Grandparent

[df193]

Hello all,

Well I am a grandparent, having their mum and grandchildren staying with me every other weekend. Daughter not allowed to have children so they are cared for by their dad.

Move forward to Tuesday, dad goes in hospital his partner tells me I have to pick them up. Dad says he don’t want them anymore and I have 2 grandchildren and my daughter stopping here?

What can I do. Daughter now pregnant, and will be going home to her partner. I work full time ? I have no PR. Dad has not spoken to anyone since Tuesday.

I don’t want you wrong and want to ensure I do everything by the book. Social services are aware of all this?

[Miserylovescompany2]

Hello

Is there a court order in place? What are Children's services suggesting happens in the interim regarding where your two grandchildren stay for the foreseeable future - if it is with yourself what support are you being offered?

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Hello all,

Well I am a grandparent, having their mum and grandchildren staying with me every other weekend. Daughter not allowed to have children so they are cared for by their dad.

Move forward to Tuesday, dad goes in hospital his partner tells me I have to pick them up. Dad says he don’t want them anymore and I have 2 grandchildren and my daughter stopping here?

What can I do. Daughter now pregnant, and will be going home to her partner. I work full time ? I have no PR. Dad has not spoken to anyone since Tuesday.

I don’t want you wrong and want to ensure I do everything by the book. Social services are aware of all this?

Dear df193

I am sorry that you have not received a response to your post due to the volume of posts.

You have posted as a grandparent but on the parents discussion forum. As it has been some time since your posted I will respond to you on this forum but ask that any future post is placed on the family and friends carers’ discussion board.

Your grandchildren were left in your care by their father and children’s services (the new name for social services) are aware that they children are with you. If it is the case that they father no longer wish to care for the children then children’s services should be considering the best place for these children since their mother is not able to have them in her care.

As you work full time, and, depending on the ages of the children, you will need to consider your position.

It may be that children’s services will consider it a private family arrangement for the children to continue staying with you. However, since you did not agree to this arrangement, children’s services would need to consider whether they wish you to continue caring for the children or to accommodate them with the parents’ (if both has parental responsibility) or the mother’s agreement with another family member or foster care. They could decide to treat the children as looked after in your care and assess you as a foster carer. Please see our advice sheet Relatives and friends taking on the care of a vulnerable child in an emergency for more information. More often than not, children’s services prefer to treat arrangements as private since they do not have to pay a fostering allowance.

You could still ask for financial support under a private family arrangement by asking children’s services to carry out a child in need assessment.

Should you wish to have parental responsibility for the children and it may be that children’s services may suggest it, then you could make an application to the court for a child arrangement order which, if granted would give you parental responsibility on an equal basis with the parents. Our advice sheet DIY Child Arrangements Orders: information for family and friends carers gives more information about this order.

Alternatively, if you wanted to have a higher level of parental responsibility you could inform the local authority that you wish to apply for a special guardianship order. Please see DIY Special Guardianship Orders - information for family and friends carers.

If you want to care for the children with continued support from children’s services, please consider if you wish to be assessed as a foster carer and our advice sheet Family and Friends Care: becoming a foster carer explains the process.

Please also read our advice sheet Support for relatives and friends who are looking after someone else’s child.

Should you wish to speak to an adviser, please telephone our advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is open from 9.30am to 3.00pm Monday to Friday.

I hope you will find this information helpful.

Best wishes

Suzie