Nursery World - Siding with a parent but paying the cost

I have personal knowledge of a single parent who has a child attending our nursery and is having immense problems claiming childcare tax credit. The mother has great difficulty making ends meet. She is supported by her own mother, has a part-time job and currently has arrears in nursery fees in the region of 2,750.

We have supported this parent for almost 18 months in her attempts tosuccessfully resolve a situation caused by an administrative error bythe Department for Work and Pensions. I have sent letters asking forhelp on her behalf to our MP, Dawn Primarolo, and the complaintsdepartment at the Tax Credit Office. She has also spent a lot of timeand money on phone calls, letters and visits to local offices.

At the nursery we are convinced this is a genuine case of a parent notreceiving her entitlements. This is the second time the DWP has made anerror concerning entering her child's details. This has now been goingon for 18 months and the mother is planning to seek free legal advice tohelp bring this unsatisfactory situation to a fair and successfulconclusion.

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