Purpose
The survey of Orphan’s Benefit (OB) and Unsupported Child’s Benefit (UCB) recipients will inform Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Social Development management by capturing the views and perspectives of caregivers raising children and young people. This survey will also inform the Clothing Allowance Evaluation and the Review of Financial Assistance of Caregivers.
The survey included the following topics:
- What is the profile, needs and living situation of children and young people?
- What extra help is needed for children and caregivers?
- What is the awareness of the Clothing Allowance, School and Year Start-up Payment, and Extraordinary Care Fund?
- What are the financial costs and challenges?
Methodology
Overview: Caregivers receiving the OB and UCB were invited to take part in a telephone survey. The contact details were drawn by the Ministry of Social Development from their operational database in March/April 2019. All recipients of the OB and a stratified sample of UCB recipients were invited to take part in the survey. In total there were 1,300 responses, 125 for the OB and 1,175 for the UCB, with an overall response rate of 60% and an average interview length of 21 minutes.
Target population: The population of caregivers receiving the OB was approximately 270. Māori made up about 45% of all the caregivers in this population. The population of caregivers receiving the UCB was approximately 11,500. Nearly half of this caregiver population are Māori.
Sampling frame: The sampling frame for the survey was the Ministry of Social Development operational database of caregivers receiving the OB and UCB. A number of caregivers were excluded from the survey, these were people who were flagged for management by a specific staff member, or who did not have usable contact details recorded. After these exclusions, there were approximately 270 caregivers receiving the OB and 10,980 caregivers receiving the UCB eligible to participate in the survey.
The database from the Ministry of Social Development contained contact details of caregivers receiving the OB and the UCB, which enabled us to mail letters and to phone caregivers.
Sample selection: All caregivers receiving the OB were invited to participate in the survey by letter. They were then contacted by phone interviewers. A sample of caregivers receiving the UCB, stratified by ethnicity, was selected, as summarised in the following table. All Pacific caregivers and a random sample of 2,120 the remaining caregivers, Māori and non-Māori, were sent a pre-notification letter. The Māori and non-Māori groups were similar in size.
Key Results
What is the current financial situation of OB caregivers?
- For caregivers on lower household incomes of $43,000 or less, 45% stated their income was insufficient to cover everyday necessities
- Just over one in three (35%) caregivers said their care role has affected their paid work situation. This is mainly due to reduced paid work hours, taking time off to care for the child, and resigning from a job.
- Around one in four (27%) caregivers also shared that their housing and living situation has been impacted by caring for the child.
How effective is the OB?
- Caregivers are divided on whether the OB is enough to pay for the costs of caring for the nominated child with 43% stating it is enough and 53% state it is not enough.
- Regardless, most (88%) caregivers stated they use some of their own money to cover the costs of raising the nominated child.
What support do OB caregivers need to care for their child?
- Most (83%) caregivers needed some type of support in the last 12 months to care for their child. The top five support needs related to education and schooling (51%), the child’s mental and emotional health (46%), the child’s behaviour (36%), general health conditions (33%) and transport (33%).
Unsupported Child’s Benefit findings
What is the current financial situation of UCB caregivers?
- While over half of all caregivers (59%) agree they have enough money to care for the children in their home, income level plays a strong role in a caregiver’s ability to cope financially.
- Around six in ten (59%) caregivers with an income of $30,000 or less disagree or have mixed feelings about whether the money is sufficient to care for the children. Likewise, 64% of caregivers in this low-income group report that their total income is not enough to meet every-day needs like accommodation, food, and clothing.
- A further 61% of carers reported that they use ‘a lot’ or ‘quite a lot’ of their own money to supplement what they receive from the Ministry of Social Development in covering the costs of raising the child.
How effective is the UCB?
- Half (50%) of caregivers shared that the UCB does not cover the costs of caring for the child.
- This rises to 60% for those with a household income of $30,000 and below.
What support do UCB caregivers need to care for their child?
- Most (80%) caregivers needed some type of support in the last 12 months to care for their child. The top five support needs related to education and schooling (47%), the child’s mental and emotional health (39%), the child’s behaviour (38%), general health conditions (32%) and learning disabilities (31%).