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Jobseeker Support : Contents

Caring for a child or foster child with special needs

This exemption may apply to:

  • partners and sole parent clients with work obligations
  • all clients with work preparation obligations (including those who have a deferral from their work obligations)

A client can be exempt from some or all of their or work or work preparation obligations if they are:

who has special needs and whose welfare would be unduly harmed if the client attended employment or training, and for whom alternative care arrangements are not available, or are unable to be made.

This means the child must have 1 or more of the following:

  • physical or intellectual disability
  • a medical condition
  • a chronic or recurring illness
  • a learning or behavioural difficulty and
  • be unable to attend school on a regular basis

or

  • be a foster child, aged 3 years or older, who is adjusting to a placement with a new foster carer

This can be a full or partial exemption.

Foster child is under 3 years

A client may also be exempt from some of their work obligations if they are caring for a foster child under the age of 3 years.

Evidence

The client must provide written evidence from a registered medical practitioner or nurse practitioner, psychologist, or social worker stating:

  • what the child's illness is and its likely duration or
  • an assessment of the child's behavioural difficulty or
  • the need for full-time care and
  • the risk to the child if the client has work or work preparation obligations and
  • that the child is unable to attend school

Note MSD should also consider eligibility to Child Disability Allowance. However, a child getting Child Disability Allowance does not guarantee the client or their partner will meet the criteria for this exemption.

Duration

This exemption can be granted for up to 12 months.

This exemption should then be reviewed.

At the review MSD should consider the client's circumstances and whether it is appropriate to extend the exemption. MSD can ask the client to provide evidence that the exemption should be extended.

For more information see:

Legislation

  • Exemption from work-preparation obligations regulation 100 Social Security Regulations 2018
  • Exemption from work-test obligations: work-tested spouses or partners regulation 102 Social Security Regulations 2018
  • Exemption from work-test obligations: work-tested sole parents receiving jobseeker support regulation 103 Social Security Regulations 2018
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A person with an intellectual disability has intellectual functioning significantly below average. They may also have limitations with their behaviour (either behavioural problems or difficulty with managing day to day tasks or both).

An intellectual disability is not an illness or a disease and there may be various causes, for example; genetic, chromosomal abnormality or injury. One example of intellectual disability is Down Syndrome.

A psychologist is a health practitioner who is registered under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 and with the New Zealand Psychologists Board. Psychologists are concerned with the study of behaviour.

Psychologists must be listed on the New Zealand Psychologists Board's Register and hold a current practising certificate.

Psychology is a broad field of practice and research which applies psychological principles to:

A medical practitioner is commonly referred to as a doctor. Medical practitioners are health practitioners who are registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand as practitioners of the profession of medicine and hold a current practising certificate.

All medical practitioners have a unique identifying number called a Health Practitioners Index number (HPI number).

Medical practitioners don't need to have completed their training in New Zealand but must be registered with the New Zealand ...

For the purposes of exemptions from work or work preparation obligations for:

a foster child means a child placed in a person's charge under section 362 of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.

Legislation

Nurse practitioners are health practitioners who are registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand and hold a current annual practising certificate.

Nurse practitioners are expert or specialist nurses with advanced education, clinical training and experience. They have demonstrated clinical competence and have the legal authority to practice as independent healthcare providers.

All nurse practitioners have a unique identifying number called a Health Practitioners Index number (HPI number).

Some nurse practitioners have specialised ...