Analysis of Department of Social Protection’s Reporting of Control Savings

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In April 2013, One Family carried out an analysis of the Department of Social Protection’s (DSP) Reporting of  ‘Control Savings’. Control Savings is the internal performance indicator on the effectiveness of the Department of Social Protection’s (DSP) control measures. We found that there is enough evidence to be concerned that the Department’s guidelines are not applied consistently across regions and that the predetermined multipliers used to generate estimated future savings do not accurately reflect return rates to welfare schemes.

Read or download the analysis here: One Family Analysis_DSP Control Savings Research_April 2013.

One Family’s findings:

  1. The multiplier used to calculate potential savings by the Department is 4 1/4 times higher than that used to calculate potential savings in Jobseekers Allowance.
  2. Consequently reported levels of OPFP fraud have been inflated.
  3. This highlights a significant error with the Department’s predetermined multipliers Office of the (Comptroller & Auditor General. (2011), op cit., pp 471-472).

One Family’s Reaction to Rental Assistance Reforms

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It has been confirmed by the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan TD, that the responsibility for the payment of rent allowance is to be handed over to local authorities as a pilot in seven areas around the country including Limerick Joint Authority (previously Limerick City and County Councils) and one in Dublin from January 2014.

One Family has reacted today to how the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and local authorities are placed to tackle the significant challenge of implementing the reforms to rental assistance and these changes transferring both the assessment and payments to local authorities.

Stuart Duffin, our Director of Policy & Programmes, commented:  “Working to manage the introduction of the rental assistance reforms will be the challenge, not the change in who pays. Their full impact is currently uncertain and depends on how households and the housing market react, locally as well as nationally. DSP and all local authorities have a crucial role to play in anticipating and addressing adverse consequences for claimants and the administration. Some challenges cannot perhaps be planned for: where the interaction of local authority funding constraints, the social housing stock, rental market conditions and the local economy produces extreme impacts. As issues emerge, the Department will need to be capable of a flexible response, well-coordinated with other sources of support for families.”

The Department is actively preparing for the implementation of these housing supports reforms and One Family calls on it to use available data to assess the impact of the reforms on current entitlements. We ask if these reforms will result in households receiving lower assistance, particularly in areas of high rent such as Dublin, and how will this impact on an already landlord-driven rental market?

Ten questions to be resolved are:

  1. What are the new local housing allowance restrictions and guidelines?
  2. Will this impact on all claimants immediately?
  3. Is there any additional help to support those who are hardest hit and is there a discretionary payments fund?
  4. Is this intended to help all  those who may  lose out  financially?
  5. What happens to existing  customers?
  6.  Are there changes planned  for direct payments of local rental allowance to  landlords?
  7. What is the financial impact  of this change?
  8.  How will local housing  allowances be  implemented in the future?
  9. Will direct payments to landlords be allowed in the social rented sector?
  10. How will housing costs be calculated ?

The Government must intend the reforms to improve the system. However, reforms could also lead to hardship or an increased risk of homelessness. How tenants and landlords will respond is highly uncertain at the moment and the Department must commission independent research to evaluate the impact of the reforms during and after implementation.

The Department needs to be actively working with all local authorities to identify the extent to which the reforms will increase the administrative burden on the authorities. It clearly has further ground to cover. Many people know very little about the changes, and the extent to which those affected have been informed varies according to where they live.

Private rented sector households know little or nothing about the changes that would affect them.

The Department has put in place transitional support through increased funding for discretionary housing payments. It needs to work with other departments and local authorities to monitor emerging issues and manage risks for both private and social tenants.

Ten Days for Ten Solutions

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With just ten days remaining until Budget 2014 on Tuesday 15 October, we are inviting everyone to support 10 Solutions. No Cuts. by taking one simple action on each of these ten days.

10 Solutions for Smarter Futures is our response to the harsh cuts aimed at lone parents in Budget 2012. These are changes that will benefit everyone, not just those on low incomes, as 10 Solutions for Smarter Futures is a series of ten no-nonsense, low or no-cost actions that Government can deliver to make life better for everyone.

How can you support the 10 Solutions campaign?

There are a number of things you can do.  These include:

1. Email your local TDs – use our pre-populated email facility. It takes less than two minutes on this link.
2. Join and share the ‘10 Solutions. No Cuts.’ event on Facebook. You can also change your profile pic to a 10 Solutions pic (available here).
3. Share on Twitter via @1FamilyIreland and #10Solutions.
4. Ask your colleagues and contacts, family and friends to support the campaign for 10 Solutions by taking the actions above too.

Read more about 10 Solutions here.

10 Solutions. No Cuts. Budget 2014.

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Press Release

10 Solutions. No Cuts. Budget 2014.

(Dublin, Wednesday 18 September 2013) One Family, Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families, calls on Government to recognise that today’s challenging environment has impacted hardest on the 215,000 one-parent families in Ireland today, with those living in lone parent households suffering more than twice the national average rates of deprivation. We call for delivery of our low and no-cost 10 Solutions for Smarter Futures to improve the well-being of all families and ask that every parent and guardian of a child in Ireland take a few minutes to support our call for 10 Solutions to make life better for everyone. Let the Government know what lone parents need by taking action for 10 Solutions.

Members of the public can take action by:

  1. Emailing their local TDs – visit www.OneFamily.ie to use the pre-populated email facility. This takes less than two minutes.
  2. Share the ‘10 Solutions. No Cuts.’ event on Facebook via onefamilyireland.
  3. Share on Twitter via @1FamilyIreland and #10Solutions.
  4.  Ask family and friends to support the campaign for 10 Solutions and take action too.

Almost 56% of individuals from one-parent family households experience one or more forms of deprivation (EU-SILC 2011). With 87,586 lone parents in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment and 36% of these working, the evidence confirms that lone parents are striving to improve their lives and those of their children, and to contribute in a meaningful way to society. Yet Budget 2012 penalised lone parents and added to their struggle while current legislature creates numerous pitfalls for lone parents returning to work and education.

Karen Kiernan, One Family CEO, comments: “We have seen austerity budgets land squarely on the poorest families and children but there are better ways to support lone parents into sustainable work that will lift them out of poverty. Government needs to make sure no more cuts hit vulnerable one-parent families and they need to implement our 10 Solutions which will help make work pay.”

Stuart Duffin, Director of Policy & Programmes at One Family, notes; “Pitfalls for lone parents who want to return to work and education include: lack of affordable child care; lack of available jobs; training courses at times that suit parents. Simple things; but all of which can close doors for lone parents. We call on Government to take the pressure off lone parents and prioritise parents’ needs by delivering our 10 Solutions.”

One Family puts children at the centre of its work and believes that every child deserves an equal chance and every family deserves the same opportunities towards a fairer future.

10 Solutions. No Cuts.

It’s that simple.

Notes for Editors:

  • 1 in 4 families with children in Ireland is a one-parent family
  • Over half a million people live in one-parent families in Ireland
  • Almost 1 in 5 children (18.3%) live in a one-parent family (Census 2011)
  • There are over 215,000 one-parent families in Ireland today (25.8% of all families with children; Census 2011)
  • 87,586 of those are currently receiving the One-Parent Family Payment.
  • Those living in lone parent households continue to experience the highest rates of deprivation with almost 56% of individuals from these households experiencing one or more forms of deprivation (EU-SILC 2011).
  • The full 10 Solutions for Smarter Futures document is available to read here: https://www.onefamily.ie/professionals/policy-research/ten-solutions-for-smarter-futures/what-are-the-10-solutions/

About One Family

One Family was founded in 1972 and is Ireland’s leading organisation for one-parent families offering support, information and services to all members of all one-parent families, to those experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and to those working with one-parent families. Children are at the centre of One Family’s work and the organisation helps all the adults in their lives, including mums, dads, grandparents, step-parents, new partners and other siblings, offering a holistic model of specialist family support services. These services include the lo-call askonefamily national helpline on 1890 622 212, counselling, and provision of training courses for parents and for professionals. One Family also promotes Family Day, an annual celebration of the diversity of families in Ireland today, with 10,000 people attending events this year on 19 May (www.familyday.ie). For further information, visit www.onefamily.ie.

Available for Interview

Karen Kiernan, CEO | t: 01 662 9212 or 086 850 9191

Stuart Duffin, Director of Policy & Programmes | t: 01 662 9212 or 087 062 2023

Further Information/Scheduling

Shirley Chance, Director of Communications | t: 01 662 9212 or 087 414 8511

Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance 2013

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Most schools around the country will re-open within the next fortnight after the summer holidays. It’s an exciting time for both children and their parents, though it can be heart rending too especially if you have a child starting primary or secondary school.

There’s a lot of expense associated with children returning to school. The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is designed to help families with the cost of uniforms and shoes for school-going children. The scheme opened on 1 June and the final date for applications is 30 September 2013. Currently the processing time of claims is three weeks.

Many receive an automatic payment and do not have to apply, i.e. if you received the allowance  last year and your circumstances have not changed you should have received a letter stating when and how your allowance will be paid this year. Automatic payments were issued from the week starting 15 July.

Eligibility criteria to apply includes that applicants must be in receipt of certain social welfare payments or participating in training, employment or education schemes (view the list here). Your child or children must be aged between 4 and 22 on or before 30 September in the current year. If aged between 18-22, the child/ren must be in full-time education.

Your total weekly household income – which includes wages (before tax, excluding PRSI and standard travel allowance of €20 per week), maintenance, savings, investments, main social welfare or Health Service Executive payment and income of any dependent children on a Youthreach Programme – must be less than the amounts below.

Lone parent with             Income limit
1 child €410.10
2 children €439.90
3 children €469.70
4 children €499.50*

*The income limit is increased by €29.80 for each additional child.

The allowance paid for each eligible child aged 4-11 on or before 30 September 2013 is €100. The allowance paid for each eligible child aged 12-22 on or before 30 September 2013 is €200.

Application Forms for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance can be obtained:

  • At your local social welfare office
  • By texting ‘Form BTSCFA’ with your name and address to 51909
  • And on welfare.ie.

Completed forms should be sent to the Department of Social Protection, PO Box 131, Letterkenny, County Donegal. Enquiries can be made to Locall 1890 66 22 44.

For detailed information on the allowance and eligibility criteria, please click here.