familytreehouse.co.uk

Archive for the ‘DWP’ Category

Email: ,,,,,,

Thursday 27 August 2009

Dear Hywel Williams,

I am writing to you over the current green paper, on disability and
social care. In it there are plans to hand over the money given out in
Attendance Allowance and possibly DLA.. to local councils, and for them
to use the money to provide the services.

As often the amount given in A.A / DLA is far less than the council
could buy the services in for, and the impact this would have on
families, and vulnerable people would be devastating, I urge you to act
on this.

The DLA care could not pay for the amount of care my husband provides
me with. 24 hour care, 7 days a week.

If we lost the income of the DLA care, we would not be able to afford
to heat our home, to the level I need, I would not be able to maintain
my independence, or live at home with my daughter as the council would
not provide us with oil and wood for heating, as part of a care need!

Currently my husband tenders to my most personal care needs, and i
would lose my dignity if I were to be expected to have these needs
tendered to by another person, indeed it would cause difficulties
within our family, as my young daughter would find this confusing.

This suggestion that they are going to hand over the money from the
most vulnerable and poor section of society.. the elderly and disabled
to the local government for care, is outdated, and goes against the
independence which we are lead to believe that those with disabilities
have a right too!

Please also could you ask for an explanation of why such unclear terms
were used in the green paper when people’s future is at stake and they
are supposedly being consulted with.

Finally please could you let me know what the party’s policy on this
matter is.

Yours sincerely,

V……….

Popularity: 6% [?]

Claimants have less than 80 days to prevent their DLA and AA being abolished.

A government green paper has revealed proposals to stop paying ‘disability benefits, for example, attendance allowance’’ and hand the cash over to social services instead.

Under the plan, current claimants would have their disability benefits converted to a ‘personal budget’ administered by local authorities and used to pay for services – not to spend as they wish.

Once the green paper consultation period ends in 100 days time, if an almighty row has not been raised, it is likely that both major political parties will see the lack of outrage as a green light to end both DLA and AA.

We’re looking for a minimum of 1,000 claimants, carers and support workers to join our campaign to save these benefits from being abolished.

http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/disability-living-allowance-(dla)/dla-aa-cuts

Popularity: 7% [?]

For a while now I have wanted to record many phone conversations I have. Mainly to do with local councils and dept of work and pensions.

However I have always been told its illegal. well :-

http://www.retellrecorders.co.uk/legal/home.htm

Happy times are ahead, as my trusty tape recorder is about to come out :d

Vicki xx

Popularity: 20% [?]

I recently found the tax payers alliance web site. This article made me laugh.. as many of us home educators struggle to find money to pay for fuel etc…..

Welcome again to the world of waste. In this new edition of The Bumper Book, Matthew Elliott and Lee Rotherham have unearthed a staggering £101 billion of government misspending – all paid for by you, the taxpayer.

But perhaps more usefully, the government could cut the tax burden of every household by over £4,000 a year.

Mind blowing isn’t it?

Here are just a few examples of where all of that money has gone:

* £280,000 on a conference addressed by Blair and Brown on value for money in the public services.
* £400 million on ‘cost control’ for the Olympic Games.
* £3 million by tax inspectors at HM Revenue and Customs on flights, including £2.1 million on flights to Scotland.
* Over £16 million on the creation and upkeep of VIP lounges in Heathrow and Gatwick despite the fact they are not government-owned.
* £100,000 on assessing whether £400,000 reportedly spent on modern art for seven hospitals was money well spent.

tax payers alliance

Popularity: 17% [?]

Well nothing new, I guess everyone decides some stage they want to move to something else. Well there is a fantastic property come up for rent less than 5 miles away. It has everything we have dreamed off. Space, quiet, area for chickens. Enough space for us to educate at home, and have our own space. Near enough to friends so Asha wont miss out.

The problem? We dont have enough money to cover the deposit we need. Because of the DWP and us going bankrupt we need to have 6 months rent up front.

Donations to our pay pall accepted.

Popularity: 20% [?]

http://www.ericavebury.blogspot.com/

Popularity: 18% [?]

ARCH MEMBERS’ HELP NEEDED

You will probably have heard that the launch of the Contactpoint database – the index of all children and young people in England – has again been delayed because of security concerns.

A major difficulty has arisen in ‘shielding’ records on the system. Because the security of Contactpoint cannot be guaranteed, the records of some children will be hidden. This applies to those escaping domestic violence, to children whose whereabouts need to be kept secret following adoption/fostering or because their family is in witness protection, and also to children of public figures.

Unfortunately the government did not make plans to ‘shield’ children’s records as soon as they were put on the national database, instead leaving it to local authorities to apply shielding once they had joined the scheme – a process that will take place gradually over many months. This would leave some especially vulnerable children’s records open. The full story appeared in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/sep/02/schools.children1

THIS IS WHAT WE ARE ASKING YOU TO DO:

We want as many ARCH members as possible – ‘all of you’ would be fantastic – to contact your local authority children’s services to ask them the following:

(a)        When will the local authority actually join Contactpoint? The government has set out ‘deployment slots’. Which one is your local authority in?

(b)        What are the arrangements for ‘shielding’? How does a family go about applying to have their children’s records shielded?

(c)        Can the local authority guarantee that shielding will be applied as soon as a child’s record is put on the national Contactpoint database – even if the LA is not joining for several months?

(d)        How will people in the area be told that they need to apply for shielding? Not all vulnerable children will be known already to the local authority – people don’t tend to ring them up to say “Hi, I’m running away from a violent partner and I’ve just moved into your area!”

(e)        Will young people be told how to apply for shielding on their own behalf?  What happens, for instance, about girls escaping forced marriage? Can they get their records shielded as a matter of urgency?

Please can you get as many answers as possible, and then email me with the results: terri@…

It’s really very important that we find out quickly what is going on at local level.

Thanks,

Terri

Terri Dowty

Director

Action on Rights for Children

www.arch-ed.org

www.archrights.wordpress.com

020 8558 9317

Popularity: 10% [?]

After a small lie in, we trapsed down to pwhelli, as the post office Van had forgoten to arrive on time last wednesday. After some food, in our normal cafe in Pwhelli we then did a back road drive to Caernarfon, then approaching Caernarfon there was a queue of traffic so we diverted again, and arrived in Bangor for a trip to the Pier. Followed by a visit to friends.

Bangor Pier was re-opened in 1988. Almost 100 years after it was first built.

pdf done on history of Bangor Pier here.

Asha enjoyed herself, playing on the Pier and doing forwards rolls and handstands allong the length of the Pier. She was greatly amused at having a wee wee and watching the water underneath her feet whilst she did it!

There was loads of kids crabbing along the lenght of the pier and they were all catching things, and there was some lovely sailing boats sailing past.

The view of the Menai was clear and beautifull, and it was lovely.

After our trip, we left Asha with L, F and J who Asha loves, and had a great time with whilst we dealt once more with the DWP.

Vicki xx

Popularity: 28% [?]

DWP are thinking of making all single parents go to work when there children are still in nappies, even those who are home educated.

The OU has caused uproar because of dragon and exams.

Two sisters played together in wimbledon.

We are in a massive recession, where 1000’s of people cant afford to heat there homes, or buy food.

The richer are getting richer.

the poorer are getting poorer.

We live in wales!

Popularity: 16% [?]

Dear Mrs

Re: your request for a home visit regarding your claim for I.B

A medical advisor has reviewd all circumstances regarding your claim and has decided that a home visit is not justified.

You will be expected to attend any current appointment that you have or to ring the above number to arrange a suitabel date.

Your sincerely

…. No name given……

As a side line :

http://justice2008.co.uk/UK.aspx accessed 10th June 08

Transparency in Government
Eileen Marshall and Margaret Williams
17 October 2004

Tom Kindlon has drawn attention to the report on the career of Dr (now Professor) Manse! Ay!ward (Co-cure NOT: 16 October 2004: 14.32: New UNUM Provident Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research at Cardiff University funded by a £1.6m grant from the UNUM Provident insurance company).

The article in question reports an interview with Aylward by Mario Basini published in The Western Mail on July 12, 2004, called “Tending a family crisis”, to which full acknowledgement for the quotations used is here given.

Until recently Dr Aylward was Chief Adviser, Medical Director and Chief Scientist to the UK Department for Work and Pensions, previously the Department of Social Security (DSS). Readers of Volume I of “Denigration by Design: A Review, with references, of the role of Dr Simon Wessely in the perception of Mya!gic Encephalomyelitis 1987-1999” will recall the association between Aylward and Wessely about ME/CFS as typified in the letter dated 10 January 1992 to Dr Ay!ward from Dr Wessely.

In that letter, Wessely wrote: “It is certainly true that I and my colleagues consider that anxiety about the consequences of activity is one factor perpetuating disability in CFS. I have previously been involved in advising the DSS that CFS should not be grounds for permanent disability”. It wilt be remembered that “psychological” disorders are barred from receiving certain categories and levels of State benefits by the Government Department of which Dr Aylward was in charge.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Please pass this information freely to local groups and early years lists.

If you are lone parent on income support and you have a 4 year old who will be 5
by november 2008, then you will lose your entitlement to income support in
november 2010 and be moved to jobseeker’s allowance where you will have your
personal allowance of £60.50 a week stopped if you do not take up a “reasonable
job offer” of 16 hours a week.

Following my meeting with the head of the Parents Employment Division at the
Department of Work and Pensions on Tuesday, it now looks as though there is ONE
LAST CHANCE to get the draft regulations amended.

We need an exemption for home educating single parents and as worst case
scenario we need to ensure that the lower age limit is 12 and not 7.

There are several options for exemption which include the following

Option 1 is to argue that home educating lone parents should continue to have
an entitlement to Income Support

Option 2 is to argue that Jobseeker’s Allowance regulations must be framed in
such a way that home educating lone parents’ benefits will NOT be cut if the
claimant does not take up a job offer.

Please read my report of the meeting which gives more information.

Education Otherwise will also be lobbying the Minister.

Fiona

Chair Education Otherwise Government Policy Group
Member Education Otherwise Disability Group
Trustee Education Otherwise

Education Otherwise Association Limited
Registered Charity No. 1055120
A company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales, No. 01917107
Enquiry Address: PO Box 325, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 3XW
Registered Office Address: 31 Framlingham Road, Peterborough,
Cambridgeshire PE2 8UG

Popularity: 51% [?]

I was really tired this morning and struggled to get up, only to discover that the D.W.P had written informing me that, if I wasnt able to get to an appointment then my GP could write and ask for an appointment at home… But erm.. They could still insist I had to go to the appointment in order to keep my benefits!

How morally wrong is that!!!

Anyway, a quick phone call, and my GP agreed to write the letter, and Steve will post it tomorrow recorded delivery for me.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Yes, we went to see our local Plaid MP today. Well I went in, Steve stayed in the van with Asha. It has probably started a security alert in Caernarfon as I parked just outside the Govement Buildings in my van.

He was very helpfull and positive about the whole process, but under no illusion about the lenght of time the DWP can take to deal with anything.

We now need to make a new application, so I am going to write to Caernarfon CAB tomorrow, asking for an appointment to see them, regarding a childs application form.

Popularity: 20% [?]