Excluding thousands of Disability Support workers using
their own cars to travel between homes and within the
community to provide essential disability support services
from the Government’s fuel relief package is unfair and
must be addressed immediately, says the New Zealand
Disability Support Network.
NZDSN Chief Executive
Debbie Hughes says the cost of fuel pressure is the same no
matter what’s in your contract.
“To claim the
current 30% increase, support workers must be employed by
Home and Community Support services that have in-between
travel set out in their contracts. Support workers employed
by other disability support service providers who are using
their vehicles to provide the same types of support are
being left to pick up the costs themselves,” said Debbie
Hughes.
“It’s our understanding that most
disability support workers are employed by providers who
don’t have in-between travel included in their contracts.
With fuel costs going up and funding staying the same, the
system has immediately become inequitable, as some support
workers receive much-needed cost relief while others miss
out.”
NZDSN says many disability support services
rely on workers travelling throughout the community to
deliver essential disability support services and are now
absorbing rising costs themselves.
This includes DSS
funded Supported Independent Living services, and the
Ministry of Social Development’s employment and vocational
programmes, that rely on support workers travelling
throughout the community to support disabled people in their
homes and into work and participation. Many other services
also provide essential itinerant community-based services to
disabled people.
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“If providers and support workers
can’t absorb these costs, services will come under
pressure and be forced to make cutbacks on the support they
can provide. Ultimately, it’s disabled people and their
whānau who’ll feel the impact.”
NZDSN is calling
on the Government to urgently apply the same 30% increase to
all disability support services where workers must travel
between the people they support and, in the community, using
their own vehicles to deliver essential
supports.
“This is about fairness, consistency and
making sure this essential relief gets to where it needs to.
The government must act now before the fuel crisis gets
worse.”
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