SWA - Back to School Clothing and Footwear Scheme

Table of Contents

PART 1 ENTITLEMENT
Description of Scheme
Qualifying Conditions
Assessable income
Special Categories
Disqualifications
Rates Structure

PART 2: APPLICATION, ASSESSMENT AND DECISION PROCEDURES

Annex: QUALIFYING PAYMENTS
Social Insurance Payments
Social Assistance payments
Other payments

PART 1: ENTITLEMENT

Description of Scheme

The purpose of the Back to School Clothing and Footwear scheme is to assist families on social welfare and health service executive payments towards the cost of uniforms and footwear for children who are attending school. The scheme operates from 1 June to 30 September.

Full details relating to scheme criteria, including the application process and the rates of payment will be available before the start of the scheme in June 2012.

Qualifying Conditions

1. The allowance is paid in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 (i.e., children of preschool to Secondary school age) and eligible children between the ages of 18 and 22 (i.e., those in full-time education);
2. a qualified child allowance must be in payment to the applicant in respect of the child;
3. the applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment as listed in Annex A;
4. the assessable income for the household must be within a set income limit. (See Information Leaflet SW 75 for current limits)
5. the applicant must be resident in the state
6. the child(ren) must be resident in the state

Assessable income

Household income is assessable in accordance with the guidelines on means set out in the " Assessment of Means for SWA" separate guideline. There are a number of exceptions to these rules for the purposes of the Back to School Clothing & Footwear Scheme, as follows:

1. any income received in the form of Family Income Supplement (FIS) is not assessable. However, income from earnings should be assessed under normal SWA rules;
2. income received by way of Higher Level Education grants is not assessable;
3. with regard to earnings from employment of a rehabilitative nature, €120 of such earnings is disregarded for the purposes of the Back to School Clothing & Footwear scheme.

SPECIAL CATEGORIES

Participants on work schemes such as Back to Work Enterprise (self employment) scheme, Back to Work (Employees), Community Employment, Job Initiative, Community Services Programme (formerly Social Economy Programme (Grant Aided Employees)), Rural Social Scheme and Revenue Job Assist are eligible to receive Back to School, Clothing and Footwear Allowance provided that their gross household income does not exceed €317.43 per week. Participants on Workplace and Home-Help are also eligible to receive the allowance.

Guardians

Entitlement has been extended to include recipients of Guardian's Payment (Contributory)/Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory) (June 2006).

Maternity Benefit and Adoptive Benefit

The scheme has being extended from June 2007 to those getting Maternity Benefit and Adoptive Benefit subject to the other conditions of the scheme being met.

Disqualifications

Foster children
The financial support available to foster parents from the Department of Health and Children includes assistance with the cost of clothing and footwear for the foster child. Accordingly they will not be eligible for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear allowance.

Rates Structure

There are two rates of payment and are age related e.g. 2012 rates are:

€150 for each child aged 4-11 on or before 30th September 2012

€250 for each child aged 12-22 on or before 30th September 2012.

The rates are set out in the information leaflet on Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance SW 75 and Rates of Payment booklet SW 19.

PART 2: APPLICATION, ASSESSMENT AND DECISION PROCEDURES

See this section in " Supplementary Welfare Allowance" guideline.

ANNEX A - Qualifying Payments for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Scheme

Social Insurance Payments

1. Deserted Wife's Benefit
2. Illness Benefit
3. Disablement Benefit
4. Carer's Benefit
5. Health and Safety Benefit
6. Invalidity Pension
7. Occupational Injuries Benefit
8. State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Transition)
9. Incapacity Supplement
10. Jobseeker's Benefit
11. Widow's/Widower's Contributory Pension
12. Guardian's Payment (Contributory)
13. Maternity Benefit
14. Adoptive Benefit

Social Assistance Payments

15. Blind Person's Pension
16. Carer's Allowance
17. Deserted Wife's Allowance
18. Disability Allowance (incorporates the former DPMA)
19. Family Income Supplement.
20. Farm Assist
21. Lone Parent's Allowance
22. State Pension (Non-Contributory)
23. One-Parent Family Payment
24. Pre-Retirement Allowance
25. Prisoner's Wife's Allowance
26. Supplementary Welfare Allowance
27. Jobseeker's Allowance
28. Widow's Non-Contributory Pension
29. Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory)

Other Payments

30. Disabled Person's Rehabilitative Allowance
31. Infectious Diseases Maintenance Allowance
32. Pensions paid by the Department of Social Security (DSS), U.K.
33. Participants on approved employment schemes such as Back to Work Enterprise (self employment) scheme, Community Employment, Back to Work (Employees), Revenue Job Assist, Community Services Programme
    (formerly Social Economy Programme (Grant Aided Employees)) Rural Social Scheme and Job Initiative.
34. Participants on a recognised education and training course such as Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) or Back to Education Programme.
35. Participants on non-craft, full-time, FS training schemes.