Council 'sorry' for cutting grandmother's payments

A grandmother (not the woman pictured) had her special guardianship allowance stopped without notice

A local authority has apologised to a woman whose special guardianship allowance was stopped without notice while she cared for her grandchildren.

The woman, who has not been named, said that the incident caused her “significant distress and anxiety” as well as financial difficulties. 

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman ordered Peterborough City Council to pay the woman the money she should have received as well as an additional £500 for her distress. 

The council said it had apologised to the family.

Special guardianship allowance is paid to people who become responsible for the long-term care of children who are not their own. 

In this case, the woman had become the special guardian to her grandchildren, all of whom have additional needs, in 2019 after having previously looked after them as a foster carer, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In November 2020, the council stopped paying the woman her allowance, despite her having applied for an extension in October.

Payments were later restarted, but at a lower rate. 

The woman complained to the council in February 2022, at which point a higher rate was calculated and backdated to December 2021. 

The council also agreed to pay her £300 for her time and trouble at this stage and said it would review its special guardianship allowance arrangements.

But the woman’s complaint was then escalated to the ombudsman, who said her payments should be backdated further and that the council should revisit its decision to deduct child benefits from her allowance and backdate this also, if justification for doing so was not found. 

The council should also provide training to officers around calculating special guardianship allowance, the ombudsman said in their report. 

A council spokesperson said: “We accept the findings by the ombudsman and have written to the family to offer an apology for the distress caused.

“We are currently reviewing our Special Guardianship Order policy, which includes guidance around allowances as best we can ensure that families receive the correct advice and service in the future.”