Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 July 2018
531. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason there is a difference in carer's allowance and foster carer's allowance (details supplied). [29431/18]
View answerCarer’s allowance (CA) and the foster care allowance (FCA) are fundamentally different in their purpose. CA is a primary social protection income support paid by my Department to those on low incomes who are providing full-time care and attention to a person requiring such care.
FCA which is the responsibility of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, which falls under the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, is intended, not to provide income support, but to recompense foster carers for the expense incurred in relation to looking after a child.
Foster carer’s may qualify for a range of income supports from my Department including:
- CA, where a foster carer is providing full-time care and attention to a child who requires such care, subject to satisfying the scheme conditionality.
- Monthly child benefit in respect of the foster child,
- A weekly increase - €29.80 - for a qualified child (which can include a foster child) where the foster parent or his or her spouse/partner is in receipt of a weekly income support from my Department,
- The Back to Work Family Dividend where the foster parent transitions from eligible social welfare payments into employment and
- Working Family Payment (formerly known as Family Income Supplement) where the foster child is a qualified child for the purposes of the scheme and the foster family qualify for a payment.
In addition, social welfare legislation provides that foster care allowances paid by Tusla are not taken into account in assessing the means of any weekly social assistance payments.
Foster carers operate within a very specific framework, are subject to rigorous scrutiny and ongoing monitoring by Tusla and the children in their care are subject to a care plan. These factors mean that foster carers have additional responsibilities and duties in respect of those children, such as working with the children's families, Tusla and Health Service Executive personnel. The weekly rates of FCA are €325 and €352 per week for a child under 12 and a child over 12 respectively.
I should point out that weekly rate of carer’s allowance at €214, is among the most generous in the social welfare system, and the means test is also substantially higher and applies disregards of €332.50 for a single/legally separated person and €665 for a carer who is married, in a civil partnership or co-habiting. This disregard applies to any means that a carer may have i.e. earnings, savings, property, etc.
The tax treatment of carer’s allowance and foster care allowance is a matter for the Department of Finance.
