General Chat

can anyone advise please, im privately fostering a 15 yr old and its an arrangement through social services, nothing financial has been arranged, and our local budget is 0-around 36.00 for clothes for her, the sad thing is all her clothes are unavailable for reasons i cant say, she has only the clothes she stands up in, whilst im shocked at social services at present that dont help my foster daughter, who may have to wait for 2 weeks or more, my clothes dont fit or my daughters dont fit her ive asked family and friends but all just recently given to charity, can you point me in a direction please, social worker also advertising on a site, thanks puss xxxx

Hi Puss

I used to foster ... not privately, yet if yours is through SS, then something should be in place to assist you financially.

Something is not right here, I would be asking to speak to someone. Every child is given an allowance.

I fostered many years ago, things have changed since then, yet am sure I am right.

If you want to speak by pm I'm here. xxx

Charity shops and Freecycle would be my first option.

Good luck

Sue

Sosial services should be doing something immediately and not relying on your goos nature to clothe her. Charity shops are OK but this is a 15 year old girl we are talking about. She doesn't need the humiliation of charity shop clothes to add to her other problems. If you can get some cash Lorraine i suggest you got to Primark if you have one in the area. the teenage girls seem to shop there and the clothes are cheap.

Ann
Glos

i am shocked that socail services are not helping you to sort this poor girl out she needs clothes if they are aware of her situation they should be helping she is still a minor have they said why they cant help her get clothes

thanks all, they are sorting a payment for me for her keep which i will gladly use for clothes but social worker told me this morning that there budget is nil at present and i have to wait from some one from the stay safe team some time this week !!!! im new to this but thought something is not write xx

SS must be able to find an emergency grant, somewhere like primark could kit her out quite cheaply,either that or you buy it yourself and bill the SS FGS what about underwear that has to be essential.?

If she were a foriegn illegal they would be throwing money at her problem !
I presume you've been feeding her out of your own pocket already .

I agree with Ann, Primark is the place to go ... teenage girls luv it there and you can buy so much too.

Bless ... children who are in Care have been through so much already, they do not need this. I myself was fostered ...

I cannot understand the budget being zero. I would be asking to speak to the Team Manager. Do you have a fostering association, we did ... another foster carer could advise you.

Feel for you too.

xxx

They must have a budget. They are supposed to provide beds, bedding and much more if it is needed.

Please go higher, it is not right.

try the dhss, they have emergency payments for clothing

also places like asda, they got clothes that are a bargain ,
my daughter loves it there,
and t shirts, traci bottoms, jeans are so good prices there
also matalan,

make a pest of yourself lorraine,
they gotta do something

thankyou all so much, they have refered me to the furniture scheme for her bed they just require a donation.
ive just been taken to meet her teachers and they have promised me help, but are going to ask her mum firs very strange, mayby there is different rules through private arrangements, but she was placed also as a place of safety, our primark is 36 miles away, not a mega problem, ive asked free cycle too, we have a peacocks 21 miles away, are they roughly the same fashion wise, i usually just give nat money and hope for the best lol xx

thanks marion, that makes sense oh well roll on april , we live in the back water of shropshire, lovely country side but still to many cars passing to be naturists lol

Hi Puss, have you a local Gumtree? It's like freecycle but you have various avenues, either selling or buying and some freebie stuff, furniture and clothing etc. They might have someone with some clothes to spare, also ask school if there is a charity locally that will help, I used to get help for my son with uniform and school trips through something called Consolidated charities but not sure if it is linked all over the country or just local to here.

DSS should help with a hardship payment and who is getting her child benefit? Shouldn't you be getting that, not a lot I know but it would help.
Good luck, how about some sewing, get Nat and your foster daughter to see what they can remake from charity shop stuff, to be individual but fashionable for little outlay, or they could go to a jumble sale and get things to cut up and alter if they have any sewing flair or you know someone who could show them how?

Lizx