Flexibility for Carer Support and Individualised Funding

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Practical Planning

Flexibility of Carer Support and Individualised Funding for eligible people

Carer Support is a subsidy to support full-time carers of disabled people to have a break (respite) from their caring responsibilities. Individualised Funding allows disabled people to directly manage their supports (personal cares, home management and respite).

Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People info about Individualised Funding can be found here and here.

This flexibility means that people can continue to buy the support appropriate for them within guidelines, instead of being limited by the rules on what support funding can be used for.  You can find the guidelines of what you can buy here: What People Can Buy with Disability Funding: Ministry of Health NZ | Purchasing Guidelines. If you are still unsure what you can use your funding for, please either contact your host or email contact@whaikaha.govt.nz and put IF Question in the subject header.

Summary of what you can buy with Individualised Funding

You can use IF to:

  • Get help with household management and the personal care of your disabled person by engaging a support worker (called “employees” these can include family members, contracted people or organisations) and pay costs relating to the engaging of support workers
  • Take a break through engaging a support worker or other suitable alternatives so that the full-time carer can have time out (including school holiday programmes or facilities) and your disabled person can also have a good time doing something away from you whilst you do.

You can spend your IF on any disability support or service that:

  • helps you to live your life or makes your life better, and
  • gives you a break from caring for your family member with a disability, and to provide a break for the disabled person, and
  • the use of funding if it is reasonable and cost-effective, and
  • not funded through other funding options such as a Disability Allowance.

It’s worth noting your funding cannot be used for illegal activities, gambling or alcohol or things that are not disability supports, such as health services provided by a hospital or income support.

IF also doesn’t cover costs related to medical supplies, equipment, home renovations, leisure, recreation and personal or family costs.

If you are still unsure what you can use your funding for, please either contact your host or you can ask Whaikaha by emailing contact@whaikaha.govt.nz and put IF Question in the subject header.