By Lloyd Burr
The Government has refused to pick up the tab for an autism centre in Waikato, forcing it to close and denying hundreds of frequent users a service no other organisation in the region can provide.
The Waikato branch of Autism New Zealand has closed its doors after their financial reserves dried up and the Government decided not to help with funding.
Autism NZ was established in the mid-90s and relies on Government funding for some national services, but regional branches have to find their own funding - which in the past has included money from the Government.
Autism NZ chief executive Alison Molloy says the application to the Ministry of Social Development for funding for the Waikato branch was turned down because "the eligibility criteria exclude health-focussed services" and Autism NZ, which is classed as health-focussed, was no longer eligible.
"Autism NZ is a health-focussed service but we would argue that it’s more than just health, that it’s social, education, justice, employment," she says.
“Their criteria were such that we believed we fitted into the social services criteria and they didn’t agree.”
The Labour Party calls the situation a “crisis in funding for people with autism and their families”, with health spokesperson Grant Robertson saying it “raises serious questions about the priorities of the National-led government”.
It is not clear which Government department should cover the funding gap, with both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Development confused by who should pick up the tab.
The Ministry of Social Development’s Family and Community Services deputy chief executive Richard Wood says “the majority of [Autism NZ’s] funding comes from the Ministry of Health or District Health Boards for service provision”, and the Ministry of Social Development does not fund Autism NZ “for the provision of critical social services”
But Associate Minister of Health and Minister for Disability Issues Tariana Turia says “the Ministry of Health does not fund the infrastructure” of Autism NZ, but does have contracts with them which support their services.
The issue of where autism sits with regards to Government support is an ongoing one, Ms Molloy says.
“Autism certainly sits under the disabilities support services team in the Ministry of Health, but it is not a mental health issue and it’s not a physical disability.
“Where autism sits in the world of priorities for Government, given that there are 40,000 people on the spectrum, is a debate worth having in my view. Where it actually sits at the moment is problematic”.
Mr Robertson says the agency is “being told that they don’t fit Social Development funding parameters, yet they are limited as to what resources are available from the Health sector ".
“The Government has budgeted $5 million for autism support this year – that amounts to little more than $120 per person with autism in New Zealand.”
This “problematic” situation means that regional branches of Autism NZ must fund themselves entirely through donations, a task that Ms Molloy says is also challenging, especially during tough financial times.
She says the Ministry of Social Development's decision to remove funding from the Waikato branch - after providing support for the last two years - meant the branch had to close its doors.
Mr Wood says Autism NZ’s Waikato branch “did receive funding under the first round of the Community Response Fund” but at the end of the last financial year “their application was unsuccessful”.
Funding was declined “both because they are not an Ministry of Social Development-funded deliverer of a critical social service, but also because much of the funding they sought was to deliver services specifically for individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder”, Mr Wood says.
But the answers are not good enough for both Labour and the Green Party, who say it’s a “failure of the Government” to allow the branch to close down.
Green Party disability spokesperson Catherine Delahunty says “without urgent assistance, more regional support services of those with autism will be forced to close".
“The Government needs to step in and fund regional services and better support the national work of Autism New Zealand.”
Mr Robertson says it is “simply wrong for the Government to pull funding and leave these people to cope with no support”.
“We all know that bringing up children is an important and challenging role. For a parent of a child with autism there are huge demands, and that’s where services that provide essential support and advice, like Autism New Zealand, come in.
Ms Molloy says the people in Waikato will suffer.
“Raising a child with autism on a 24/7 basis can be very difficult and so it will be a layer of support that they no longer have which is really unfortunate.
“Families will be dependant on things like our 0800 number, which has very well qualified people behind it but isn’t the same as being able to ring someone who is close saying ‘my child is having a meltdown, what do I do?’”
Mr Robertson says “sadly that service is now at risk because of the government’s inconsistent priorities”.
Ms Molloy says the Government’s lack of understanding mirrors that of society.
“It’s the consequence of the lack of awareness of autism and the number of people with autism being relatively new, I mean, it’s mid-1990s we are talking.”
Both Labour and Green MPs have vowed to quiz the Government next week during question time to seek a solution to the issue.
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