any help regarding extension for twins age 3 sgo

[sfamilly]

hi really hoping for some advise from people who have been threw what we are going threw
so we were approached by social services asking us to take on my childrens half siblings (twins age 3) under a sgo as both there parents were a no go we were told we would get help with an extension we are now at the end of our assetment and everything is good according to our social worker we and our own children have a really good relationship with the twins as we have been having regular contact with them at our home but the local authority and our council have now said neither would do an extension we have stated we would be willing to move but only into another council property within our area this is to keep our security for our own children and keep our children at there current schools (4 boys age 13-11-11-9 a girl 13) as we cant have any negative impact on our own children 1 is autistic we have a 3 bed council house and already sleep in our living room so my 13 year old daughter has her own room local authority have said they want to place these 2 twins with us pretty soon and that for now they can share our daughters room untill we can find larger accomodation this is because there her half siblings we have been advised this could be approx 2 years at least by our council we were asked about going private rented which we stated we wouldnt want to risk that financially nore risk having to move again we were also asked about housing association but were informed this was the same as private as they only do 5 year tenancy so the risks also there we have stated we wish to remain within council property for security we asked the local authority if they would fund us moving as we have several large summer houses that will need professionally moving we were told no we wont fund removal costs. we would just like to hear if any one else whos got a sgo has had any extension built on a council property or loft conversion etc and what help they received from local authority in sourcing larger accomodation we really want to help these twins but feel as tho we are not being helped 1 bit and the fact the local authority contacted us asking them to take them in and now denying any help feels like a joke we now feel as tho we need to be telling l.a if they dont sort any extension or pay full costs of us moving into a council 5 bed house we wont be able to give these 2 boys a loving home as its going to cause far to much stress any advice plz

[Robin D]

Sad to say, things like this have happened before. Was there anything ever written down about the accommodation issue (as part of the SGO for example, or is it all word of mouth. Not to worry if not but it would help. If you had a solicitor for the SGO, what was their understanding.

I suggest the following:
1. Do a fully detailed document saying who said what, and when, and where. Make sure you get any names, dates (accurate where you know exactly, but approximate if not), and locations in. If you have any documentary evidence of the promise, or a witness, include it. Make it factual rather than emotive as the latter will just come over as a whinge, but ensure you include how the stress is affecting you and, more importantly, both sets of children.

2. Send it or take it under a Private and Confidential cover to the Chief Executive of the local authority placing the children (May not be the same as that responsible for your home) asking that they investigate as the well being of all the children's is at risk, as of course is the placement. It should also state that you want it handled as an official complaint. Make sure it's sent signed for or ask at the front desk when you take it in for a receipt. Make absolutely sure you keep the delivery evidence as, many have found, difficult things get lost.

3. Let them do their enquiry. Their web-site should detail the full complaint procedure. Make sure you understand what is supposed to happen and when. It's a 3 stage procedure and they may start this at Stage 2 or 3.

4. Assuming there is no satisfactory response, and only after their complaints procedure has been exhausted, send the whole thing to the Local Authority Ombudsman.

At any point of course, you can contact your MP for support, but the more effort you have put in first to collate and gather information and facts. plus evidence showing that you have been trying to integrate the children and get this solved, the more likely it is that they will intervene on your behalf. You can do that at https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP.

Good luck...... Robin

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

hi really hoping for some advise from people who have been threw what we are going threw
so we were approached by social services asking us to take on my childrens half siblings (twins age 3) under a sgo as both there parents were a no go we were told we would get help with an extension we are now at the end of our assetment and everything is good according to our social worker we and our own children have a really good relationship with the twins as we have been having regular contact with them at our home but the local authority and our council have now said neither would do an extension we have stated we would be willing to move but only into another council property within our area this is to keep our security for our own children and keep our children at there current schools (4 boys age 13-11-11-9 a girl 13) as we cant have any negative impact on our own children 1 is autistic we have a 3 bed council house and already sleep in our living room so my 13 year old daughter has her own room local authority have said they want to place these 2 twins with us pretty soon and that for now they can share our daughters room untill we can find larger accomodation this is because there her half siblings we have been advised this could be approx 2 years at least by our council we were asked about going private rented which we stated we wouldnt want to risk that financially nore risk having to move again we were also asked about housing association but were informed this was the same as private as they only do 5 year tenancy so the risks also there we have stated we wish to remain within council property for security we asked the local authority if they would fund us moving as we have several large summer houses that will need professionally moving we were told no we wont fund removal costs. we would just like to hear if any one else whos got a sgo has had any extension built on a council property or loft conversion etc and what help they received from local authority in sourcing larger accomodation we really want to help these twins but feel as tho we are not being helped 1 bit and the fact the local authority contacted us asking them to take them in and now denying any help feels like a joke we now feel as tho we need to be telling l.a if they dont sort any extension or pay full costs of us moving into a council 5 bed house we wont be able to give these 2 boys a loving home as its going to cause far to much stress any advice plz

Dear sfamilly,

Thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear about the stressful time you are going through. I can see that Robin D has replied with some useful advice and I will add a few things below which will hopefully be of some help.

As Robin D has said I think it is important that you get the Director of Children’s Services aware of this issue. You can find their name and contact details HERE and you can send a letter/email directly to them.

It is also a good idea to submit this as a formal complaint and you can find information on our website HERE about how to do this. As Robin D advised it is important to keep it factual and describe how it will impact negatively on the children if the support you need is not provided. You can escalate your complaint up through Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 and you can then take it to the Local Government Ombudsman if necessary. Government guidance clearly states that “financial issues should not be the sole reason for a special guardianship arrangement failing to survive”. You can find this guidance HERE under Regulation 6. Paragraph 38(d) states that children’s services can provide financial support for the home to be adapted (eg a loft extension).

SGO Support also have some useful advice on their website which I would suggest you read through.

You don’t say if care proceedings are in process or if they have already finished. If they are in process then you could be asked to be joined as a party to proceedings. You could then get support from a solicitor who could put these issues forward to the court. If care proceedings are in place then I would suggest you look into this urgently. You should also contact the children’s guardian to make them aware of these issues.

However if care proceedings are ended then you are best off focusing on making a formal complaint and raising your concerns with the director of children’s services as I have explained above. As I explained above, the government guidance is clear that children's services should provide financial support if necessary to make the Special Guardianship placement successful.

As this is a complicated issue I would suggest that you also call our confidential advice line to speak with an adviser. It is open Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 3pm, on 0808 801 0366. They will be able to advise you in more detail. You could also contact Kinship or SGO Support for further advice.

I hope that this is of some help,

Best wishes,
Suzie

[sfamilly]

many thanks so we emailed a letter/complaint to the director of childrens services on the 16th march and today 22 march we received a letter in the post stating that they aim to give us a full response to our complaint by the 3rd of april is this a good sign they are taking this serious many thanks

[sfamilly]

hi all today weve been informed by or isw that the offer for our special guardianship allowance is £77.80 per child per week is this correct we are on benefits ourselfs thanks in advance (lincolnshire county council)

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear sfamilly,

Thank you for your post. I would suggest that you ask Lincolnshire children’s services to provide you with a breakdown to show how they have come to this figure. You can also ask them to provide you with their financial policy in regards to special guardianship allowances. You can then use this to check that what they are offering you is in line with their policy. Please note that special guardianship allowances should be in line with fostering allowances. You can find out more about this in our advice sheet 2e, on pages 4 and 5. You can find this HERE.

Have you had any legal advice about the financial support offered? If not then I would suggest that you seek advice from a solicitor. The local authority should offer to pay for this, so you can speak with them about how they will cover the costs. The solicitor can then give you specific advice and if necessary you can use this to challenge the local authority’s financial assessment of you.

I hope that this is helpful,
Best wishes,
Suzie