Financial Support for Family Carers
Annex One: Terms of Reference
Scope the possible policy approaches that could underpin the provision of financial support to unpaid family members who care for a person(s) experiencing ill health, disability, mental illness, addiction or old age. This will include the implications of the different principles that might underpin approaches to the provision of financial support and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches.
In scoping the possible policy approaches, the report will consider the following questions:
- Should people who care for another family member receive financial assistance from the government?
- Under what circumstances should the government provide financial support to such carers - e.g. short-term versus long-term caring situations; where a person has had to reduce or give up their paid employment to assume their caring responsibilities; or whether or not a paid external carer is available to support the family?
- What would be the objective(s) of providing financial assistance to such carers – e.g. to compensate a carer for lost earnings where they have reduced or given up paid work to provide care; to offset the costs incurred from caring for another person; or as a payment for service provided?
- What level of financial support should be provided – e.g. should lost earnings be fully or partly replaced; should costs be fully or partly met; or should a family member be paid at the same level as a paid care worker?
- How would the provision of financial support interact with other entitlements available to such carers – e.g. should employees who have access to job-protected leave also be entitled to financial assistance; what other assistance is available to a carer including social assistance provided by ACC and Work and Income; or what other financial assistance might a carer need in addition to assistance the person being cared for already receives (i.e. the needs of carers separate to those of the person needing care).
