How long will it take to get financial help from social services

[Fi1988]

Hi
We currently have my 3 nieces with us they have now been here 6weeks, we had our viability assessment just over 2weeks ago and still waiting on the outcome for that, now the children's mother has put another family member forward for an assessment, which I understand but will that then extend thia whole process even more and now they are saying they are going to send a member of the fostering team to assess our property well surely that should have been done already and if they are doing that does that mean we passed the viability assessment or is that sll part of the same thing?however we are not receiving any financial help at all from anyone except the girls father,all social keep saying is it will be backdated but when will they actually start to pay? but what happens if its decided they will then move them in a couple weeks does that mean as they are not with us we won't get anything even though we are putting ourselves into a hole providing for 3 extra children without any help many thanks for any advice.
Many thanks

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Fi1988

Thank you for your post and welcome to the kinship carers’ forum.

My name is Suzie, online adviser at Family Rights Group and I will respond to the queries in your post.

From your post, I see that you are caring for your 3 nieces, and it appears that you are doing so as a kinship foster carer although it is unclear if this is under a s.20 voluntary agreement or an interim care order. In any event, you have had a viability assessment completed probably with a view to you being assessed to have long term care of your nieces. You should, if the children are ‘looked after’ that is under s.20 or an interim care order, receive the appropriate fostering allowance for each of them. I cannot say why there is a delay in payment being made to you but, the social worker has told you that payment will be backdated. The backdated payment should be from the date the children came into your care.

Regarding the outcome of the viability assessment, you can ask the social worker if this is positive, I think it probably is since the children are still in your care and the fostering team is going to look at your property. I should explain that a viability assessment is only the initial part of the process to children being in a placement long term. If there is a positive viability assessment, then children’s services will go on to do a more depth assessment and the fostering panel will consider whether a person is approved as a foster carer for the children. I suggest that you ask the social worker to explain the process to you, so you are clear about it.

It is not unusual for other family members to be assessed. Although you have had a positive viability assessment it is possible that the more in-depth assessment may not be positive, and this can be the case for more than one family member.

In response to your questions about receiving payment if the children are removed from your care, the answer is that you should still receive payment for the period they were in your care.

Children’s services have a responsibility to provide for looked after children and the social worker should have ensured that you receive financial help to take on the care of 3 children. I suggest you put your request in writing to the social worker for an explanation about the fostering allowance for the children in your care. You may also wish to speak with the social worker’s team manager about the lack of financial support for the children. I do not know the children’s ages but having to entertain children in the school holidays can be costly.

Please read the information about children’s services duties to looked after children and about kinship foster care in the links below, which I think will be helpful to you.

s.20 placement

interim care order

kinship foster care


You should also be able find out information from your local authority’s website on their policy for supporting kinship carers. This may also be called connected persons or family and friends’ care. The government sets a minimum amount for foster allowance in different areas of the country, and you can find this here.

Should you wish to speak to an adviser, please telephone our free advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is open from 9.30am to 3pm Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays).

I hope this is helpful.

Best wishes

Suzie