sheet at https://frg.org.uk/get-help-and-advice/what/complaints/ is very helpful on the process.

If your claim is also rejected at Stage 3, you can take it to the Local Government Ombudsman(LGO). However, watching their weekly mailings, there have been several incidents where LA's have defied the LGO and not carried out the recommended actions. I don't know where that will go, but the LGO is making a bit of a fuss about some.

It's also worth contacting your local councillor for support, details on the LA web site, and/or your MP. Details on how to do that are at the bottom of the above advice sheet.

I wish you well, and make sure you stick at it as the road can be very long.

Best wishes ... Robin

[Advance]

Hi bobin thanks for the reply, I will get on to that who do I send the email to to take things further? I've tried everything with the social workers and getting know where

[Robin D]

I would send a letter not an email that even if you put tracking on, and ask for a read receipt, most council systems block them.

Look on the authorities own website for the name of the Head of Children's Services or similar and send it to them endorsed Private and Confidential. Their PA will open it and will start the process. It possible that it may also be put in front of the head, who may decide to take action.

Either send it 'Signed for' and make sure you look at the tracking and take a copy of it (the print screen {PrtSc} key often allows you to save it if you don't have a printer), or most phones have a screenshot function), or take it into reception and ask for a receipt to say it's been delivered.

All you need to put in the letter at this stage is that you want to make a 'formal complaint', detail what the complaint is as per you first post, and most importantly the impact it is having on the child.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Advance

Welcome to the kinship carers’ forum and thank you for your post.

My name is Suzie, online adviser at Family Rights Group and I will respond to your post. I see that you have already received a response from another poster giving good supportive suggestions.

I agree that you should confirm in writing who, when and what was offered to you. In any event as you describe yourselves as kinship foster carers children’s services should be making payment of the fostering allowance and any additional amounts for the children. The children are ‘looked after children’ and children’s services (the local authority) their corporate parent. I suggest you look at the local authority’s website for information about their kinship care policy so you can see what they offer to kinship carers.

Despite this, if you were told you could request payments then continue to do so and keep a clear record of your communication with children’s services. Children’s services are financially responsible for the children.

You have already been given a link to our advice sheet relating to a formal complaint and I suggest that you follow through with this. I would only say that some local authorities have only a two stages complaint procedure, but you can find this out from their website or ask for a copy of the policy from the social worker.

Here is information from our website relating to children’s services duties when children are in their care under a court order. You can also read more about children’s financial responsibility in this advice sheet about kinship foster carers (see page 13)

Should you wish to speak an adviser you can telephone our free confidential advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is open from 9.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)

I hope you find this helpful.

Best wishes

Suzie

[Advance]

Hi my complaint letter have now been received by children services. I was wondering what I should expect back ? And what the next stage will be for me thanks in advance

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Advance

Suzie (FRG Adviser) here, thank you for your update and your question.

We have webpages that describe what to ‘expect’ when people make a complaint including the ‘stages’ you can read them here, and your local authority will have a policy too. If they have not sent you their guidance/policy do ask them for it.

This document called getting the best from complaints may be helpful to you.


Best wishes
Suzie
Family Rights Group Adviser