What support can I get?

[Maskgirl99x]

Hey

I’m just looking for what support I am entitled to I’m currently going to be getting 2 children they are family I will be caring for them full time until they are 18 , before they come to myself I need bunk beds storage and few things for them and I don’t have the money for that do the local authority support this of so is it a specific grant that I would get per child or do they buy the stuff that I need.
Any help would be greatful

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Maskgirl99x

Welcome back to the parents’ discussion board. Thank you for your further post.

I will respond to your post here today but if you have further queries, please post on our specialist kinship carers’ discussion board as you will then hopefully receive support and advice from experienced kinship carers as well as from me. Please see a link to the kinship carers’ board here .

You are going to be caring for two children who are your family members, potentially until they are 18. You explain that you will need some items for the children such as beds and storage etc and are understandably wondering what support children’s services will offer you to get set up for the children.

The exact support you will get does depend on the legal status of the children’s placement with you.

In my previous response, I explained about kinship fostering and legal options for obtaining parental responsibility for children such as special guardianship. As you last posted quite recently, I am guessing that there are care proceedings and so the children will be coming to you under a fostering arrangement, at least to begin with? Then a SGO may be made at the end of the court proceedings.

Please have a look at my previous response where I explained more about fostering allowances and special guardianship support.

I suggested that you write to children’s services setting out what items you need for the children. You can ask them to provide you with a ‘setting up’ grant to allow you to have the items in place before the children come to you. If you have obtained estimates for the items needed, please include them. Sometimes the social worker will order the items you choose on your behalf. You should not be expected to have to purchase expensive items to allow you to care for the children if children’s services are placing them with you. Please contact the children’s social worker urgently to ask them to clarify what help they will provide you in setting up for the children’s arrival and when this will be put in place. They should be able to provide you also with a copy of their policy on this.

If you are unhappy with their response, please seek further advice and/or consider if you need to make a complaint.

It would be helpful if you post back or call the advice service to clarify what court order is in place for the children e.g. if it is an interim care order (ICO) as this helps me advise you better.

I hope the children settle in well and that you get the right support.

Best wishes

Suzie