Child Disability Payment decision making guide
Further enquiries after the applicant has stated that they do not have parental rights and responsibilities or has left the question unanswered
If the applicant stated that they do not have parental rights and responsibilities, or they left the question unanswered, then the case manager must contact them to confirm:
- they understood the question
- their answer to the question.
If the applicant’s answer is that they do not have parental rights and responsibilities for the child, then the case manager should follow the section of the guidance titled ‘the applicant does not appear to have parental rights and responsibilities’.
If, after discussing the question with the case manager, the applicant’s answer is that they do have parental rights and responsibilities, the case manager must decide if they can be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the applicant has parental rights and responsibilities. If the case manager is satisfied then the child responsibility check is complete. If the case manager is not satisfied, then they must ask the applicant for supporting information.
Toni applies for CDP on behalf of Otis, who is six years old. They state on the application form that they do not have parental rights and responsibilities for Otis. After doing the checks, the case manager sees that the address of Toni and Otis do match and there is a record of Toni receiving a Best Start Grant for Otis. The case manager contacts Toni to discuss their relationship to the child and why Toni has stated that they do not have parental rights and responsibilities. Toni explains that they are the child’s parent, but they did not know if they had parental rights or responsibilities and they filled in that part of the application in a hurry. After speaking with Toni, the case manager is satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Toni has parental rights and responsibilities. The case manager does not ask to see supporting information. The child responsibility check is complete.