Care to Learn grrrrrr

[Adiamond]

I have recently taken on a child (31st January) who will be funded through the care to learn scheme.

I have never done this before and didn't know what was to be done etc.... I spoke to the new mums youn parent co-ordinator and she told me that there was a form that needed to go to th eyoung mums place of education then to me and then back to mum ok thats easy enough no problems....

I didn't get the forms for a couple of weeks after the start date I filled it all in and gave it straight back to mum the same day.

Just over a week later I get a phone call from care to learn just to verify my details etc... the women said I thought when I saw the date you had missed the 28 day qualifying date!! I asked what she meant and apparently you only have 28 days from the childs start date to submit the form or you don't get the backdated money, she then said its fine it arrived on the 28th day phew!!

Anyway fastforward to Thursday I get a statement of payment letter and yes you've guessed it 4 weeks short because of the 28 day scenario, I rang them the guy on the phone didn't know what to do he said the form wasn't showing on the system he will get someone to look into it for me.

Another letter arrived yesterday just saying that they will be paying me for the child and it actually says that the form was late...

I don't know what to do about this I am nearly £500 short, I did my part filling the forms in quick but no-one else did it was out of my control but I am the only person that loses out, mum doesn't and neither does her place of education!!!!
grrrrrr what shall I do?????????????? xxxx

[muffins]

I dont think there is much you can do other than call them & beg! Who is your contract signed with? If its the parents then its upto them to make up the short fall! Hope you get it sorted x

[sarah707]

Did you get the name of the person who rang you to sort out your claim?

I would go back to them and ask them to get involved again - it's unacceptable that you are suffering financially because other people cannot get forms in quickly enough.

Ask for their complaints procedure as well and find out what you need to do to start making a fuss.

Hugs xx

[wendywu]

Then it is down to the young mum to pay. So she has better start having a word with her mentor about what she can do. Because she will be in a position where she is in debt for £500 which in turn will affect her studying.

Maybe if you put pressure on her as its her fault then she in turn will put pressure on the collage.

She must know the date she handed the form in and who she handed it into.

[Adiamond]

Thanks for all of your replies, I do have the name of the lady I spoke to first so hopefully she will back me up, there is no way young mum can pay me the £500.00 she doesn't get any study funding or anything as she is still at school, I am going to have to ring them and do some begging. If I had of known all of this I would have made sure these forms where back in time x

[wendywu]

Thanks for all of your replies, I do have the name of the lady I spoke to first so hopefully she will back me up, there is no way young mum can pay me the £500.00 she doesn't get any study funding or anything as she is still at school, I am going to have to ring them and do some begging. If I had of known all of this I would have made sure these forms where back in time x

If you have the ladys name then you have all the proof you need that it was in on time. So as far as you are concerned it is down to their error it was not processed by the cut off date.

Do not go in with the attitude that you need to beg, all you ask is that they admit their error and do their job correctly by putting it right.

[LChurch]

Oh hun, I cannot believe that they are doing this again! It is always us childminders that lose out because of the incompetence of others! I had similar problems with the same organisation, if you got your forms in the right time then there should be no problem. I had no end of problems with them for nearly 2 years and vowed I would never take on another mum who got the funding through them. You do need to keep on at them, eventually they will see sense. It is not your fault if you are waiting on others to do their bit. This is what happened with me, always waiting on the college to submit their forms. Then when student left I was inundated with forms saying I needed to sign the attendance sheet etc but as I had told them the mum had finished college and they should have known that! If you don't get anywhere you can take it higher, I am sure others can advise you if the contact name has changed!

[RachelE]

Oh my Goodness!

I wasted 2 years of my life - tears, frustration and bounced direct debits through C2L!

Always ask to speak to a manager and if they are out of the office - which they 'seem' to be a lot - then ask for a call back the same day.
They have a high turnover of staff and they dont seem to know what they are doing!

I took on a child through this, whose Mum was on a 3 yr course - after 2 yrs hey decided she should never have got the funding and just stopped it!

Dont bank on the money going in smoothly every month if it does, its a bonus!

They are regulated - like we are by OFSTED- and I went direct to their regulator in the end

Good luck,
Rachel x

[Adiamond]

I have rung them, told them that it is not my fault that the forms were not back in time, I am awaiting a call back promised it will be today !!!

[rickysmiths]

Oh my Goodness!

I wasted 2 years of my life - tears, frustration and bounced direct debits through C2L!

Always ask to speak to a manager and if they are out of the office - which they 'seem' to be a lot - then ask for a call back the same day.
They have a high turnover of staff and they dont seem to know what they are doing!

I took on a child through this, whose Mum was on a 3 yr course - after 2 yrs hey decided she should never have got the funding and just stopped it!

Dont bank on the money going in smoothly every month if it does, its a bonus!



They are regulated - like we are by OFSTED- and I went direct to their regulator in the end

Good luck,
Rachel x

You must have been very unlucky. Apart from an initial start up hitch I have been paid by them for 2 years now ans been paid on time with no problems. mind you my mums college is very good at returning their attendance records quickly.