Paying Family Carers consultation

The Ministry of Health has begun consultation on options for a new policy for delivering Ministry of Health-funded home and community support to disabled adults that does not discriminate on the basis of family status.

The consultation follows the Government’s decision not to appeal the Court of Appeal ruling in the family carers case in June 2012. This means that the current policy of not paying certain family members for providing home and community support to disabled adults needs to change. This is a complex task and public input, and in particular input from the carers and disability communities, is vital.
The consultation will look at questions including:

• What to pay family carers for
• Whether to target eligibility for payment
• How to pay family carers
• Should a family carers payment be established through the welfare system
• What Government and taxpayers can afford

Further information, including the consultation document, Consultation on Paying Family Carers to Provide Disability Support, submission form, questions and answers, and the dates and locations for public workshops is available at www.health.govt.nz/familycarersconsult.

Submissions can be made online, by completion of the submission form or in writing. Submissions close at 5pm on Tuesday 6 November 2012.