Embracing parenting a second time around

7/03/2013 6:09:39 p.m.

jacky wrote:

In order to receive ucb winz are requiring me to prove the darling grandson ive had for 6anda half years is still in my care..and that i have him because of family breakdomn. My parenting orders and that i am acurrent beneficiary are not enough. Winz criteria is talk to the birth parents and check...what a can of worry for some people infact pure hell this can cause. Then quietly offered family tax credit. Very unfaif for those who saw the need and stood up rather than watch unsafe situations escalate where the child would have no doubt been placed with cyfs. i also question attitude of some towards yonger grandparents.

4/03/2013 7:02:55 p.m.

Pauline Rasmussen wrote:

So many of these comments I can relate to, I am only 42 but have had my grandson since he was 13 months full time, he is now three. we never qualified for the unsupported child benefit either, due to not having cyfs involved, tho they did start out involved they didnt take long to realise that i would take care of him if left long enough, and they signed my daughter off their books... i stepped in not long after to take him, but because cyf didnt take him and signed the case off i am not entitled to any help! I finally was lucky enough to have a friend refer Me to Birthrite where I had a wonderful social worker Megan take over everything and finally we got what we were entitled to. Paula Bennetts comment that every grandparent caring for their grandchild should be getting this - I totally agree but I don't think she realises just how hard it is to get all that you are entitled to! My grandson has been through a lot and I have taken him in with my other children, it hasn't been easy but with counselling and things he is turning into a lovely wee man - but again I have had to organise and pay for it all. To top things off I received a letter telling me I had to pay my legal aid back yet my daughter gets off Scott free this is wrong!! Even so I would never see my grandson suffer and I think cyfs take advantage of people in the same boat!!

6/02/2013 11:33:13 a.m.

Penny Tuhoro wrote:

Kia ora. I am currently receiving Unsupported Childs Benefit for my grand daughter, due to a change in circumstance she will be in the full time care of my mother (great grand ma) I have been her support since applying for the UCB. We have attended two meetings with winz (04/02/13 & 05/12/13) three and half hours of our time and still fighting to get the UCB granted. CYPS are not involved therefore the "process" is different according to "policy" they now deem themselves social workers' with clinical experience to assess whether my "mother" is the best placement. There are many dynamics to our situation where there is very sensitive confidential information we feel is un-necessary and unapplicable to our application yet are made to feel we have something to hide, UNTRUE!! Please help us stop the bullying tactics government agencies like to play.

27/01/2013 9:26:16 a.m.

Brenda Sanders wrote:

My Grandchildren came into my care through C.Y.F.s and they got me to go for day to day care and I also got a Protection order. In 1997 I had to fight to get any help from winz. Just recently I my grand daughter left for 2 mnths and when she came back it was even harder to get her put back on ucb.It is not as easy as Paula Bennett says .I have a friend who is bringing up her Grandson and has been denied ucb. My life has been a nightmare because it is not just financial help we need. It is the Police acting on our court orders it is able to go to CYFs and get help. I have had to shift away from where I lived give up my job as the father would take off with the children and the Police would not act on my court orders and CYFs would not help as they were no longer in their care. Having to go to a Lawyer and get them to contact the Police or having to go back to court and get a warrant to get the children returned. All this is at a cost. It is hard enough to bring your grand children up but to have to deal with all the other issues weather it is the courts ,the parents,CYFs the Police, health issues ,Finance. We do this on our own. A big difference from foster parents or Home for life that get all the support. 14yrs I have had to fight to keep my grandchildren safe,to keep a roof over their heads. If I had to say all the nightmare stuff I have had to go through this would be a novel and some of the things would seem more like fiction than reality. I would like to know when is a court order is a court order and when do the Police have to act. Governments do not have any idea what we go through and Paula Bennett knows it is not that easy to get the UCB. This will be talked about but will things change for Grand parents raising grandchildren no this is just news that will fade away and not much else .Paula Bennett will say what a good job we are doing nothing will change . Keep our children safe support the people who give them a stable loving environment

24/01/2013 1:30:51 p.m.

Mary wrote:

I had to support my grandchild on my Super, I stopped eating meat so she could and went all last winter with no heating during the day to make ends meet. If a foster mother was only given a $92 tax credit each week to raise a teenager, she would say to take the child away. There is no way a grandparent would send a loved and needy grandchild away and Winz is taking advantage of this and refusing the Unsupported Child Benefit to grandparents and fobbing them off with the tax credit instead. I hope John Campbell sticks with this issue.

24/01/2013 1:18:57 p.m.

nikita wrote:

This brings me to tears seeing that this is a battle that is still been fought. Im 19 and my grandparents raised me and they did an amazing job with no help and it wasa struggle for them. About 13 years ago when i was 7 or 8 there was a segment about this issue on 20/20 i know because i was on it. I thought maybe just maybe this would have become a no brainer for the goverment. My grandad would still be fighting for this if he was still here. My love and respect goes out to all the grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. You are doing an amazing job

24/01/2013 11:48:48 a.m.

Katrina wrote:

The parents who lose custody of their children should also lose financial help and all that should be redirected to the grandparents or guardians.

24/01/2013 10:47:52 a.m.

Lisa wrote:

I was surprised that the Minister didn't mention the Home for Life package that she rolled out in Oct 2010. Although it's not a weekly payment, any kin or non-kin adult taking guardianship orders through the Family Court can receive $2500 per child and additional one-off payments to cover the costs of setting up the child/ house with bedding, schooling, etc the on-going costs of medical expenses, respite and any future legal costs, as well as on-going social work support from an NGO. See http://www.cyf.govt.nz/info-for-caregivers/home-for-life/home-for-life.html Also Section 86 (Services Order) of the CYFs Act can be granted at the same time as taking custody or guardianship orders and covers medical costs, special educational needs, respite care/ camps, counselling/psychological therapies fore the child http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1989/0024/latest/DLM150089.html

24/01/2013 9:38:42 a.m.

K D Farm wrote:

Yeah keep them quiet with ciggies and dope.Don't tell CYF when they have run away because of your sleazy hubbie and keep collecting your benes for them eh

24/01/2013 8:41:37 a.m.

Toni Harvey wrote:

After a nasty court case between my daughter and her ex partner over their children, there were two options for the care of my grandchildren CYFs or me. The judge chose me, the father chose CYFs. One of the reasons for this decision was the fact that I had a young child of my own. Not all grandparents are elderly, I was 44. I went to WINZ to see if I could get the UCB I was turned down because according to WINZ "as the father and mother had access to the children there was no break down in the family". I e-mailed Paula Bennett and this was overturned. My daughters ex partner has not seen his children for over a year and yet our law system allows him to take me back to court because he wants the children back in his care. This ongoing court case has cost legal aide over $90,000, which the parents are entitled to but my husband and I have to pay for a lawyer because my husband works. Where is the justice in our legal system? We go back to court in March for 3 days (by this time the father wont have seen his children for 15 months) yet the court can turn around and take my grandchildren off me and return them to their father to become damaged little people once again. By the way my husband is not the grandchildrens biological grandfather. He is a tall pakeha man that they call Koro and he accepts them as his own and I bless him for that everyday.