Halt to funding of respite care services being considered

THE GOVERNMENT is examining controversial plans to cease funding respite care services that benefit thousands of families with disabled children each year.

Disability service providers have until now received State funding to provide respite care. These services allow people with disabilities to continue living with their families and in their communities.

However, families also receive a respite care grant from the Department of Social Protection of €1,700 a year. Carers are free to spend this money in whatever way they wish. This grant costs the State about €130 million a year.

Senior political sources say increasing pressure on public finances means the Government can no longer afford to “pay twice” for respite services.

As a result, plans are being drawn up to cease funding disability services providers for respite care. Instead, families would be required to pay for respite care out of their annual grant.

“This is about giving choice to people with disabilities and their families,” one Government source said. “It forms part of what we’re looking at in providing individualised payments for people with disabilities and their families to buy the kind of services they really need.”

At present, the Government gives about €1.5 billion to health authorities and voluntary bodies to provide a range of residential, respite and day services for people with disabilities.

The new plans would allow the Government to cut back significantly on the money provided.

However, such a move would prove controversial among families who have come to rely on the care grant as part of their budget.

Deirdre Carroll, former chief executive of Inclusion Ireland, an umbrella group of people with disabilities, said such plans would likely receive a hostile reaction.

She said respite care was expensive and it was doubtful whether the annual grant would be sufficient to provide meaningful services for many families.

“I think a move like this would be received very badly. The needs of individuals and their families vary greatly. Unless there is a system to ensure people’s individual needs are met, many families may not be able to afford respite care,” she said.

Ms Carroll said she welcomed the principle of individualised payments for people with disabilities, rather than block grants for service providers. However, she said it was unclear whether it would be possible to buy respite services in some parts of the State. “It would be wiser to explore this area through a pilot project rather than rolling it out immediately,” she said.

Latest figures from the Health Service Executive show 7,760 people with disabilities availed of respite services in 2010. The respite care grant was paid to 76,700 recipients last year. It is a means-tested payment given automatically to carers in receipt of the carer’s allowance.