It shouldn't be this hard: children, poverty and disability
"It shouldn't be this hard': children, poverty and
disability
Disabled
children are more likely to live in poverty than other
children, increasing the barriers they face to participation
and inclusion in society, says Child Poverty Action
Group.
In a report released today, 'It shouldn't be this hard': children, poverty and disability,
CPAG says disabled children are often invisible in discussions about policies that affect them, meaning their rights and interests, and those of their care-givers, are overlooked.
There are around 95,000 disabled children aged 0-14 years in New Zealand. A 2013 disability survey showed 15% of those children lived in households with incomes under $30,000 compared with 10% of all children.
CPAG is particularly concerned about the impact of a significant decline in the number of Child Disability Allowances (CDA) granted annually by Work and Income. The CDA is a non-income-tested allowance available to parents to help compensate for the time and expense of caring for a disabled child.The number of new CDAs granted has almost halved since 2008 while the number of disabled children has increased, from 92,000 in 2001 to 95,000 in 2013. Over the same period spending on the Disability Allowance also dropped 14% in real terms. CPAG Co-Convenor Alan Johnson says, "We have not seen the Government championing cuts in support to families with disabled children, but that is in effect what has happened."
The title of CPAG's report 'It shouldn't be
this hard' came from a comment made by parents of disabled
children interviewed for this research. Alan Johnson says,
"Whether negotiating with government agencies, applying for
education funding, or trying to get support from Work and
Income, the process is often slow and difficult. Not
surprisingly, parents often feel their children's needs are
invisible."
Johnson says, "Disabled children barely rated a mention throughout the major welfare reforms implemented since 2010, even though we know around 14% live in families supported by benefits. Decisions about services provision at local level, including public transport, are often made with little consideration for disabled children's needs."
Disability advocate, Colleen Brown says, "The real heroes in this country are the parents who struggle every day to get their children up, fed, clothed, accepted at school, resourced, and included in their community, while also doing all the other things expected of them at work and at home."
Child Poverty Action Group urges Government to take account of the ongoing needs of disabled children and their families. The report makes 9 policy recommendations to improve services for children with disabilities, including a review of support payments for parents to make sure the needs of their disabled children are prioritised over the parents' job-seeking and work preparation.
CPAG would like to acknowledge the wonderful generosity of the parents, caregivers and disability advocates who assisted us with researching this report.
'It shouldn't be this hard': children, poverty and disability will be launched at 11am on March 19th at Potters Park Events Centre, 164 Balmoral Road, Balmoral, Auckland.
Recommendations
• That the government
collect and disseminate better quality, disaggregated,
publicly available data on the number, location and
socioeconomic and other (including cultural) status of
disabled children, their educational and health outcomes,
and indicators to assess whether their outcomes are
improving over time.
•
• That the government
acknowledge the role of Special Education Needs Coordinators
in schools and accordingly fund a staffing entitlement
directly through school budgets.
•
• That the
funding and allocation of services for disabled children be
reviewed in partnership with the disability sector to
identify shortfalls and find ways to improve service
delivery in ways that are child-focused.
•
• That
the Office of Disability Issues or other appropriate body
investigate ways to ensure that government agencies and
staff recognise and take account of the ongoing needs of
disabled children and their families when engaging with
them.
•
• That eligibility criteria for the
Supported Living Payment be revised for parents with
disabled children, or that some other provision be made so
that the needs of their children prevail over parents'
job-seeking and work preparation obligations unless parents
request otherwise.
•
• That the Ministry of
Social Development:
•
o Investigates why there has
been a sharp reduction in the number of Child Disability
Allowance (CDAs) granted;
o
o analyses census data to
ascertain if there is a socioeconomic, geographical or
ethnic variance in respect of the number and proportions of
CDAs granted and declined;
o
o works with the sector
to assess the role of Regional Health Advisors and determine
whether they are overriding medical professionals'
advice;
o
o works with the sector to identify
barriers to the granting of CDA where eligibility criteria
appear to be met, and considers strategies to minimise
these;
o
o undertakes a similar process with respect
to the Disability Allowance.
o
• That an
individualised funding model be further investigated to
provide, where appropriate, tailored programmes and
services, including housing, to disabled children and their
families. One model that could be trialled is a key worker
and advocate for families.
•
• That an
independent fully-funded Commissioner and advocacy service
for disabled persons, children and their parents be
established that would work with the sector and help parents
to deal with state and other agencies, and provide support
and advice for families.
- ENDS -