KCV congratulates the Care Support Help Desks on clearing a backlog of requests for Medicare cards and birth certificates for children in kinship care.

The Care Support Help Desk provides support for children in Foster, Kinship or Residential care by:

• applying for vital documents for children in care, including Medicare details and birth certificates

• establishing a link with their My Health Record, where appropriate

• recording and updating immunisations

• preparing letters to Centrelink to enable carers to access financial supports

• preparing letters to access Additional Child Care Subsidy, including before and after school care

• assisting with queries about care allowance payment

• recording school and childcare enrolments.

The Care Support Help Desk is primarily for new carers. However, the phone line and email is also available to existing carers if they need help with obtaining vital documents or support.

Two new programs to get our children and young people active.

With guest Dr Emma Goodall, Director of the Office for Autism from the South Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

She is the parent of an autistic adult, and has worked extensively in the area of autism, education, research and public policy, and teacher training. Dr Goodall defines autism and neurodiversity, explains how autism can present differently in different genders, and outlines key things carers need to understand about neurodivergence in order to better support the children and young people in their care.

Dr Goodall was one of the most popular speakers at the national kinship, permanent and foster carers conference held in Melbourne in August. She kindly agreed to make this podcast, which draws on the main messages shared in her address to the conference. KCV hopes that Dr Goodall will return to Melbourne before too long.

KCV has become aware that many statutory kinship carers do not know about two important Victorian services.

It is important that kinship carers seek as much support for their work in raising children in the early years of the children’s development. The EPCs are helpful and recommended to kinship carers by KCV.

Cheers,

Anne McLeish
Director of Kinship Carers Victoria

At the national kinship, permanent and foster care conference in Melbourne in August KCV had many requests about supports available in other states.  Many of the current KCV resources do reference national programs already. However, it was decided to create a reference point specifically related to national resources so that interstate carers can more easily find them. One of the most important resources is that which outlines the Centrelink payments for which all carers across the country are able to apply.  Even informal carers can be eligible for many of these payments.

We wish all interstate carers the very best.

Cheers,

Anne McLeish

Director