Hi all,

I hope you are well. I have been in foster care since I was 3 until I was 21, and now I am 22. However social said they would keep supporting me until I was 25 as long as I am in full time education. I completed three years at university and got my degree, I then decided to do a masters. However when I was barely a month or so into the masters I had to come home because I was taken ill. I wasn’t in a fit state to continue with mental health problem, thus at this point so I decided to defer my masters.

I was realised from hospital and came home, at this point social services were being fantastic about things. However, I relied on my social worker to sort things out as I was in no fit state to sort it myself. When I say thing like defer me from the masters, sort things out with the uni, accommodation etc.

3-4 months have gone by since coming home and I have recently discovered my social worker hasn’t done any of these things. I have had an e-mail from the university saying what’s going on, we know you are ill. Today, I discovered my accommodation contract hasn’t been sorted, in which they said I could get out if I provided substantial documentation from a GP. Obviously at the time I left things with my social worker and just assumed it was done, I now owe almost £1000. The thing is that in the summer we agreed social will pay for a certain amount and I pay roughly a £10 deficit each month, this was agreed verbally. I believe social have stopped paying the bill therefore I am lumbered with the whole amount.

In addition, when a student usually comes out of university social usually help said student get on their feet. However, the contact has been scarce over time. I received a cheque for £1,900 which was because my masters was on a scholarship and the uni said I can keep it as I was still enrolled at the time the incident happened. I was honest with social which was all good. At the time I said I would put it to good use and have driving lesson, with the aim of increasing my employability.

Contact has lessened and I feel in the lurch, as I am living with a relative and can’t stay here much longer, social haven’t helped in finding me a flat of my own, I found a flat on my own which was affordable, but I could get it as I had no guarantor and none of my family were in a position to help. Social then said they won’t help me because I have this cheque. However with various expenses including Christmas, I have spent a little of it, but now I am just using it to live essentially. I have had to go to the council and declare myself homeless. I am jobless at the moment and have been doing everything in my power such as updating my CV, applying for jobs and even been to a job interview today. I have applied for JSA in which I wasn't helped with, which can be trick given the circumstances.

I spoke to my social worker last week and she only wanted to see if I had applied for JSA so she could stop paying me Independent living allowance which is fair, because that has been good deed from them to me. However I feel slightly overwhelmed at the minute as I am trying to find a flat, a job. And now I have discovered that nothing has been done since coming back from university and find out I have this £980 debt. I feel it wouldn’t have been this much if my social worker had got me out of the contract. And uni fees are still being charged I believe.

Sorry, I don’t mean to paint social services in a bad light, I am only speaking from experience. And I haven’t ever had a problem with them before. But it’s agitating and everything is playing on my mind, which is not good for my mental health, as I have had to overcome a lot to get to this point. Any advice is welcome and thanks for reading.

Many thanks,

Abc12321

@dx100uk - you usually know a thing or 2 - thoughts on this mate as the OP advises they had some mental health issues and social offering to assist would that constitute as his legal guardians as such and therefore they be liable to sort this mess out?