Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme - More Than One Admittance

The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme has rules that applicants should be aware of when making an application. Today we look at what happens when a person spent time in more than one institution, or left and returned to the same institution. 

Admittance to an institution on more than one occasion happened to many people for a variety of reasons.  

Where this occurred, it is important that you are aware of what information is required when preparing and submitting an application. 

1. You only need to submit a single application 

Whether an applicant entered a Mother and Baby or County Home as mother or child on more than one occasion, or whether you entered an institution as a child then later as a mother you only need to submit one application.  

In Section 2.2.1 of the application you should note the name of all the institutions that you were in and the date that you entered and left (if you do not know these dates give as best an estimation of the dates that you were in the institutions). 

It is important to remember that you cannot submit more than one application to the Payment Scheme. 

2. Calculating the number of days spent in institutions (if you were in an Institution as both a child and a mother). 

Where an applicant was in an institution as a child and a mother this total payment entitlement will be calculated based on two separate periods of residence. This means that the total will be based on the number of days that you were in an institution as a child and then the number of days that you were in an institution as a mother. The payment will be made in one single transaction from the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme for all periods spent in institutions. The following example is given by the Irish Government as to how payments will be calculated:

Patricia lives in Stoke. She spent time in Árd Mhuire, Dunboyne as a child and St. Patrick’s/Pelletstown, Navan Road as a mother. She applies for a General Payment and an Enhanced Medical Card.  

A record search shows that Patricia was in Árd Mhuire as a child from 25 June 1964 until 30 January 1965 and in St Patrick’s/Pelletstown as a mother from 5 July 1989 until 25 July 1989.  

Therefore, she spent 220 days in Árd Mhuire as a child and 21 days in St Patrick’s/Pelletstown as a mother.  

As there are different eligibility criteria for the financial payments under the Payment Scheme, the periods of time spent as a child and as a mother are treated separately when calculating the General Payment. Therefore, Patricia is entitled to €12,500 for the time she spent in Árd Mhuire as a child and  

€5,000 for the time she spent in St Patrick’s/Pelletstown as a mother.  

The periods of time spent in institutions as a child and as a mother can be added together to calculate entitlement to health supports. In this case Patricia has a total of 241 days and is eligible for the €3,000 Health Support Payment*  

*Health Support Payments are only available for people living outside the Republic of Ireland. If you are living in Ireland please see information on the Enhanced Medical Card.

Only one application can be made to the Payment Scheme*. Therefore it is important that an applicant lists all the institutions that they were in, so that they can be included in any decision. 

3. Temporary Absence from an Institution 

People may have left an institution, for example, to be admitted to hospital. If the absence from the institution was for less than 180 days this should not be taken into account by the decision maker when calculating the total of days spent in an institution. One important caveat to this is that the applicant has to have left and returned to the same institution. If an applicant left one institution and then re-entered a different institution within 180 days, this will not be treated as continuous. 

The Payment Scheme advises that there is no need to declare Temporary Absences of less than 180 days. 

Please see the following examples:

Example 1; John lives in Huddersfield. He was born in Saint Vincent's County Home, Offaly 02/04/1953. On 02/04/1954 he was admitted to hospital for a period of 90 days (three months) and discharged on 01/07/1954 where he returned to Saint Vincent’s and lived there for a further seven months. He left 01/02/1955.  

When calculating the total number of days that John was in Saint Vincent's the 90 days (3 months) that he was in hospital should be disregarded and his award be based on the date that he entered the institution and finally left there. This would equal a total of 670 days and which would equal an award of €23,750 (general payment). As he was in an Institution for more than 180 days in total he should also receive a €3,000 Health Support Payment* 

Example 2; Orla lives in Manchester. She was born on 1st September 1941 and she was boarded out with a family on 16th August 1943 (714 days). She was boarded out from 16th August 1943 to 15th June 1944 (304 days.) She was then returned to the home due to neglect where she stayed until 13th July 1945 (393 days).  

In this instance the total amount of payment that Orla would be entitled to would be based on her being in an institution from 1st September 1941 to 16th August 1943 and 15th June 1944 to 13th July 1945, a total of 1107 days. The period spent boarded out, 16th August 1943 to 15th June 1944, would not be part of the calculation as it is more that 180 days. 

This would total €25,000 plus a €3,000 Health Support Payment.  

These are general examples of how the Payment Scheme calculates entitlements for people who spent more than one period of time in an institution.

If you were a mother or child that spent time in a Mother and Baby Home and want further information on the Irish Government Mother and Baby and County Home Action plan, please contact Renewing Roots at renewingroots@frea.org.uk or 07432 138682 or see our website which also contains a list of County Homes. All our advice is free and confidential.