Assessment criteria for Special Guardianship Payments

The request was successful.

Dear Staffordshire County Council,

Please provide your current assessment criteria for Special Guardianship Payments. Including a full numerical breakdown of the financial assessment undertaken together with the specific details of the amounts you pay each month setting out the requirements for each fostering level payment

Fiona McGeough

Staffordshire County Council

Dear Fiona McGeough,
 
Thank you for your request for information received by Staffordshire
County Council on 11/09/2019.
Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty working days.
 
If you have any queries about this request do not hesitate to contact us.
Please remember to quote the case reference number above in any future
communications.
Yours sincerely,
 Access Team

Portch, David (Corporate), Staffordshire County Council

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Dear Fiona McGeogh

Thank you for your request for information.

Please find information about the assessment and payment of Special Guardianship Payments provided by the relevant service attached.

If you have any comments relating to how your request has been handled by our authority you should contact us in the first instance.  Send your comment or complaint to:

Access Manager, Access Team, Staffordshire County Council, 2 Staffordshire Place, Stafford ST16 2DH or email [email address]

If you then have any further comments relating to how your request has been handled by our authority, please contact the Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Regards
  
David Portch

Information Governance Unit
Staffordshire County Council
1 Staffordshire Place
Stafford
ST16 2DH

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Dear Portch, David (Corporate),

You have not as yet provided a full numerical breakdown of the assessment criteria or of section 13 guidance which you say assessment is based upon . Please could I have as per request a full numerical breakdown of the SGO assessment criteria

Yours sincerely,

Fiona McGeough

Portch, David (Corporate), Staffordshire County Council

Dear Fiona McGeough

Reviewing your request and our response I note that:

The Access Team processes the requests and are not familiar with the technicalities of each service and the information provided to us. We have supplied you with the information provided to us by the service within 20 working days. Please accept my apologies if the information provided does not fully meet your requirements.

I will forward your email to the relevant team(s) for a response / information.

Regards
  
David Portch

Access Team
Staffordshire County Council
1 Staffordshire Place
Stafford
ST16 2DH

Telephone:  01785 278176

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Portch, David (Corporate), Staffordshire County Council

3 Attachments

Dear Fiona McGeough

Further to my email below sent earlier today, I am advised by the service team that the attached DfES guidance on financial assistance is the relevant guidance and includes the information relevant breakdown of the assessment criteria. The service also advises that other local authorities are using this or similar model.

Please also see attached the DfES Guidance Update from 2017.

It is important to note that this is from 2005 and as far as the service is aware the Government has, as yet, made no subsequent updates to this although you will be aware there have been many significant changes in the Benefits system.

I trust that this will now provide you with the information you want. However, if not, please can you clarify exactly what 'recorded information' you are expecting us to hold about how these types of financial assessments are made.

If you have any comments relating to how your request has been handled by our authority you should contact us in the first instance.  Send your comment or complaint to:

Access Manager, Access Team, Staffordshire County Council, 2 Staffordshire Place, Stafford ST16 2DH or email [email address]

If you then have any further comments relating to how your request has been handled by our authority, please contact the Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Regards
  
David Portch

Information Governance Unit
Staffordshire County Council
1 Staffordshire Place
Stafford
ST16 2DH

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