Question & Answer

We are discussing Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
With Deanne O'Keefe and Anne Clarke

Question:
What financial assistance does the Australian Government Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS) provide to grandparent carers and children in their care?

Answer:
Anne - The Australian Government makes a contribution to the well being of all children in grandparent care through FaCS, by:

• Providing a range of Australian Government payments for eligible grandparent carers and the children in their care including Family Tax Benefit, Age Pension, Carer Payment, Carer Allowance, Maternity Payment, Double Orphan Pension, and Child Care Benefit, including a recently announced package of increased child care support for grandparent carers;
• Providing all children living with grandparents with access to a concession card, including the non-income tested foster child Health Care Card;
• Treating state foster care allowances as outside the definition of taxable income for Family Tax Benefit and Child Care Benefit purposes; and
• Providing support to some young people leaving identified care arrangements, to help them make the transition to independent living, through the Transition to Independent Living Allowance (TILA).

Entitlement in each individual case will depend on meeting eligibility criteria, and any income or assets tests which may apply. Australian Government family assistance payments are available to all eligible Australian families, including grandparent carers, to assist with the costs of raising children.

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