Special Needs Parents Association - Press Release
Thursday, 15 December 2011 00:00
Harsh reality hits families in receipt of Carers Allowance & Family Income Supplement (FIS)
Special Needs Parents Association have been in undated with frantic calls and letters from parents and family carers, desperately worried that their Family Income Supplement (FIS) is to be cut in January 2012, Following on from the recent Budget, it was announced that income from weekly Carers Benefit and Carers Allowance will be included when calculating entitlement to FIS.
Background: Family Income Supplement is a weekly payment available to employee's with children. In order to qualify for FIS, the net average weekly income must below a certain amount for a family size. Parent's working 19 or more hours per week (or 38 or more hours per fortnight) can combine weekly hours worked with spouse/civil partner/cohabitants to meet this condition. They cannot use time spent in self-employment to meet this condition.
FIS is calculated on the basis of 60% of the difference between the income limit for the family size and the assessable income of the person(s) raising the child(ren). The combined income of a couple (married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting) is taken into account. Income from any source is assessed as means however, though there are no rules excluding the assessment of capital, the Department of Social Protection generally does not assess capital or examine your bank account details for FIS.
Chairperson of the Special Needs Parents Association Lorraine Dempsey said "We are very concerned with this further financial burden for family carers, as this will result in more children with special needs and disabilities being pushed further below the poverty line". She added that "Family carers of children and young adults with disabilities who are in receipt of Carers Allowance or Carers Benefit who also get Family Income Support, do so because they are already classed as the lowest earners in the State and their monthly budget is heavily reliant on FIS to meet the shortfall in income". Vice Chairperson Patricia Houlihan who is dealing with the cases of terrified parents says that the reality for these families is that they will no longer be able to afford costly medicines, therapies for their children, mortgages, transport, all of these extra things that arise when parenting a child with a disability. The true cost of care is never taken into account and we cannot ask these families to tighten their belts and forgo paying for essential supports for their child that should be already provided by the HSE. Some of these families are facing a disproportionate drop in income once Carers Allowance is taken into account when calculating FIS from January 2012.
The Special Needs Parents Association is calling on the Government to halt the changes to the FIS Scheme until the implications for the minority of families in receipt of both FIS and Carers Allowance/Benefit is thoroughly examined and takes into account the extra financial responsibilities of raising a child with disabilities. It is a huge error to align the conditions for calculating Carers Allowance with FIS in the same way as other social welfare payments, as these families are already at an unfortunate disadvantage where the carer in receipt of the allowance is not in a position to be in full-time employment or actively seek it and such families will be bound by this poverty trap that these new ill thought out budgetary changes have enforced.
When the Budget was announced, Minister Howlin said "I believe that we have a duty to protect the most vulnerable in society and to provide a safety net of social protection, in what are very extraordinary times".
For Further Information and Comment
Lorraine Dempsey Chairperson Special Needs Parents Association 087 7741917
Patricia Houlihan Vice Chairperson Special Needs Parents Association 087 0986019
Marian Frawley PRO Special Needs Parents Association 087 6833965
STOP
For clarity, the following are excerpts from emails of parents who recently got in touch with us. This is reality on the ground.
"I am a Carer for my beautiful son who has Down Syndrome we have two
other children a 7 year old and a 11 week old baby. My partner is in
full time employment but its a low income.
We receive 190 euro per week FIS but now because of the measures taken
and the latest cuts we will be dropped down to 50 euro per week for us
that is a loss of 140 euro PER WEEK. People are crying out because of
the cut made to child benefit of 20 euro per month for the 3rd child.
We are in desperation as we will end up losing our home with in the
next few months because, it will either be feed the family or pay the
mortgage and the mortgage doesn't win.
Since we had our darling boy 3 years ago we have had to fight for
everything for him even a life saving heart operation which is one
thing you think would be written in stone but its not and we had to
fight tooth and nail to save our boy. And now here we are yet again
the most vulnerable been hit with this huge loss to our weekly income
having to fight for our God given right to provide our children with a
roof over their heads.
Did they make these changes not knowing the disastrous effects it
will have to people? or did they simply not care as i said we are the
most vulnerable minority with a very little voice.
If there is anything that can be done to reverse this heart breaking
cut please help us do it".
"My partner is a short time worker at a meat processing factory which
means he isn't guaranteed a full weeks work and claims FIS for my
youngest daughter. I am a carer for my son who has autism and a learning
disability. The means testing of carers will mean that we will not be
able to claim FIS which is by the way not a dole it is money my
partner claims on stamps he has paid ! We will be down around €80 per
week and that does not include the cut to esb units in home carers
package and whatever other cuts we have yet to find out about. This
money helps run the car to take my son to his health board centre and
to work experience as there is no transport provision also I gave up a
very well paid job to facilitate my sons care and without me doing so
I can guarantee you that he would have been in residential care at a
damn sight more cost to the Government than the €204 allowance they pay me
this is the only one the Government expects you to work for 24/7 !"
"My husband works and always has done. He works 35 hours per week, his
income is 282.50 from work.
He receives Family Income Supplement, I have two children with
disabilities, our oldest son, aged 20 also qualifies as he is in third
level. My husband’s FIS payment is 253.00.
I receive carer’s allowance of 335 euro per week. The whole of my
carer’s allowance goes to repay credit union loans that we took out to
build on a bedroom for our son who, even though he qualified for
Disabled persons grant, was refused and personal loans which we took
for therapy and intervention,the remainder pays ESB, Phone and VISA
card.
My son has autism, Dyspraxia and Sensory Integration disorder.
My oldest son has Dyspraxia and Sensory Integration Disorder, he is in
third level.
My daughter has Asperger’s Syndrome, Dyspraxia and Sensory Integration disorder.
We will not pretend that my children receive any therapies or
intervention from the HSE, they do not and never will. I have a letter
from Psychology HSE stating there is no service for him.
My daughter has been diagnosed with Asperger’s, privately, the
assessment cost 700 euro.
The children have on-going needs which we have provided for as best we
can. We have paid for private Psychology, Occupational Therapy,
Psychiatry assessments and reports over many years. Psychology
sessions cost 120 euro per hour. Because we provided privately what
has not been provided by the HSE and DES my children are in mainstream
school. My son will finally return to school in January with the
resources in place that he should have had all along.
Our mortgage is 160 euro per week.
Occupational Therapy which both children need and will be on-going is
90 euro each per session per week(180).
My daughter has significant needs which will be on-going. I have been
refused Domiciliary Care Allowance which would have helped toward the
cost of Occupational Therapy, I have appealed this but am sure my
daughter will again be denied.
Currently I have no oil to heat our home, I do not know where to turn. I cannot
see any way that we can provide a roof over the children’s heads and
provide their basic needs when the removal of FIS comes in to play. It
is removal of what to us is a significant portion of our income. We do
not live the high life in any way but only seek to continue to provide
what our children need, if there was any way that I
could leave Ireland I would but I can’t. My husband is 50 and I am 47.
I had hoped to up skill and re enter higher education when my children
started school but it was not to be. I have no regrets in anything I
have done for them and they are treasured and dearly loved by us both.
Why are my innocent children being punished in this manner? It is
stomach churning to watch the news and see the people that caused this
disgusting situation being “arrested by appointment”. Only in Ireland
would that be allowed to happen while children that are the most
vulnerable must pay for their crimes".