Useful Information

Child Care Information

Carers are NOT expected to cover childcare (where part of approved case plan)

Agreement to pay for childcare must be obtained from DoCS and included in the child’s approved case plan prior to payment of any invoices. This includes children in Statutory Care and Supported Care arrangements with relative and kinship carers.

Any request from an Authorised Carer for a child in Statutory OOHC to attend full time childcare must be reviewed / approved by the Regional Director (or their delegate) to ensure that this is in the child’s best interests.

All Carers should apply to Centrelink for the Commonwealth Child Care Benefit (CCB). The following process should be followed for carers to claim the CCB and for DoCS to pay the balance of child care fees directly to child care centres:

1. DoCS are to approve a child’s attendance at a nominated child care centre for a specified number of hours/days
2. The Carer must be informed that DoCS will assist with the costs by paying the 'gap‘ between the CCB and the full child care fees on their behalf
3. The Carer enrols the child at the centre, accepts liability for costs, and arranges to be invoiced directly by the centre
4. The Carer completes the application for CCB at Centrelink, acknowledges they are liable for the costs and provides DoCS with a copy of the receipt for lodgement
5. Once the Carer is invoiced by the child care centre, the invoice is sent to DoCS, either by the centre or the Carer, depending on the individual arrangement
6. DoCS pays the invoiced amount directly to the child care centre