Support for SGO

[PDB]

Hi Suzie,

Just to clarify, the police asked if they could stay at our house the same night as there mum passed away
it was the same police lady that came to the house when death was reported, as they had no where else to go
they could not stay in the house. As the police then needed to get in touch with social services we didn't contact
social services they came to us in regards to the chidden after 3 days or so.

You ask about the Father / Fathers the girls father is unable to look after her and this is also confirmed via SC
as for the male child we don't know who is Father is as we have never had contact with him and also not named
on Birth Certificate.

Note at no point was it ever explained to us fully as to what we can or cant get financially or who is responsible for what
in regards to the children until we had a Teams meeting with solicitors. this is when we found out they had done literally nothing
in regards to following up on the SGO order as we where told SC where going to deal with all of this and where doing.
The Solicitor told us they are not doing anything in regards to SGO order, and we have to deal with this.
At the end of the day they have lied and lied for 8 months solid now and its getting tiring now.

Tomorrow we have another meeting to go over the same things over and over again, the difference tomorrow is we are going to lay the cards on the table then it up to them what happens next, we cant go on like this its emotionally draining now for all of us, and we are now flat broke, we have a chance to move house now to a 3 bedroom house, this solves the overcrowding but then creates even more money worries, we cant win no matter what we do now.

As for complaint form that will be sent after tomorrow when I have all the facts I need

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Update, so we have basically told them if we don't get any help, we will let them take the children into
there care. So SW is going back to there manager and see what they say?

I think I have exhausted all options now

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear PDB

Thank you for your further post and for providing clarification of your situation. I am very sorry to hear how difficult things are for you and how unsupported you have been throughout.

You will have had the meeting with the social worker and probably their manager by now. You will have set out what I think is your bottom line i.e. that you cannot continue to care for the children without financial support from children’s services and if that is not available then sadly you feel that you have no option but to ask that children’s services take them into foster care. I can understand that children’s services’ attitude has been extremely frustrating and unhelpful and that you have been forced to make a very difficult decision. I would suggest that you formally request confirmation in writing of any decisions made at the meeting and the legal basis for them.

Perhaps you could provide an update on the outcome of the meeting so that I can tailor my advice to your current situation.

I hope that children’s services’ stance has shifted and that they have come up with a plan to enable the children to remain safely in your care, with sufficient support in place. However, if the children have moved into foster care and you need any advice about remaining in contact with them please post back or call the freephone advice service on 0808 8010366 (Mon to Fri, 9.30 am to 3.00 pm).

Either way, you may wish to proceed to make a formal complaint about the assessment of the children’s needs and the refusal (to date) to support you financially to care for the children. If you did use our template letter 4 initially then template letter 5 is a follow up complaint; you can access both here. Or you can make a complaint in your own words, setting out all the circumstances as clearly as possible.
Please refer to my advice in previous posts as this may assist you in any complaint. It is worth noting that the LGO upholds a high number of complaints by family and friends carers who contact them when they have exhausted children’s services’ complaints process.

You could also contact your local MP or councillor to discuss your situation and the hardship you have experienced as kinship carers.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes

Suzie

[PDB]

Hi Suzie,

Just to keep you updated they have officially noted the complaint made against them and will give me there reply
in 14 days in writing, or should they have to look into this matter further 20 days.

I don't hold any hope at all to be honest buts lets see, but time is running out for us and them now
as we won't be able to financially support the children much longer now anyway.

Regards

[PDB]

Hi Suzie,

We got the response back from SC, as i suspected they are not going to help with living costs for children
there still arguing its a private arrangement so its not there problem.

So i am now going to send to MP, and also LGO, if after this the answer is still the same we have already
discussed we will have to return the children into their care. But at least i know i have done all i can do now
it doesn't make me feel any better, but the system is what it is and i cant keep going with a pointless battle.

Regards
**(edited by Suzie to remove poster's name for confidentiality)

[PDB]

Hi Suzie,

Just an update on this as I know it has been while now since posting.
We have finally got SC to agree to pay Child arrangement order for one child paperwork now filed with court
Regarding this, they have agreed to pay for court appearance. what would this entail if we have to go to court?
would we have to go more than once? there are no other parties to contest above.

For the eldest child, we are still having many problems, so we have instructed SC to decide to
place her with her father, or place with other if not possible. We can’t deal with the issues now 14 months on and still the same.
Sadly sometimes, you have to say in enough is enough.

So good and not so good update

Regards

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear PDB,

Thank you for your update. You say that children’s services have agreed to pay your legal fees for a child arrangements order. Family Rights Group don’t advise about private law applications, so I am unable to advise you specially about what to expect in regards to the court process. I would suggest that you look at the guides and information on the Rights of Women website. THIS guide may be particularly helpful. Advice Now also has guides that are downloadable from their website. Child Law Advice have an adviceline and will advise people who don’t have a solicitor about private law matters.

I am sorry to hear that you have had to make a difficult decision about the older child you are caring for. It sounds that you have done your very best in extremely difficult circumstances. If you need any further advice about this please do post again or call us on our adviceline to speak with an adviser (0808 801 0366, Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 3pm).

Best wishes,
Suzie

[PDB]

Update: We went to court and everything went fine

[Robin D]

Good News ... Well done.