Commentary on Sections Direct payments Section 58: Direct payments in respect of children
283.Section 58 deals with direct payments in respect of children. It substitutes a new section 17A in the Children Act 1989.
284.Within the revised section 17A of the Children Act 1989:subsection (1) enables regulations to make provision for and in connection with requiring or authorising a local authority to make a direct payment to an individual who fulfils the requirements of the scheme and agrees to be part of it.
285.Subsection (2) specifies the persons to whom a direct payment may be made. These persons are: a person with parental responsibility for a disabled child; a disabled person with parental responsibility for a child; and a disabled 16 or 17 year old. It also specifies that the local authority must have decided for the purposes of section 17 of the Children Act 1989 that the needs of the child in question call for them to provide services.
286.Subsection (3) provides that section 57(3) to (5) and (7) of this Act apply in relation to regulations under the revised section 17A.
287.Subsection (4) provides that regulations under this section must specify that direct payments to the categories of people that this subsection applies to are to be gross payments with no contribution being required from them (see subsection (5)).
288.Subsection (5) specifies the persons from whom a contribution may not be required. They are: a person with parental responsibility for a disabled child, or a disabled person with parental responsibility for a child, where the child is aged 16 or 17; or a person who is in receipt of income support, working families’ tax credit or a disabled person’s tax credit under Part 7 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 or of an income-based jobseeker’s allowance.
289.Subsection (6) defines “disabled” in relation to an adult by reference to the meaning given by section 17(11) of the Children Act 1989 in relation to a child.