The position is that starting this year, the back to school clothing and footwear allowance will be run on a different administrative basis compared to previous years in so far as the scheme is now paid on an age related basis rather than the level of education which the child has reached. Under the 1996 scheme, an allowance of £43 will be payable in respect of children from two to 11 years of age and an allowance of £58 will be payable in respect of qualified children from 12 to 22 years of age. If it is found that an 11 year old child is attending secondary school, the community welfare officer has discretionary powers under legislation to ensure the higher rate is paid in respect of that child.
The objective of the changes in the administration of the scheme is not to achieve savings but rather to achieve consistency and equity across health boards. The scheme is managed on an administrative basis and this change from school related to age-related criteria is an effort to ensure the delivery of a more efficient and equitable service to the claimant.
This change in administration will also facilitate the introduction of computerisation of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which will provide greater efficiency in administering the scheme giving community welfare officers access to the Department's database which will enable a speedier and more accurate response to claimant needs.
There is no onus on the applicant to present a birth certificate for the purposes of the back to school clothing and footwear scheme, but once computerised, all SWA payments will be made on the basis of RSI numbers. For control purposes, RSI numbers are only allocated on the presentation of a birth certificate which ensures that nobody can be allocated more than one RSI number.
