RESOURCES
The Family Assistance Office
The Family Assistance Office provides payments and services to help with children’s education and health care.
Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is one type of payment that the Family Assistance Office provides. CCS helps with the cost of approved child care.
- CCS commenced on the 2nd July 2018.
- CCS replaced Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) with a single means-tested subsidy.
- CCS is generally paid directly to the child care provider and then passed onto families.
Some basic requirements must be satisfied for an individual to be eligible to receive CCS for a child. These include:
- The age of the child (must be aged 13 or under and not attending secondary school, except in certain circumstances where an individual may be eligible for a child who does not meet this criteria, such as children with a disability or medical condition in certain circumstances)
- The child meeting immunisation requirements.
- The individual, or their partner, meeting the residency requirements listed in the legislation.
There are three factors that determine a family’s level of Child Care Subsidy. These are:
- Combined annual family income
- Activity test– the activity level of both parents
- Service type– type of child care service and whether the child attends school
To claim for CCS you need to complete an assessment online using your Centrelink online account through MyGov.
The Department of Education and Training Victoria (DETVic)
The DETVic are the regulatory authority for education and care and children’s services operating in Victoria.
They undertake a full range of functions and powers to promote the safety, health and well-being of children attending education and care and children’s services.
Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)
ACECQA is an independent national authority that assists governments in implementing the National Quality Framework (NQF) for children’s education and care.
ACECQA works with the Australian and state territory governments to:
- Implement changes that benefit children from birth to 13 years of age and their families.
- Monitor and promote the consistent application of the Education and Care Services National Law across all states and territories.
- Support the children’s education and care sector to improve quality outcomes for children.
