i have a 16 year old severly disabled son in a wheelchair, who on friday 13th decided he was not going to get in his wheelchair to get on the bus to go to school. despite numerous attempts woody and buzz fighting all sorts of games he still would not budge off his bean bag. So in my wisdom, i grasped him by the ankles and pulled him on his bean bag out of the house, on the way playing chugga chugga choo too. He was laughing the whole time. We bumpty bumpt down the two steps and across the dive still chugga choo chhoing to the front gate. Where i left him to get his wheelchair. on the way out he had decided to return up the drive wat so i again got hold of him by ankles and pulled him to his wheel chair. he was laughing all the time. i then threw his toys at him in an exaggerated manor. Heres woody,heres jessie. i then went to pick him up to put him in his wheelchair when he went all floppy and refused.My neighbour who had just arrived home came running across and tried to help me get him in his wheelchair. He refused and went ridgid. Eventually he relaxed so we could so his lap belt. then the PA on the bus said that they couldnt take him. Well to be honest I just lost it , I have been off work with pnuemonia and felt ****. So i told her she could have him and went inside. She then made two phone calls to passenger transport. evebtually i calmed down 5 mins told her the door was on the latch and she brought him in and enery thing was fine. 4.30 in evening i find i have 2 social workers on my doorstep. They have recuieved 2 annomous phone calls that i have abused my son by dragging him along pavement. they came and intervied me i told them what had ahppened they thewn made me take my son to the doctor to be examined for what was a scratch. i am now faced with an initial child protection conference under section 47 enquiry. i work as a TA in my local secondary school they have had a multi agency meeting about me at my work. the annonomous reports were made by neighbours who have got a real grudge as we reported them to police for Traffic and drugs offences. We know it was them cause another neighbour tolds us. i am at my wits end and dont know what to do, passenger transport are refusing to take him to school, i have a severe chest infection and all Social Services seem to want to do is attack us. The meeting is on thursday and we have no reports or statements. I feel so helpless

01 October 2013 Payday loan advertising has recently been thrown into the spotlight following the OFT’s compliance review and mounting public concerns about the sector. We’ve highlighted some of the key areas to consider when creating advertising for short term loans - make sure your ads are socially responsible. Speed and Ease It is understandable that marketers will want to highlight the advantages of their product, including the simplicity of the application process and the speed at which consumers can access funds. But speed and ease of access should be referred to responsibly and proportionally. Advertisers should avoid heavily promoting these aspects of a loan while downplaying less positive aspects and should not otherwise encourage consumers to rush a decision to borrow money. The ASA has previously upheld a complaint against an ad that emphasised the speed at which a loan could be obtained at all times of the day. Similarly the claim "I was turned down by the mainstream lenders. I wish I'd gone to Pounds to Pockets first, because their application was fast and simple" was deemed misleading and socially irresponsible, because it portrayed Pounds to Pocket as preferable to "mainstream lenders" by placing disproportionate emphasis on the loans being "fast and simple" despite their interest rates being significantly higher. Trivialisation Marketers should be careful to ensure that the tone and content of their advertising does not make light of or play down the seriousness of taking out a loan. Recently the ASA indicated that using a catchy and upbeat soundtrack was not necessarily problematic but, in another case, it noted that a combination of light-hearted background music, colourful imagery, laughter, and a character dressed in a nonsensical manner gave the general impression that the service offered was a trivial one. The ASA has also upheld against ads that used brightly coloured cartoon imagery, a fantasy character and references to magic because it gave the general impression that the service offered was one that could be approached in a light-hearted manner. Vulnerable groups Simply stating that loans are available to low income groups, for example people on benefits, is likely to be acceptable. However targeting people who could be perceived as vulnerable has the potential to be problematic. The ASA recently upheld complaints against an ad featuring Kerry Katona, a celebrity who previously had widely reportedly financial problems. It believed that the ad had the potential to encourage vulnerable viewers with financial problems or restricted credit to seek to resolve them through the payday loan service and concluded that the ad was therefore irresponsible. Purpose of loan Advertisers should avoid referring to frivolous purchases when marketing short term loans – the ASA has upheld complaints about ads that implied they were suitable for nights out, shopping or holidays. References to household expenses such as a broken boiler or car repairs are likely to be acceptable. In the past the ASA has accepted that references to Christmas spending and home decoration are reasonable. APRs While technical details such as APRS are regulated by the FCA in non-broadcast advertising, the ASA is responsible for ensuring adherence to the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (as amended) and the Consumer Credit (Advertisements) Regulations 2010 in broadcast ads. There have been a number of upheld adjudications against TV ads that have failed to state APRs sufficiently prominently. While some concerned relatively straightforward issues such as the legibility of on-screen text, others related to more complex rules related to various triggers for information. Advertisers should be aware of claims that will trigger the need for an APR, and the prominence required. For further details see the OFT website. As always, the Copy Advice team is happy to help with any questions on non-broadcast ads. You can call us on 0207 492 2100 or submit your copy online, here.

I was directed here from another forum, after posting there for people's opinions. I think this is posted in the wrong place - it's my first time here, and I don't know where to post it. Sorry. I don't know what to do, but I want to take the matter further, and was thinking of filing a small claims court case. I don't know if it's wise or not, but I don't know how a small claims court work - and what happens if I lose? ________________________________________________ Background (LONG - SORRY!): I received a letter 19th Dec 2011, dated 13th December 2011, stating that from the 10th December 2011, the DWP were deducting money on a weekly basis from me, for a Social Fund debt. I had no idea what this so-called “Social Fund” was, and called up for advice. I was told to call another number. Calling these numbers cost me money as they are all 0845 numbers, however, I had no option but to keep calling and paying out on call costs. I spoke to a lady, who said that I had taken a Crisis Loan (the old name for the Social Fund) out on 1st July 2004. I informed her that this was not the case, but she was insistent. She said it was for food and rent bills. I told her again, this was not the case - as I don't get money for rent, as I live with my parents as their carer, in their private house. I also asked her that, if it was the case, then why this alleged loan was not talked about before? It is now the very end of 2011. Most legal situations say there is a limit of 6years to reclaim... this was 6yrs and 7 and half months later! She informed me abruptly that DWP company can re-claim the loan, once a new claim for Jobseekers Allowance is submitted. However, this too, does not make sense in any way. I had claimed a few times since 2004, in between various employments, and there has never been a mention of any Crisis Loan that I allegedly had taken out, and not repaid, which would have led me to address the matter sooner. I was told to send letters in (5 times in total, on Special Delivery at their instruction! - and have sent several emails too) to an office, then to be told on chasing that they had got the letters, and were looking into it, but in the next call, was told they had no letters, and could I resend. And then resend again, to a different address. All calls were made to their chargeable 0845 number. Eventually it was passed to the Fraud Team, who again were supposed to call back, but didn't, but when they did after another chase, I was told that the debt was on hold until they had investigated, and not to worry. I told them that the money was being taken from me already and had pulled me into the overdraft limit, and now I was getting bank fees charges because of it. They said they would freeze that - but they didn't, and went on to take the full amount in the end, leaving me with high bank charges, and the need to take a loan to pay them off, and then paying interest to pay off the loan. After much complaining it finally was sent to the Recoveries Team, who said they are investigating but I never heard back. Finally after several calls, and one telling me it can take months, and to wait for a callback - I got a landline number for a Supervisor - (lets call him Bob for ease - not his real name!) and have been chasing him since June 2013, and then from end August, Bob's Supervisor too. I got a call back 4 weeks ago (after another chase), to say in the next day or 2 Bob would send me copies of the original documents, for me to look over immediately. I heard nothing more. Finally today - after yet more chases, and through Bob's Supervisor, Bob calls back...remember he said he'd send me copies? He now says that they don't have the original documents (no date on when he allegedly got that confirmation either), as they were destroyed, and therefore on the "Balance of probability" they would uphold the debt - "especially as the debt had been recovered.". I told him again that the debt wasn't mine - it was a fraud case. He said that there was no point of Appeal on this. I asked him who made the decision, he said 'the office', it was a local decision - and that there was nothing obviously fraudulent about the case. I quoted ALL the reasons why it was fraudulent, and he began to stutter. I asked again for the name of the head of the Department, who had made the Decision - and he was very hesitant - so I asked again who made the Decision, and he eventually said, he did. I asked how he'd reached that decision, as the had that the paperwork was destroyed after 3 years in line with their policies? He said he made it in line with their policies. He couldn't tell me which Policies. I asked for a full breakdown, with copies of the Policies he used to come to a decision, to be sent to me by the end of the week. I pointed out that, that was not my fault the paperwork had been destroyed, and that it had taken so long to come to this stage. That I was disabled with mobility issues, and the post office the Giro had been cashed at, was a few miles away, that I couldn't have got to, and I had sent in medical evidence to prove it on several occasions - that had cost me money to obtain too. I asked about decision reversal, but Bob said that they don't reverse decisions. He said I could lodge an official complaint - in light of new evidence (he claims he didn't know about the Post Office, or my disability - all of which has been noted in letters I've sent, and calls I've made) - and that they would look at the case and get back to me! I have paid out so much on phone calls, and postage, and bank charges, that I want to pursue this further - even if I only get the original so called debt back. I wondered whether it would be worth filing a small claims court claim? - and try and recover some of this. I have no money currently as I am on a 6 month DWP sanction (awaiting appeal), after being fired from my last job, and I don't know about court costs and such, so I want to know the Pros and Cons of filing a case against the DWP. Sorry for the long post - I have Aspergers, and the complete inability to summerise.

I am at my wits end now, as my son who has ASD/ADHD + Conduct Disorder (age 16); is so much in need of therapeutic intervention (Social Skills, Behaviour Therapy etc) - which is not being provided to him. I had been desperate for him to receive help, I had to make the decision to have him accommodated by SS; as they would not provide any help for us/him at home. Despite my numerous requests/pleas made to them; as I feared his safety on the street and in Social Situations (still do!). He was assessed by the Maudsley Hospital in November 2012 and they made recommendations; yet Social Services still not implemented any of them. One recommendation had been for Residential School via Priory or Cambrian Group. Waited approx. 7 months for LA to identify and refer him, it had taken so long and my son was accommodated in the area of Enfield - this has proved disastrous as he was befriending young people in the Tottenham, Wood Green and Edmonton areas, going out all hours and getting involved in crime. He had been set upon by 3 polish guys in Tottenham one night and told to scarper by one of them, claiming that his mate had a gun. I was mortified by this and needed to get him away from that area asap! I then agreed (against my better judgement) to agree to him going to the only Residential School Placement the LA had identified in all that time, which was The Priory Pines, in Co Durham (300 miles from home). It had been a fairly drawn out assessment etc and he was offered a place there, I travelled there with him and his Social Worker and Care Worker on 7/6/2013 - much to my amazement the placement at this 'highly specialist educational provision' had failed within the first week! He had been totally misunderstood and he had been upset, angry and frustrated - had been disrupting the other young people already placed there and led one of them astray, by acquiring (Christ knows how?) alcohol and sharing with another yp. Final blow, was in my son and other boy arguing with staff and my son, apparently had hold of a 'chopstick' which he had been 'waving around in a threatening manner' at staff, making them feel unsafe? They then called the police and my son was arreasted and taken into custody, the school refused to have him back and after 2 nights in police custody he was driven another 30 miles north, to magistrates court in Peterlee. At this stage, Social Services were to find him alternative placement/accommodation. He was left in the Court Cells all day - awaiting his fete in Court, having been charged with Common Assault (this can be for threatening behavior apparently!). Anyway, by 4pm Social Services contacted me to say they were unable to find him a placement, and as a result he would be likely to be remanded in custody until such a time they are able to identify a placement for him. On hearing this, I could not allow that to happen - it was inhumane! I said I would provide a bail address and he was driven home, arriving about midnight. Its awful, I feel a whole year wasted - no closer to getting him any help and also I feel even more disempowered than I had a year ago! I now need to go into battle with the Local Authority/Social Services, my only objective being for my son to receive the help and support he needs. I need to establish my best way of somehow 'demanding' the support and help my son is entitled to. But not sure how I can go about it, I want prompt decisive action and decisions iin order for me to implement relevant support and intervention, but getting them to foot the bill? I feel now it unlikely that the LA will ever find a Residential School for my son, last time took long enough and they had assured me that this school could meet his needs; yet as far as I am concerned they failed him at the first hurdle, I have known mainstream school's with better expertise and handling of negative situations. I am at a loss as to where exactly their 'specialism' actually existing in the first place. I am further appalled to discover - nothing I can do about it; as Independent Schools not governed by same legislation as mainstream etc. Its disgusting, my son just has a string of failures, each one impacting more and more on his self esteem. He is not functioning at all as one might expect of a 16 year old, has a few 'mates' with similar deficits and generally going nowhere - who he hangs out with. He has no interests in anything anymore and I cannot remember the last time he showed any excitement or enthusiasm about anything at all!! I know a lot of that can change, with the right help and support //interventions - but funding is the barrier for me! Any advice would be so greatfully received, I am at a loss where to turn, I feel I have done all I can and yet failed to secure him any help at all. Thanks Nadia Phillips:mad2:

I currently live in a ground floor flat which is at least 6 miles away from the rest of my family. Due to my mental health and mobility issues (I currently receive DLA LRC & LRM) I only go out if it is for appointments (very rare) My ex husband looks after me ensuring that I take the correct medication and ensuring that I do not injure myself, he does all of my shopping, cleaning & cooking etc. He is not in the best of health due to looking after me and has said that he is going to have to stop taking care of me. He has no life himself and he worked out the other day that he walks on average 70 miles a week. I requested the council move me so that I can be closer to my family so they can ' share' taking care of me. I am currently in band 4 (Little or no housing need) I have sent in letters from my consultant, GP and psychiatrist but someone sat in an office has decided that they are more qualified to decide my needs. I have been given so much duff information including a home visit which I was told "everything we say here is the correct information", no it wasn't Their main reason for not rehousing is because I owe about £300 in rent which I have been paying off for well over a year (I have to pay some rent because I receive a pension from work,(I was medically retired)) I no longer have to pay council tax because of severe mental impairment. but CBL have not accepted this as a need!! I feel that every time I open 1 door someone slams another one in my face, my health is suffering and I struggle everyday thinking of reasons not to injure myself. What happened to care in the community?

When the current Work Programme (WP) was rolled out in 2011 it was said to cost £5 Billion, since when it is estimated to have risen to £7 Billion. It was not widely reported however that the European Social Fund (ESF) contributed £2.5 Billion, half of the original sum. One of the stipulations in the regulations of the ESF is that all recipients of ESF funding show the ESF logo and a statement to the effect that - 'This programme is part-financed by the European Union' - on all documents, letters, advisory leaflets etc. The DWP is a recipient of ESF funding, quite a significant recipient. Therefore it should include the logo and the statement recited above on all documents etc especially those related to the WP or other similar schemes. It follows that the WP providers are all also recipients of ESF funding. Failure to comply with any ESF regulation, including this one, is a breach of the regulations and may result in the repayment of funds and/or the levying of fines. The letter I got yesterday notifying me of changes to WP regulations had no ESF logo and no mention of ESF at all. I have other letters from them with like omissions. Other readers may wish to check their mail to see if the same breach is repeated in their case. Googling the ESF website will get the address of the nearest ESF Marketing and Publicity Office to you should you, wish to notify them of this breach. A letter to your local Jobcentre manager would not go amiss either.

A timely warning on the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/21191420 One of the first things that many prospective employers now do when sifting job applications is to look up the applicant's Facebook profile, so it is important that if you are in the habit of posting pictures of a boozy night out, or litter your posts with profanity, you should always consider whether this is likely to impress or put off a potential employer - maybe even years down the line! And don't even think about posting your innermost thoughts about the company you already work for online - it is very easy for an employer to make the case that what you have written, or even how you appear to the outside world, can bring the company into disrepute.

Social campaigners Over a month what do you spend 10 minutes doing? Queuing for the bus? Waiting for the kettle to boil? Trying to figure out 4 across? If you’re like us, you probably spend a lot longer than 10 minutes doing these things. Why not sign-up to become a Citizens Advice social campaigner and give us just 10 minutes each month so together we can make society fairer for everyone? Social campaigners will use social media to campaign on behalf of Citizens Advice and help us make a difference for everyone in the country. What do we want? We know you’re busy so let’s get to the point. If you join us we’ll send you an email every month that suggests three super quick actions for you to take. It might be to share some of our advice with your friends, watch a video, tell your MP about our campaign, or fill in a survey. Whatever the action, it will always be making a difference for our campaigns and our clients’ lives. Of course, it’s always optional (you don’t have to click our links!) and won’t take longer than 10 minutes. You can see how easy it is from our previous campaigner actions. Why should you bother? Each year Citizens Advice Bureaux see millions of people who really need our help there and then. A lot of these individual problems reveal bigger collective problems which can hurt us all so we take what we learn advising people and change the causes of their problems. We do this through campaigning. And with your help we can change more lives for the better. But what if you don’t use social media yet? Don’t worry if you’re not a social media expert, the actions will be simple and full guidance will be given with each email so you don’t need to be, but if you do want to learn a bit more about social media we’ve put together some resources for our campaigners on what makes a good social campaigner. Social campaigner resources Sign me up! So you want to join? Congratulations on making this excellent decision we just need a few details. Social campaigner sign up And you can check out our previous campaigner actions if you're still not sure. http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/social_campaigners.htm

I think it may be time for an Independent Ombudsman for Social Security, that can investigate and deal with complaints about all Social Security and also all the Private Firms that are used.

Hope somebody can help. My mother is currently stressed to bits and im trying to get some advice. My grandma is 80 and is struggling with memory and mobility etc my mother is struggling to cope as we done live close to her and she works full time. The problem is to do with money. When my grandad died, he left various amounts of money and they were left to my nanna. She has been struggling memory wise for a while now and until recently my mother hadnt realised that in one of her savings accounts there is a substantial amount of money approx 25000. She is in reciept of beneifits as my gran hadnt realised or declared this money. My mother wants to get social care but is worried about what would happen to my grans savings is she declared it now or what to do hope this makes sense

Hi, I have had a letter from DWP regarding a social fund payment. This letter informs me that i will have to pay back my " loan". I have never had a loan of any kind from any benefits agency, its not the first time they have written to me regarding this, i have replied asking them for proof [ never got any] , i have asked them, when , where, etc etc. Never get an answer, now they are going to take £5 a week from my JSA to repay a loan i have never had. No inquiry, no investigation......... we say you owe so you pay. What are my options, the last time they wrote to me i stated i had never claimed for or asked for any loan & i wanted proof.It all went quiet & i got no reply, now they are back again. Just for the record, i have never had any kind of loan from any benefits agency , 100% sure about that. I can not afford this money just to be taken out of my benefit, i need every penny. Any advice please.

I hope I have posted this in the right forum. My mate's child who is mentally disabled attends a special school. A mark/scab was noticed by his mother and the child said it had occured at school. My mate asked the school they denied that any incident has occured. The school have contacted social services, who have been round to see the parents twice (and inspected the property), and are saying the child needs to be taken into hospital for a special check up. At first, the parents disagreed because the social workers said they will take the child and some disclaimer forms must be signed, after much debate the social workers said you can bring the child to the hospital and they will meet them there. The parents took the child to the hospital, however the Dr had a lengthy discussion with the social workers before asking the child and parents to come in. The Dr had further forms for the parents to sign giving the hospital permission to release information to any relevant authorities such as social security/court etc. Again, the parents weren't happy about this, and the Dr did not even check the child. The social have said they will get a court order if they need to despite the child being 18 years old with a mental disability. The parents have said the following: 1) They feel violated and that if the blame is being pointed at them since their house/living conditions are being inspected 2) Why do they have to sign discliaimer forms for one to be medically examined? 3) The presence and lenghty discussion of the social workers with the Dr, why do the social workers need to be present since the medical report will go them, it seems to the parents that they want the Dr to write in the report what the social workers want in there! 4) If the parents harmed the child (As the social services are indicating) they wouldnt have reported the case to school asking of any incidents occured in the first place! Any light shed on this matter will be great, as the social services can be a handful.

I have today received a letter from income support asking to deduct money for a social fund loan I had six years ago. How do I know if this has already been taken. I remember deductions at the time and I can't see them waiting six years to take back money

the carer of a client has made a complaint against me via a third party. i have not been suspended. if it does not become a formal complaint what are the potential outcomes? is a verbal warning a possible outcome and willi t affect my registration?.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/households-social-tariffs-230423610.html

I wonder if someone can give me some advice? I have been off sick for some while now and do not go back to work quite yet, however, I have had an email off my Line Manager advising me that it is against company policy to air my feelings on Social Media Websites. I sent an email back to her and asked her when this occurred? what did I say? and who did I speak about or to? I have heard nothing back from her since. I also got reminded that the company are still paying my wages! I also sent a copy of this email to my HR Department and asked them to stop my Line Manager contacting me in this manner if she cannot substantiate her claims. What more can I do please as I am getting emails like this and other things? I feel harassed as I am supposed to be off sick and have a sick note to that effect. I feel like big brother is watching me? I have done nothing wrong at all but are the company allowed to keep on emailing me and reminding me I work for them in this manner, how could I possibly forget?

Coming through your letterbox any day now http://www.socialscrutiny.org/formication/benefits_files/page4-1000-full.php