A mother who took health officials to court demanding to be paid for caring for her disabled adult son says the Crown's offer of higher compensation misses the point.
Diane Moody, who is 76, has cared for her severely disabled son Shane Chamberlain for most of his 51 years. Mrs Moody rejected an offer to pay her for 17 hours a week at the minimum wage and took health officials to court, asking to be paid the maximum of 40 hours a week.
In February, the Court of Appeal ordered health officials to set aside the 17 hours and reassess her application. Now health officials doubled her paid hours to 37 a week, at the minimum wage.
But Mrs Moody says the needs assessment on which the offer was based is flawed and she will continue to fight for 40 paid hours a week. Not just for herself, but for the sixteen hundred families who have been identified as being eligible for 40 hours of funding.
Minister of Health David Clark declined an interview, but sent us this statement: "I completely understand the depth of feeling on this issue and have the upmost respect for those families that care for high-needs family members at home. I have asked for advice on options for reforming the Funded Family Care policy.
"That work is at the very early stages and I am not yet ready to comment on it in detail."
