How effective is conditional welfare support for enhancing child wellbeing? An examination of compulsory income management (welfare payment quarantining) in Australia. (December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Roche, Steven; Mendes, Philip; Marston, Greg; Peterie, Michelle; Bielefeld, Shelley; Staines, Zoe; Humpage, Louise
• Is Part Of: Children and youth services review. Volume 131(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-12
• Subjects: Income management -- Conditional welfare -- Cashless debit card -- Social policy -- Children -- Poverty; Social work with children -- Periodicals; Social work with youth -- Periodicals; Adolescent -- Periodicals; Child Welfare -- Periodicals; Social Work -- Periodicals; Service social aux enfants -- Périodiques; Service social à la jeunesse -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106254
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0190-7409

Abstract

Highlights: Compulsory income management (CIM) has minimal impact on children's wellbeing. CIM measures are poorly suited to addressing the needs of children. CIM fails to address the structural issues that impact children's wellbeing. Abstract: Conditional welfare, a social policy mechanism in which disadvantaged groups are required to conform to behavioural changes to receive income support, has become an influential policy mechanism in recent decades. Conditional welfare in Australia involves compulsory income management (CIM), comprising the quarantining of between 50 and 90 per cent of a participant's welfare payment for use on food, rent and other essential items. A major objective of all Australian income management (IM) programs since 2007 has been to enhance children's wellbeing by protecting them from harm caused by anti-social behaviour such as alcohol and drug abuse, and ensuring they have access to basic needs such as food, education and health care. To explore the outcomes of these objectives, this qualitative study explores the views of both compulsory and voluntary IM participants as well as community stakeholders in relation to child wellbeing in four IM locations across Australia. It finds minimal evidence to support the view that IM contributes to positive outcomes in children's welfare.