Michael wins financial Support for Bathgate Grandmother

All too often grand-parents are left to care for their grand-children when problems occur. This can place great financial burdens on the grand-parent - but it does not have to be like that.

One grandparent has been given the financial support she was due through a ’kinship’ allowance won by the intervention of her MP Michael Connarty.

The case was sorted out after the child’s Grandmother took her friend’s advice and contacted Michael Connarty MP at one of his constituent’s ‘surgeries’ .

Michael researched the various types of support for family members who take over the care of children from their own family, and found that the fairest type of financial support was provided by ‘Kinship allowances’, so he set about to ensure that this correct financial allowance was made available. The success came in a letter from the department agreeing to make the correct Kinship allowance available, and to backdate the award.

Michael said:

“When I was approached I realised that the complex nature of the award system for grand-parents, or other relatives who are left with the care of grandchildren means that people find it hard to apply for, or to receive the correct allowance. The Social Work department can help if they are clear which allowance is being applied for, and if they realise that there are allowances that are higher and can therefore give the child a better standard of care. My involvement was to search out the correct support and make certain this grandparent applied for and gained the correct allowance.

Over the years I have dealt with cases of various generations of a family taking responsibility for their nieces, nephews and grandchildren. These relatives take responsibility for care in a family setting, which is not only less expensive, and more importantly, less damaging than children being looked after by the public authorities. I am against any attempt by public authorities to prevent Grand-parents from loking after their grandchildren if they become in need of care”