Disability support services back in the spotlight

Photo: Supplied

Disabled people's funding is back in the spotlight with consultation now open on how disability support services should be structured.

In March last year, as the Ministry of Disabled People's support services budget lurched toward another blow-out, it attempted to stem the flow of cash by limiting what disabled people could spend their money on.

It set off a series of changes, including the then-Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds losing the portfolio to Louise Upston.

Ms Upston commissioned an independent review into the system.

That report found the delivery of support services was inconsistent, policy settings were inappropriate and there was inadequate control of the budget.

That led to a pause on the rollout of the Enabling Good Lives demonstration sites, moving responsibility for support services into the Ministry for Social Development, and putting a freeze on residential care funding.

More recently, disabled people and their carers have reported their funding allocations being slashed by as much as 50 percent - with Carers NZ saying they are often told this is due to budgetary constraints.

Now, almost a year since those initial changes, fresh consultation has begun on options for changes to flexible funding.

Kathryn speaks to Joanne Dacombe who is the immediate past President of the Disabled Persons Assembly, and Jade Farrar who is the chair of the National Enabling Good Lives leadership group.