No more wait lists for children and adults with disabilities who need extra support at home.
Under the previous Enhanced Family Support Program, residents with disabilities who qualified were put on a waiting list under a capped system.
Now, applicants who need additional funding can receive up to $1,600 in additional support.
That’s $3,800 per month.
Community Services Minister Kelly Regan says applicants had to wait for someone to move off the program, unless they cleared the waitlist.
She says they were clearing the waitlist every few years.
“Now they don’t have to wait for that to happen,” she says.
“Eventually they would get it – it would just be how long they had to wait for it. Now they don’t have to wait.”
Regan says people do better when they can be cared for at home, surrounded by loved ones.
But she says it’s not always cheap.
“If you have to pay for respite care or whatever, so it’s important that families have this to make sure that their loved ones have the best quality of life that we can offer.”
The Direct Family Support for Children, Flex Support for Adults and the Enhanced Family Support for Children and Adults help families hire support workers who have specialized training, education or experience.
Last week, 18 people were waiting for enhanced support, including five children.
Now, 14 children and 60 adults are receiving Enhanced Family Support.
