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.
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, Skills and Employment. This will involve us contacting you or the family for further information.
- To determine eligibility, a Family and Service Facilitator will be in contact with you and/or the family to develop a Family Management Plan, as well as collect support documentation. Support documentation will help demonstrate the families eligibility to the program . 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 refer the family to In Home Care service providers with a suitable educators 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?
Which families are eligible for In Home Care?
Who can refer a family to the In Home Care Support Agency?
Is In Home Care full time or part time or both?
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?
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?
Can the In Home Care Support Agency liaise with other professionals helping the family?
Resources
In Home Care Guidelines
The guidelines that govern the IHC program.
In Home Care Handbook
The operational policy for the IHC program.
Referral agencies Brochure
Could In Home Child Care be a solution for families you work with?