The Government has announced plans to change the Funded Family Care policy, which Acting Associate Health Minister James Shaw described as a “nightmare for the families involved”.
Mr Shaw and Minister of Health Dr David Clark announced the Government’s intention to repeal Part 4A of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 (the Act).
Funded Family Care allows payment for family members to care for those assessed as having high or very high needs relating to disability, long term chronic health conditions, mental health and addiction and aged care needs.
The announcement was hailed as "the first step towards a kinder and fairer agreement with carers" by Mr Shaw.
“There have been consistent calls for Part 4A to be repealed because it is discriminatory, in particular, Part 4A has been inconsistent with human rights legislation because it denies families the right to complain about breaches of their human rights relating to family care policies,” Mr Shaw said.
“Over the next couple of months the Government will run targeted consultation with affected families and stakeholders on the key issues within Funded Family Care,” Mr Shaw said.
“Consultation will cover issues of eligibility, pay rates for carers, the employment relationship, and the type of care covered.”
“Consultation is needed to ensure any new system is durable and has enough flexibility to meet everyone’s needs. For example, most family carers don’t want to be employed by their disabled child or a disabled family member they live with, but some do,” Dr Clark said.
Cabinet has agreed to consider changes, with options and timeframes for changes to be presented later this year.
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