Press release
Minister Humphreys announces €2.3 million in Dormant Accounts Funding for Carers and People with Disabilities
From Department of Social Protection
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Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys TD has announced the provision of funding for 17 projects to support and improve employment (including self-employment) opportunities for carers and people with disabilities.
The 17 projects will receive funding in excess of €2.3 million.
The funding is part of the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2021 and is administered by the Department of Social Protection in conjunction with Pobal.
Among the projects approved include:
- ChildVision - €196,955: To fund a Pathways to Employment project which will provide a package of specialist supports for young adults aged 18-25 with Multiple Disability and Vision Impairment.
- Irish Deaf Society - €199,941: To fund the Irish Deaf Society’s project proposal that seeks to empower deaf job seekers and employees to engage actively in their own career progression by providing resources, guidance and supports.
- Family Carers Ireland - €199,815: To identify and support current and former family carers engaging in employment activation and/or education. The project will also include new digital resources for those supporting young carers.
- NCBI (National Council for The Blind) Group - €200,000: To fund a contribution to the roll-out of the *VisAble project. This will offer learners nationwide who are blind or vision impaired an accredited pathway to employment and further educational and training opportunities.
- The Open Doors Initiative - €200,000: To fund a Creation of Pathways to employment and entrepreneurship for people with disabilities project.
On approving the recommended 17 projects, Minister Humphreys commented:
“Within my Department, funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund has been used for a number of years to support projects that promote training and supports for family carers. I am delighted to extend this funding to help improve the employment prospects of people with disabilities.”
The Minister added:
“The impact of COVID-19 this year has made it one of the most challenging for everyone and I know it has been particularly tough on carers and people with disabilities.
“The call-out for a request for funding resulted in high quality projects and initiatives being submitted by organisations around the country with a proven track record of providing services to carers and people with a disability.
“I know that this funding will go a huge away in assisting our carers and people with disabilities in availing of employment opportunities.”
Following the announcement of the funding, Brian Allen, Chief Executive of ChildVision, one of the project beneficiaries, explained the impact this would have for the older students of the service:
“The provision of employment specialists for young people with multiple disabilities and vision impairment will give our young people the support they need to transition back successfully into their communities when they leave our service.
“These supports have never been in place for young people with sight loss and additional disabilities, meaning skills and life goals attained during their time in ChildVision don't translate once they leave us.
“Now, thanks to this funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund and Pobal, the young people will have a greater chance at a meaningful life of purposeful, assisted work.”
The projects funded under the carer’s measure will enable carers to upskill and access a variety of supports so that they can enhance both their employment opportunities and training and education opportunities while continuing in their role as a carer.
Pobal will manage the process on behalf of the Department, including payment, contract management, performance monitoring, and beneficiary support and auditing. Funding will be provided to the successful applicants from 1st January 2021 to 30th June 2022.
There were three measures under which organisations were considered for funding:
- Measure 1: Access to employment, self-employment and training/education supports for family carers
- Measure 2: Initiatives to support and develop young carers
- Measure 3: Access to employment and self-employment for people with a disability
Pobal is a not-for-profit intermediary organisation that manages various funding programmes on behalf of the Irish Government and the EU.
The Dormant Accounts Acts 2001-2012, together with the Unclaimed Life Assurance Policies Act 2003, provide a framework for the administration of unclaimed accounts in credit institutions (i.e. banks, building societies and An Post) and unclaimed life assurance policies in insurance undertakings.
The main purpose of the legislation is to reunite account or policy holders with their funds in credit institutions or insurance undertakings and in this regard, these bodies are required to take steps to identify and contact the owners of dormant accounts and unclaimed life assurance policies.
In order to utilise the unused funds in dormant accounts and unclaimed policies to best use, the legislation also introduced a scheme for the disbursement of funds that are unlikely to be reclaimed from dormant accounts and unclaimed policies for the purposes of measures to assist:
- the personal and social development of people who are economically or socially disadvantaged;
- the educational development of people who are educationally disadvantaged; or
- people with a disability.
The main income supports provided by the Department of Social Protection are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. The total estimated expenditure on these schemes for 2020 is in excess of €1.3 billion.
List of Projects Approved for Funding Under Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2020 - 201222
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