Supporting families needing In Home Care in NSW & SA

Refer a family

Are you a health or family professional working with families in special situations? If you know a family whose circumstances mean that existing education and care (child care) services cannot meet their needs, In Home Care may be the solution.

Maybe the family:

has a child who has an illness or disability?
has an adult member who has an illness or disability which affects their ability to care for their child?
lives in an area that is too far from other education and care services?
works hours that are outside normal childcare hours?

To be eligible for In Home Care a family must be eligible for Child Care Subsidy, and able to demonstrate that the other types of approved child care are not suitable or available and where:

parents or carers are working non-standard or variable hours, outside normal child care service hours
parents or carers are geographically isolated from other types of approved child care, particularly in rural or remote locations
the family has challenging or complex needs, including where families are experiencing challenging situations, and other approved child care services are not able to meet the needs of the child or the family.

Challenging or complex needs mean:

a child with additional needs or a disability whose early childhood education and care requirements cannot be catered for in another approved child care setting, or through other government funded or community-based services
a family where a parent is undergoing treatment for a serious illness
other complex family situations that prevent families from accessing other approved child care types.

Make a Referral Now

Referral Process

Once you have referred a family for In Home Care your referral will be assessed for In Home Care eligibility as determined by the Department of Education and Training. This may involve us contacting you or the family for further information.
Once the family has been determined to be eligible a Family and Service Facilitator will be in contact with you and/or the family to draw up a Family Management Plan. A Family Management Plan can help to identify the range of services, both in terms of In Home Care and other support services, required by the family.
The In Home Care Support Agency will work to find In Home Care service providers with a suitable educator to meet the family’s needs.
Care commences once an In Home Care educator has been placed with the family.
This process will be completed as quickly as possible but it can sometimes take time to find and match a suitable educator with a family.
The family will need to have a myGov account and ensure they are eligible for the new Child Care Subsidy. For more information about this click here.

FAQs

What is In Home Care?

In Home care is early education and care. It provides access to Government subsidised child care in the family home and is targeted to assist parents or carers who are unable to access other mainstream child care options. The focus of the educator working in the family home will always be delivering education and care for the children of the family.

Which families are eligible for In Home Care?

Families who are unable to access other mainstream child care options such as those who work non-standard hours, are geographically isolated or have families with challenging and complex needs, are eligible for In Home Care.

Who can refer a family to the In Home Care Support Agency?

Any professional worker who is connected to or is in contact with a family in need can refer – social workers, support group volunteers, early childhood nurses, hospital staff, GPs, teachers or other professionals working for family support agencies.

Is In Home Care full time or part time or both?

Both. An educator can work with a family as often as a family needs (and can afford). Generally educators would work a full day but they can be there for any number of days a week, depending on what a family needs.

Will the family be eligible for government childcare subsidies?

Being eligible for the new Child Care Subsidy is a prerequisite for entering the In Home Care program. To check on eligibility requirements click here.
The new Child Care Subsidy combines the previous child care benefits and rebates into one subsidy. Families are eligible for a Subsidy rate based on their family’s income, the hourly rate cap of $33.17 per hour for In Home Care and the hours of ‘activity’ (work/study/volunteering) the family undertakes. If the family earns under around $69,390 they may receive a subsidy of 85% of the hourly rate cap of $33.17. If they earn under $250,000 per annum they may receive a subsidy between 85% to 50% of the rate cap. For full details check here.

How much does In Home Care cost per family?

The cost of In Home Care is set by the individual educator. Generally it is somewhere between $20 and $55 per hour. The Child Care Subsidy that a family is eligible for is given directly to the service to reduce the ‘gap fee’ the family pays.

Are there any extra subsidies available?

Families may also be eligible for Additional Child Care Subsidies in special situations. These are top up payments in addition to the Child Care Subsidy. Find out more here.

How soon can an educator start with a family?

When a family has been referred and the family accepted into the In Home Care Program care can start in a matter of weeks as long as an appropriate educator is available. There is however, a limited number of places (3200 nationally) in the In Home Care program.

Will there be on-going support once a family has begun to receive care?

Initially, the educator is placed with the family for a three-month period. After this time the family is further assessed and the care can be extended. There will be an assessment to ensure a family remains eligible for In Home Care every quarter and the Family Management Plan will be updated at this stage.

Can the In Home Care Support Agency liaise with other professionals helping the family?

Yes. Our role is to advocate for the family. The In Home Care service provider and the educator working with the family can also liaise with all other professionals as required.