Informal Grandparent and Other Carers

Sometimes private arrangements are made in families between parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents, siblings or family friends who agree to take care of and raise a child temporarily or permanently. These arrangements are known as informal because the child protection department has not necessarily been involved or informed. In these cases, it is often the grandparents who take on the full-time care of their grandchildren when the parents can no longer look after them.

Informal carers may also include carers who have received a Family Law Order covering their caring arrangements. Family Law Orders are arranged for many different reasons and, unlike Child Protection Orders, do not result in formal carer (like foster carer) status.

We don’t know how many informal carers there are in Australia, because lots of them look after the children without contact with the government or any other carer organisations.

While the children may bring you a lot of joy, you may not have been expecting them to come live with you and it could cause you some emotional and financial stress. The Australian Government understands and might be able to help you with things like Family Tax Benefit payments, Parenting Payments and the foster child Health Care Card.

State and territory government financial assistance is available to informal carers in some jurisdictions; and you may also be able to access to a range of non-financial supports provided by the Commonwealth Government, your state or territory government, and local non-government organisations.

If your state or territory child protection authority gave you care of the child, please visit the Formal Relative, Kinship and Grandparent Carers page, as you will be eligible for different assistance and benefits to carers who are raising children in a private arrangement.

As an informal carer you may also be able to get other help such as advice, information, respite, support groups and local playgroups.

Go to National Support and Services for Out-of-Home Carers to find out what all out-of-home carers across Australia may be eligible for. Find the answer to Frequently Asked Questions about Australian Government support.

Choose your state or territory below to find out what additional help you can get based on where you live:

• Australian Capital Territory
• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia