Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 January 2014
374. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will report on the effectiveness of the domiciliary care allowance in caring for children with special needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53848/13]
View answerDomiciliary care allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment to the carer of a child, under 16 years, with a severe disability that requires care and attention substantially in excess of that needed by a child of the same age without the disability. The allowance is not means tested.
DCA is one of a range of supports provided for children with disabilities. The payment when first introduced in the early 1970s was intended as an acknowledgement of the extra care that parents/carers provided for their children with disabilities in their home. The scheme was administered by the HSE until 2009, when its administration moved to the Department of Social Protection. Over the years the scheme has been expanded to cover a wide age range of children and to include all disabilities.
Currently over 25,000 parents/carers receive the payment at a cost of over €100 m per year.
While there has been no formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in caring for children with special needs, a recent survey of 1,000 customers indicated that the payment was important in the provision of additional services, both therapeutic and recreational, for their children.
