Families have been told they are owed money after a tribunal FAMILIES who stepped in to look after children won a share of £200,000 after it was ruled they had been underpaid for years. An ombudsmen ruling found 46 families had been short changed over two years ahead of becoming full time guardians. They had been paid interim payments but should have received the same money as foster carers. Southend Council, which had paid only a percentage of what foster carers would receive in those two years, had to make payments backdated over eight years after the successful tribunal was launched by one family.