Financial equity between foster families and parents of disabled children - The parties state their positions

Despite devoting three days of the electoral campaign to this question, commitments are still incomplete

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MONTREAL, Sept. 26, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Fueled by the success of their campaign to rally support, which collected nearly 40,000 signatures, Parents jusqu'au bout! and L'Étoile de Pacho - a support network for the parents of disabled children - called upon the leaders of the four parties represented in the National Assembly to state their positions on the eve of the election regarding financial equity between foster families and the parents of disabled children.

"Are you committed to adjusting and improving the financial aid program for the parents of disabled children, based on the severity of the child's limitations, in order to establish financial equity between the assistance provided to natural families and that provided to foster families?" 

Question submitted on August 9, 2018

With voting day approaching, it is now possible to compare the parties' responses and commitments, as described in the attached table. Before making any commitments, all parties were informed in advance that the parents of a child with a disability receive on average 70% less in government assistance than a foster family to provide care for the same child. This figure was revealed in a recent study [in French only] by Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, which also found that the gap had widened between 2016 and 2018, hence the urgent need for action.

Formal but incomplete commitments

"Our efforts have borne fruit, given that the four parties have made formal commitments, but they show that major efforts are still needed to complete, improve or adjust the promises made. While we are pleased that the problem of financial inequity has been recognized, no party has taken the same approach or proposed the same methods to rectify the problem," said Nathalie Richard, founder and executive director of L'Étoile de Pacho.

"We would like to thank all four parties for placing importance on persons with disabilities during the campaign. On behalf of the 36,000 disabled children and their families, our two organizations promise to continue this campaign even more energetically, with the aim of achieving financial equity between natural families and foster families, beyond October 1," added Marie-Ève Tétreault, Spokesperson of Parents jusqu'au bout!

About Parents jusqu'au bout!
In February 2015, Parents jusqu'au bout! was created to promote financial equity between the natural families of severely disabled children and foster families that receive government compensation to provide care for these children. www.parentsjusquaubout.com [in French only]

About L'Étoile de Pacho - A support network for parents of disabled children
A community organization founded in July 2013 in Montreal, it consists of a team of mothers with disabled children who provide peer support to parents whose children have just received a diagnosis of severe disability. The parents of severely disabled children up to age 18 who are dealing with difficult situations that result in psychological distress and precarious financial circumstances are entitled to receive specific assistance, at no cost, through one of three support programs. L'Étoile de Pacho has a mission to create favourable conditions for the parents of these children by providing services and tools to support the adaptation process, empowering them and thereby encouraging social inclusion. www.etoiledepacho.ca [in French only]

Summary table listing the commitments of the main Quebec political parties in support of children with disabilities and their families within the context of the 2018 electoral campaign

On August 9, 2018, the leaders of the four main parties were asked: Are you committed to adjusting and improving the financial aid program for the parents of disabled children, based on the severity of their child's limitations, in order to establish financial equity between the assistance provided to natural families and that provided to foster families?
Liberal Party of Quebec	Coalition Avenir Québec	Parti Québécois	Québec Solidaire
August 31, 2018 (news conference)   Pledges to: SEHNSE: support 10, 000 more children through an intermediate assistance program; provide 1,000 additional spots in day centres for the disabled (no mention of a specific allocation for disabled children); create 2,000 additional spots in respite care for the disabled (no mention of a specific allocation for disabled children) (with players across the network, in each region); 1,800 families awaiting support will qualify for the family support program. All eligible families will receive about $300 more per year; Value: $70 M (including basic income when children reach age 18).	September 6, 2018 (news conference)   Pledges to: rebalance the assistance paid to natural families with that for foster families for children with minor and major disabilities; SEHNSE: add $22 M annually; adjust assistance based on the severity of the child's disability.	September 23, 2018 (news conference)   Pledges to: increase annual support by $24 M with the aim of progressing towards service equity in all regions. Admissible families would be able to count on professional services such as respite, urgent relief, childcare, information, or psychological support; increase funding for home care for all those with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder or a disability, of at least $100 M per year over five years (i.e.: $500 M in the end).	August 22, 2018 (letter)   Pledges to: adjust and improve the financial aid program for the parents of disabled children based on the severity of their child's disability, in order to establish equity between the assistance provided to natural families and that received by foster families; No reference as to budget.

SOURCE Parents jusqu’au bout!

Frédérick Truchon-Gagnon, NATIONAL Public Relations, [email protected], W: 514-843-2349, C: 438-350-1001