Comments for Grandparents Plus

Comment on Kinship carers in Scotland: a lottery of support, by Heather Scally, Mentor UK by Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:58:34 +0000

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Comment on What does family friendly Britain really mean? by Sam Smethers, Grandparents Plus by Basil Siddiqi

Basil Siddiqi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:07:25 +0000

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Comment on Kinship carers in Scotland: a lottery of support, by Heather Scally, Mentor UK by Nadine North

Nadine North — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:54:10 +0000

As a grandparent who has had years of experience bringing up two children and supporting a third, within in the social work system, I understand only too well the complexities and hardships facing an increasing number of grandparents. My particular focus is the difficulties of working within the social work system and I would like to contact other grandparents and find out if their experiences have common ground and what your own information is. It is good to see organisations now supporting grandparents and I wonder if there is a need for volunteers to work along side grandparent/s in navigating their way through the social work systems. Although services are patchy, social work will/should be supporting grandparent/s but the system, while endeavouring to be supportive and empowering, can be overwhelming and very stressful, in an already hugely stressful situation.

Comment on “Giving Extended Families The Credit They Are Due,” by Lord Freud, DWP by Alison Cornelly

Alison Cornelly — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:14:03 +0000

I worked full time and took on my two grandchildren who were both babies at the time. Because financially their was no help for us, I could not give up working or reduce my hours, I tried to be all roled into one, full time mum and full time worker. But I am in my 50s and the result is burn out and illhealth. Thus I am now retired and costing the health service a fortune.
We are also now on benefits. Tell me what would be the cheaper most effective option.
To have paid me a allowance similar to foster careers then I could have reduced-my hours to a more acceptable level , and continued to be productive and thus healthy.
Or to have us all on benefits and not working in Ill health.? I know which one is cheaper !!!!

Comment on Protect grandparent carers from welfare cuts, by Sarah Wellard, Grandparents Plus by Lynn Sims

Lynn Sims — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:36:12 +0000

This news is shameful. I am lucky I am a grandparent and my children are fit and healthy and are looking after their own children. However, in my work as a Parent Support Adviser I come across a number of families that are doing such a fantastic and very difficult job of raising other family members children, many of whom would have been taken into care if they had not stepped in! Of course we want families to have a work ethic but these families are already working hard building children’s self-esteem, confidence, developing a sense of worth and coming to terms with the rejection they may be feeling. While often ensuring their own children are not being hurt emotionally – having to share their parents, not having the money to do the things they are used to doing….the list is endless.
As stated in the article Kinship Carers save the tax payer hundreds and thousands of pounds not only in the savings of children not being placed in care but raising children that are secure and safe and are supported in making the correct choices that prevents the children from entering into the path of anti social behaviour.
I wish you luck in your campaign and hope that, for once, the Government listen!

Comment on What does family friendly Britain really mean? by Sam Smethers, Grandparents Plus by Sacha Shabbir

Sacha Shabbir — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:57:18 +0000

Hi Karen,
I will forward your message onto our Advice team and Network Co-ordinator who may be able to help. You can sign-up to join our Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Network by following this link http://www.grandparentsplus.org.uk/join-the-network. With the support of the BIG Lottery fund Grandparents Plus runs the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Network which is open to all grandparents or other family members who have taken on the responsibility of raising a child who is not their own. Membership of the Network is FREE, and members are sent our bi-monthly newsletter, Grandparents First, and receive news of events held across the country where they can meet others in similar situations and also receive help and support from a range of organisations in their area.
Please do contact us should you have any other queries.
Thanks, Sacha Shabbir.

Comment on “Giving Extended Families The Credit They Are Due,” by Lord Freud, DWP by Pam

Pam — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 06:07:47 +0000

Government Guidance on allowances for kinship carers needs to be challenged. Many of us had to give up work because we were made to prove our commitment to these children. Which I did in a heart beat, as the word ‘adoption’ is held over many of our heads at what is already a very stressful time! Promises from LA’s are not full filled and they do not inform people correctly of what can and does happen after an order is made (i.e SGO).

Main stream foster carers may not be able to claim child benefit but they can and do claim tax credits, this is not deducted from any allowance they receive, they also receive ‘extra’ for holidays, Christmas and Birthdays. It is well documented that children placed with family and friends fare better and retain their familial links, however to plunge them into poverty more or less overnight is wrong on so many levels. We are saving this Government millions of pounds. Why should our children go without just because we saved them from a life of being ‘in care’?

Comment on What does family friendly Britain really mean? by Sam Smethers, Grandparents Plus by Mario Leadley

Mario Leadley — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:12:51 +0000

Really appreciate you sharing this article.Thanks Again. Really Great.

Comment on “Giving Extended Families The Credit They Are Due,” by Lord Freud, DWP by elaine king

elaine king — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:02:28 +0000

I am a 50yr old full time kinship carer to 4 grandchildren, These children have already gone without and lost an awful lot, why should they be penalized further just because they are kinship children and not foster kids? It is very hard to say “sorry we can’t afford it” knowing full well that if they were in care they would get ! Although the area that I live in does pay a small kinship care allowance the difference in Great Britain to the amounts that get paid is ridiculous, with a lot of kinship carers receiving nothing. Although as I have said we get a small amount, because it is paid by local authority we are now not eligible for free school meals and clothing grants. As you can imagine with 4 this is not a small amount. I suffer from ill health and am on DLA and Incapacity benefit – which is again changing. My partner can not go out to work because of this. It would be far fairer if kinship carers were to receive an allowance based on at least the minimum foster care allowance from DWP and this to be the same all over the country to end the “postal lottery” which is happening at the moment. Even if Kinship carers were to receive the minimum foster care allowance this would be far cheaper both in money and resources than for the kids to be in foster care.

Comment on “Giving Extended Families The Credit They Are Due,” by Lord Freud, DWP by Marilyn

Marilyn — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:40:45 +0000

In my view it is not enough to say that jobcentres have the power or discretion to absolve grandparent carers from looking for work in order to qualify for benefits. This conditionality is indeed a form of harassment as Wendy rightly says as they in most cases have been asked to give up work and businesses in order to care for their grandchildren. These children often have emotional problems arising from their troubled starts or are babies who need to form new attachments to carers so I would say that grandparent kinship carers should have the right to care for their grandchildren full time without this conditionality clause being imposed in any way whatsoever and that this should not be left to the discretion of the jobcentre but should be universally applied.

In the same way adequate kinship payments to make sure the children are looked after by relatives to a good enough economic standard need to be applied universally and this should not be left up to the local authority in question.

Comment on “Giving Extended Families The Credit They Are Due,” by Lord Freud, DWP by wendy .collins

wendy .collins — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:29:53 +0000

All I ask is that kinship carers are given the same financial help for the children they love and care for on a full time basis many of our kinship children are emotionally damaged and to penalise them financially is so unfair on them if they were fostered or stuck in the system
They would be getting holidays ,clothing allowances ect and there carers would be receiving a adequate amount to ensure they have a good quality of life. I for one would like some kind of motion to be passed so we get the chance to give our grandchildren the life they deserve and us grandparents not be forgotten or made to go to back to work interviews when we are doing the same job as a foster parent who does not get the same harassment we seem to get it needs to be said that many of the kinship carers did have jobs and are now full time unpaid carers for there loved ones …someone in government need to recognise this

Comment on “Giving Extended Families The Credit They Are Due,” by Lord Freud, DWP by Why working – a bit – till we drop is the future for baby boomers

Why working – a bit – till we drop is the future for baby boomers — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:49:26 +0000

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Comment on Parenting under the microscope, by Katherine Rake, FPI by Aaron

Aaron — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:40:43 +0000

Very helpful info. thanks so much

Comment on What does family friendly Britain really mean? by Sam Smethers, Grandparents Plus by Karen

Karen — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:13:20 +0000

I am a 57yr old single grandparent my grandson was placed with me by social services aged 4 months due to neglect, after a long and drawn out court case i was awarded special guardianship .
He is 18 months old now and happy and thriving ,on the other hand my medical problems have worsened and i am almost housebound now, i had to give my job up and move home to accommodate us both. i get very little help or support and none whatsoever from either parents. I adore my grandson and made the decision to raise him i have concerns about what would happen if i had to go into hospital so tend not to go to the doctors unless i really have to, I am so afraid he may be taken into care. I do not get any respite at all and other family members have busy lives so i have to get on with it.
Any single grandparents out there with similar problems.

Comment on After the riots: what about the wider family? By Stephen Burke, Grandparents Plus by Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 23:33:41 +0000

Didn’t know the forum rules allowed such brilliant posts.