Grandparents As Parents

well said rita,you are thinking just like .i,m fed up too.yep,we are the mugs that have to struggle from week to week.i,m in my house 24/7.oppps i tell a lie i go out tuesday/thursday shopping,thats a total of 5 hrs a week.i,m sick of going with out and telling my g/son i can,t afford for him to go on school trips,even to take him for a day out cripples me.i have been down every avenue to ask for help but the answer is always no,i have my g/son on ro,or what they call private arrangement.yes s.s are having a field day passing children over and then walking away.our kids deserve to live happy and content,didn,t they suffer enough before they was placed with us.we all try our best to give our all to the kids,it,s difficult when we are constantly stressed.i have been in meetings where s.s are telling foster carers,who do a good job,what they can have to make life easier for the kids,like 500 quid set aside for kids who show an interest in football,dance lessons ect.I have to copper up 10 quid a month so as my g/son can play in a local footy team,everyone looks at me when i cry when he scores a goal,they don,t realize what he,s been through.yep,all the support groups are good but that won,t help anyone like us.I would gladly support anyone who wants to stand up to s.s.I can,t afford to go to London and the break in skegness .i don,t feel any better after this rant..........on a lighter note,summer will soon be here at least we can get out doors,i have a lovely bunch of daffodils in my kitchen window lol,i pinched them from a run down house.

Hi sandra Your right we are the biggest mugs going  when I got the kids back after their mum had run off with them  my money had all been stopped and i had to claim again this was end of november I was still waiting for emergency payments at Christmas!!!! didnt get anything till 5th january if it hadnt been for gap we wouldnt have had anything no food or stuff for the kids presents clothes  for Christmas!!!  Just nothing it was like here they are ...you sort it  -the SS just weren't interested. Im just about sick of the whole rotten system--and even if we get the allowance will it be fair--look at the mess they've made of it in Scotland ----- the kinship carers are still running round --petitioning---campaigning---- so when does it end and government run support clubs to keep us quiet ...so that we post on their sites and were all kept tidy and neat in a box ....ranting and raving on sites wont get us anywhere we need to rant and rave in the public eye  .. lindas done petitions walks lobbying wheres it got gap !!! still in the same position after 7 years!!!! so we got to do something that will catch the public eye that will make people sit up and take notice im gonna go to manchester when they have the conference in sept  and do something!!!!!!

Dear Sandra and rita We dont have any chance I just left a post for Laura who had been to a meeting with ed ball and I said they have been promising all the same things over the last 8 years that I have been a carer.. yet six grandparents groups including gap proposed an early day motion for grandparents rights and out of 656 MPs only 53 signed it. you see they say anything to shut us up they pay for grandparents association who then make support groups and sometimes have big meetings so that the carers think something is being done but its just to keep us neat and tidy and also to divide us.
the FRG sites the same just let of steam on their forum and were not doing it on the streets were not getting the publicity we need. I know this sounds far fetched but its a conspiracy of the government to keep us quiet and let us think things are being done
I have researched lots of these support groups and except for a very rare few they all have been funded by frg or grandparents plus or the grandparents association or community grants ... and where does most of the  funding come from Wsurprise surprise.. the government  When ed ball talked about the green paper thats all he did do talk its an election ploy .. then if they get in for another four years they will just fob us off. I have campaigned with Linda and the custody minefield and the only thing I think will change in he future is contact with your grandchildren and also grandparents to be given more rights in care proceedings this is the issue of the moment with bob geldolf helping and fronting it so I think that may happen but us >.. no I think we have a long way to go .. and even if we get allowances it will end up like scotland if you have an ro you wont get and it will all depend on the council how nuch although they got their kinship crers allowances they are still having to jump through hoops. The green paper said we would have to have training --so the 70-80 year olds wont do it so will miss out  The social services are a closed shop most councils have kinship care policies in place but your never told about them all their interested in is for you to get an RO so they can close the case. Radical campaigning is the only way and good publicity I think the idea of a book with stories in is a good idea because it can be sent in one swoop to every mp every newspaper and tv stations some of them will pick up on it. I also think that when the politicians have their yearly conferences we should be there with placards etc make a fuss ..petitions havent worked (thats another thing Petition on line so your not making a fuss your not walking the streets getting signatures informing thousands of people about our issues your not bringing it to the public or press eyes its once again a closed thing just go on line and sign and if you get over 500 signatures we will send you a reply) its keeping everything quiet and in a box and we need to break out of it . look at the publicity fathers got when they dressed as superman and climbed big ben or something im not saying I could do that but...........maybe....... Sally

Wow! the revolution is here! iam organising a walk/march in June and will try to host a national conference in July to get Kinship Carers who really do want to change the system and not just sit and moan.There are already enough support groupos out there what we need now is a genuine "get off your knees get off your arse" action group with national backing who will take on all comers and win. I want to be part of that kind of group who else does?

Hi again all,agreeing with all thats been said,why should we sit back and listen to the crap any longer.All of the new sites that have suddenly appeared are making me dizzy,and i think we should all stick together,otherwise we will loose the impact.We deserve what is rightfully ours.yep,sitting back moaning won,t get us anywhere.I am ready for anything,lets get off our backsides and do something.I am fully behind linda and g.a.p and admire her for her spirit and her endless campaign.what would happen if we all turned up at s.s with ALL the kids.????????????????????