Childcare Grant Application Nightmare - Any advice???

@tinkerson Yes! I knew it! I thought surely I must not be the only parent having the same problems with the ridiculous system that is the student finance england childcare grant! It's an absolute joke!

I am too experiencing the same made to jump through hoops and fobbed off attitude from student finance regarding my childcare grant. Over the last few months I have provided them with everything they have asked for, I have explained my situation in letters, I have phoned them, I have even contacted the complaints department on several occasions, and I even got my university involved.

I have been told I would be phoned back (but not called back), and have wasted days (and valuable study time) writing emails, letters and on the phone trying to get this sorted out. It is also one of the contributing factors of my emotional stress, which is affecting my ability to get work done.

I have fallen behind with assignment work and have needed to complete a mitigating circumstances form and arrange appointments with the student counsellor to stop me losing the plot completely!

I have come close to leaving my course, it has made me think long and hard about continuing on to do the Hons year and is just not acceptable as far as I am concerned. I should not be this far into my course trying to sort this out when the workload is so high and demanding, especially when juggling parental responsibility and a part time job, as well as running a home.

I submitted my original application back in September last year (2011), as soon as I knew what my hours of lessons would be at university, and still have not been paid a penny, and in fact am no further in my claim than I was at the end of last year!

I am now in the second year of my course but only got as far as printing off the form in the first year, and with the distraction of starting university amongst other things, I completely forgot to put my claim in. So this year I decided that if help was there which I was entitled to, then of course I should take it. As a single parent of two (now 9 & 5) with a house and car to run (like everyone else with constantly soaring bills and costs) any help that is out there while studying is much appreciated.

I have a complicated contact arrangement with my son, and therefore any form filling which involves dates is a nightmare, I also work one day per week. So I thought to make it clear when I completed my first form, I attached a weekly breakdown in costs in a spreadsheet for my son and daughter, highlighting costs that would not be for days I am at university.

This is where the problems began. I was told that they could not accept this, and that the information had to be on the form. I said, but this is only estimated costs and I can't fit it all on the form? And they said well just put an average.

I did this, and returned the form. At the end of January I received my first CCG2 form, which I gave to the childminer to complete for both children. I returned it with figures for both periods because after complaining to someone on the phone at student finance I was told to just forget period one, and just put down what you have paid up to date (which included period 2).

A few weeks later I received a letter, saying that I needed to provide student finance with documentation for child benefit and child tax credit for my son. I phoned SFE and said but I have told you from the beginning, I don't receive these, my ex partner does, he is not reasonable and will not give me this documentation.

I was told to put this information in a letter, which I did immediately (6th Feb 2012). I said but this has nothing to do with my daughter's claim? so what is the problem with her payments? and was told that because they were on the same claim that until I provide docs for my son, the claim will not be processed. So I said take my son off the claim then, and just process for Kaitlyn for now.

I was told to submit information for my daughter's costs again, with my son's costs removed, so I took a copy of the page with the dates and got the childminder to fill in just for my daughter's costs. I returned this with a cover letter on 9th Feb 2012.

I am in the process of going to court, and am applying for legal aid, so I was contacted by the legal services commission asking me for what I would be entitled to in childcare grant, so I thought I would chase it up because I hadn't heard anything for a while.

I could not believe it when I was told that they were waiting for a CCG2 form for Kaitlyn, I said, but you haven't sent me a CCG2 form? I said I have sent you information from the childminder which was a copy of the sheet and the guy said, yeah I can see this in front of me now. I said right, so why haven't you processed the claim then? He said because it is not on a CCG2 form, so they can't accept it.

I said BUT YOU DID NOT SEND ME A CCG2 FORM?! I sent you a letter with the information to speed up the process. Anyway, after a rant to the guy I said right can you send me a bloody CCG2 form, this is just unacceptable, I want someone higher up to deal with this, it's ridiculous.

I was told that a manager was not available right now, but would give me a call later, or on the Monday between 10 and 2. I said no one has informed me that you could not accept what I had sent in for my daughter, no one has written to me or sent a CCG2 form and this is so stressful that I have had to get my university involved!

Monday came and went, no call back, so I contacted the complaints department. Was told that it would be investigated because I should have received a call back on the same day, so would find out who was responsible and try to get it sorted as soon as possible.

While on the phone I checked that they had all info that I had sent them, he said no information about my daughters costs on the record, so while on the phone I sent the copy (which I had scanned before sending) and he confirmed that he had received my email attachment with the information required to pass on to the special support team. I was told it would be passed onto the special support team and should be sorted out really soon. I also pointed out that I still had not received the CCG2 form to complete for my daughter which they were waiting for!

After a week I had not heard anything so I phoned again out of curiosity. I was told that the guy who had dealt with me wasn't in today, so she would get her manager to phone me back. I missed the call when I was helping my daughter in the toilet, but there was an answerphone message left saying that if she could not contact me by the end of the day, that she would send me an email. Well surprise surprise, no call and no email.

On Friday (30th March 2012), when I was at work, I had two missed calls from student finance. The answerphone message said you have to fully complete three CCG2 forms which I have sent out for you today for your daughter, sorry but we cannot accept what you have sent in. She left a number so I phoned, but it went to answerphone. So I left a message to call me back.

We are now in April 2012, my course finishes in June, and after my call today from student finance I have been informed that I now need to complete two full CCG2 forms for my daughter, because they cannot accept both periods figures on a single CCG2 form, despite being told to do this by a representative on the phone from student finance because it had taken so long to sort out, so don't worry put for both on the same form.

I have also been told that because I do not receive child benefit and child tax credit for my son, long story, that my court order with contact days I have my son and the CCG2 information for costs related to childcare for my son (from a registered child minder) may not be enough to accept as enough evidence to prove that I am financially responsible for my son when studying!

I said but that is ridiculous! You have received the information for period one and two for Kailtyn because I was told to ignore that and put in the information right up to the date I was sending it (which was the end of January and therefore both periods together). She then tried to blame me for taking too long to send the information in, which I said NO! I have done everything I can to make sure you have all the information you needed for the claim when you asked for it as you can see from what I have sent in!

She said the system did not work like that, first period has to be processed before the second period can. I said but I was told to do that because of the problems and the fact that it had taken so long to sort out.

She said sorry, but they can't accept that single page with the information for my daughter for the costs for both periods either, it has to be the COMPLETE FORM. For each period.

I went on to say how crap the system is, that it is not user friendly at all. When you submit the estimates the dates bear no relation to the dates which you submit when you put your actual costs in. In the estimated costs form it is broken down into 6 sections, in terms, but the actual costs is 3 periods which have nothing to do with terms. I said it is confusing when trying to complete the forms!

I also raised the point that my complaint questions had not been addressed at all, there had been some serious mistakes made along the way, and said why is it that when I made the call, when I was chasing in up for my legal aid, I was told I would be sent the CCG2 form for my daughter that they were so called waiting for but it still has not arrived? that was months ago! And it was only the fact that I was chasing up the claim for legal aid info that the problem was identified in the first place?

I said no one sent me a letter to say you cannot accept that info I had sent in for my daughter, no phone call, no email or no letters. It was just left, and if I hadn't chased it up how much longer would it have just been left to run? Would it have been addressed at all or just to the point that it would be too late to claim?!

I feel completely let down by this system. It is way too complicated and has caused me to lose so much time when I should be studying and doing assignment work, on the phone, writing emails, and contacting you. I am dreading going through this whole process again as I have been accepted onto the Hons Year as long as I pass the course with 55%, and will have to do this all again for another two years. The thought is really putting me off!

So after all the complaints, phone calls, emails, university of Bath Student Services involvement and stress I am no further on in my claim than I was at the start of the course. Really not happy and feel that some kind of investigation needs to take place into the my claim. I am really not satisfied with the response I have had from the complaints department, and I feel that I am probably not the only student to have experienced this amount of difficulty when trying to get help towards costs when studying as a single parent.

The student finance rep tried to tell me that the system was complicated and was subject to lots of fraud, and I said but it's not! it is your system that has made it unnecessarily complicated! All you need is estimated cost of childcare, then information from the childminder as to actual costs! Student loans and grants is done online, and that is just as susceptible to fraud! But I have not had any problems with that! She said well that is why it is paper based, because it is difficult to handle.

Sounds like they are trying their best to make it as difficult as possible to me so that people just give up because it's just too much hassle.
I feel completely let down by the whole system. I said no where on the information about student finance does it say if you are not in receipt of child tax credit or child benefit will you not be entitled to claim.

I have contacted the ombudsman today (0845 073 8908), I want my claim investigated by an independent assessor, they are going to write to student finance. As far as I am concerned there has been mistake after mistake and someone needs to take responsibility for their actions.

e.g. in the student finance information from student finance england (January 2011
ISBN 978-1-907246-16-6
SFE/CCGB/V11)
It states that you will be sent a CCG2 form at the end of each term to complete and return... (erm not in my experience!)

It says "You can apply for a Childcare Grant if you are a full-time undergraduate student and you have at least one dependent child who is under 15 and in registered or approved childcare"

It does say If you, your husband, wife or partner gets the childcare part of Working Tax Credit, you won’t be able to get a Childcare Grant as well. (But I am a single parent and don't get tax credits for my son, so surely this means that this does not apply to me? (I don't know what my EX partner receives, and he won't provide me with information either.)

My main argument is that NO WHERE in the information does it say if you are not in receipt of child tax credit or child benefit for your child your claim will be a long and drawn out almost impossible time wasting exercise and your decision will be based upon what someone decides, and not on factual information that you provide as an alternative such as court order and information from the accredited registered child minder (who also has better things to do with her time than keep completing the same information over and over again).

After this I am e-mailing watchdog (http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/ )and my local mp. I have already ranted about this on my university blog to warn other parents considering going back into education.

I feel that it is my responsibility to shout about this ridiculous complicated system to anyone that will listen in the hope that it will be sorted for future students.

This system needs sorting it's a complete shambles and some accountability is required to get things in order.

By the way tinkerson, best of luck to you with your claim, hope you get some help soon.