Tag: Additional Child Care Subsidy

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ACCS CCS Eligibility

Establishing Eligibility for ACCS Child Wellbeing

Establishing eligibility for ACCS child wellbeing

If you identify a child at risk of serious abuse or neglect at your service, they may be eligible for Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) child wellbeing.

Unlike other subsidies, providers apply on behalf of a family. There are important steps to take to ensure the family can get the subsidy. Families may miss out on payments if they delay claiming CCS or are not aware of the immunisation requirements.

CCS eligibility

Families can only get ACCS child wellbeing once they’ve:

  • lodged a CCS claim, and
  • been assessed as CCS eligible.

Services Australia can only backdate payments up to 28 days before the family lodged their successful claim. Families can lodge a CCS claim via their Centrelink online account.

Immunisation requirements

Children must meet immunisation requirements to be eligible for CCS. If a child does not meet the immunisation requirements, the claim will not be approved. The family will need to make a new claim once the child has met the immunisation requirements.

When to use a Provider Eligible Arrangement

In the rare case that you cannot identify a CCS-eligible parent or carer, you – the provider – may be able to get the subsidy on behalf of the child. This is known as a provider eligible arrangement or ‘PEA’. A PEA enables Services Australia to pay the subsidy directly to you. It can only be used in very limited circumstances.

Find detailed guidance about establishing eligibility for ACCS child wellbeing on our website.

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ACCS

Understand Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS)

The Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) provides extra help with fees to families facing barriers to child care. ACCS will usually cover all of a child’s child care fees.

Types of ACCS

There are four categories of funding:

  • child wellbeing is for families who need practical help to support their child’s safety and wellbeing
  • grandparent is for grandparents on income support, who are the primary carer of their grandchild
  • temporary financial hardship is for families experiencing significant financial stress
  • transition to work is for parents or carers transitioning to work from income support.

Eligibility for ACCS

To get ACCS, a family must:

  • be eligible for Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
  • meet other criteria depending on the category.

How to apply for ACCS

Families can apply for CCS and ACCS at the same time.

Families can apply for the following subsidies through Centrelink:

  • grandparent
  • temporary financial hardship
  • transition to work.

Providers apply for the child wellbeing subsidy on behalf of families.

ACCS amount

The amount of ACCS a family can get depends on the category they’re eligible for.

ACCS is paid to providers to pass on to families as a fee reduction.

To estimate how much you can get please refer to the Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) section in the Childcare Subsidy Calculator. Once you enter all the informaton in your ACCS amount will be displayed under the Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) section.

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CCS News

$10,000 ECEC Flood Support Payment for Services in Flood-affected Regions

The Australian Government has announced a $10,000 ECEC Flood Support Payment for services in flood-affected regions that close for more than 7 days.

The Government is providing extra support during LAEs between 23 February and 30 June 2022. Services and families in LAE-declared regions can access the support measures below.

Support payments

ECEC Flood Support Payments of $10,000 are available to services in flood-affected regions that close for more than 7 days due to flooding. If your service is located in an eligible region, you will receive an offer before 18 March. Services must meet the following conditions to be eligible for the payment:

  • be located in an LAE-declared region after 23 February
  • close for more than 7 days due to flooding – this could be due to physical damage to buildings, staff shortages or school closures
  • waive the gap fee for families for the duration of the flood-related closure
  • agree to provide priority access to families impacted by flooding, for example if a family relocates temporarily but wishes to resume their enrolment in the future.

Services that need further support can apply for a Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) Special Circumstances grant. Applicants should apply for a CCCF grant after an event has occurred and they have accessed other disaster support.

Absences

Children who live, or attend a service, in an LAE-declared region will get extra allowable absences for the duration of the LAE. They will be automatically applied in the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) System shortly.

This means families won’t have to use any of their 52 allowable absences during the LAE.

Gap fees

Services in an LAE-declared region can waive the gap fee if a child does not attend, or the service is closed.

Services outside an LAE-declared region can waive the gap fee if a child that lives within an LAE-declared region does not attend care.

Financial support for families

Affected families may be eligible for extra help with the cost of child care through the Additional Child Care Subsidy (temporary financial hardship). Families must apply directly to Centrelink.

Other support

The Australian Government provides payments and help for people affected by natural disasters. Find out if you’re eligible for support on the Services Australia website.

The NSW and Queensland Governments have support for individuals and businesses impacted by a natural disaster. Find out if you’re eligible for support on your state government website: