What assessment has been made of the impact on a household with a child or young person with cancer who on average experience 7-month wait and nearly £5000 in additional costs before receiving a decision on their benefits application, as per Young Lives vs Cancers research, The Cost of Waiting?
Welfare benefits, including Disability Living Allowance for Children, are a matter for the UK Government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
While NHS Wales services are not routinely involved in providing information to DWP, they do undertake holistic needs assessment for people newly diagnosed with cancer, including children and young people. This includes consideration of the financial impact of dealing with a diagnosis and making a referral to organisations, such as the Welsh Government’s Single Advice Fund providers, who will advise and support people through the disability benefit application processes.
My officials will be meeting with Young Lives vs Cancer to discuss the findings in its research in further detail and will raise concerns with DWP if its disability benefit administration processes are having a detrimental effect on young people living with cancer. They will also consider how we can encourage more effective joint working between services to ensure young people living with cancer and their families access financial and other support in a timely manner.
A four-nation Inter-Ministerial Group on Work and Pensions is being set up, which will give me the opportunity to make representation to DWP Ministers on social security issues, such as the assessment of applications for disability benefits and the wider implications for people if they face a prolonged wait for a decision on their application.