Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Policy responsibility for adult safeguarding falls under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Health.  Officials in my Department’s Safeguarding Unit liaise with the HSE’s Safeguarding Protection Team as necessary where concerns arise of financial abuse for social welfare customers or concerns about the their being taken advantage of financially.  My Department’s officials  also engage constructively with their counterparts in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Decision Support Service in preparing for the commencement of the Assisted Decision-Making Capacity Act, particularly in relation to areas of overlap with the remit of my Department. 

In January 2020, my Department established a dedicated Safeguarding Unit which acts promptly on reports received of alleged abuse of social welfare payments.  The Unit liaises as necessary with the Department’s scheme areas and Inspectorate, consulting and involving, as appropriate, relevant agencies such as the Health Service Executive, An Garda Síochána or Advocacy groups.   

Since 2007, as part of the application process for state pensions, qualified adults have the option to receive direct payment of the increase for a qualified adult payment.  The increase is paid directly to the applicant's dependent spouse, civil-partner or cohabitant, by a payment method of their choice, or to a person nominated by the qualified adult.

For all schemes across my Department, arrangements to pay qualified adults separately are arranged by the scheme area on request by the customer.  Separate payments are mostly requested where a qualified adult might otherwise have no other form of income, in particular in circumstances where concerns of financial abuse or financial hardship are brought to the Department’s attention. 

Any concerns of financial abuse or financial hardship may also be notified to the Safeguarding Unit for direct follow up, by emailing SafeGuarding@welfare.ie; or by calling 071-9193259; or by writing to: the Safeguarding Unit, Department of Social Protection, Social Welfare Services, College Road, Sligo F91 T384.