Glad this went better than you had feared - what we work up in our own mind is often worse than reality.

Sounds like your college is just like every similar institution - they are *not* good at getting all of the different bureaucracies on the same page. It is sad, but the only way they will stay coordinated is if you and/or your mum stay on top of them and politely force the issue.

Some general advice in dealing with bureaucracy:
* Never mail in anything when you can hand-carry it and personally deliver to the person it goes to.
* When you are told something will get done, ask for a target date.
* When given a date, follow-up on that date, and every other day thereafter, until it happens (and it *never* happens on time) We have a saying here in the US - "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."