Woodlands Additional Child Care Subsidy (Temporary Financial Hardship)
Additional Child Care Subsidy (Temporary Financial Hardship) is a short-term payment from the Australian Government to help families experiencing significant financial stress with the cost of child care. This payment will cover all fees to help with the continuity of child care for children and provide support to families when they need it most. (In most cases, the full cost of child care will be covered.)
Children continuing to attend Woodlands during family Financial Hardship results in children to continue to develop, learn, and be present in an environment to thrive and connect with other children. This also allows parents/careers to focus on working towards not being in a Temporary Financial Hardship circumstance.
Who can receive the Additional Child Care Subsidy (Temporary Financial Hardship)?
Additional Child Care Subsidy (temporary financial hardship) is available to families who are eligible for the Child Care Subsidy (which can be applied for at the same time) and where an individual is experiencing temporary financial hardship which has caused a substantial reduction in their ability to pay child care fees due to:
- the death of a partner or child of the individual
- the unexpected loss of employment of the individual, or a partner of the individual, other than due to resignation or retirement
- loss of income or business failure of an individual, or the partner of the individual, due to circumstances outside of their, or their partner’s, control (such as serious illness)
- loss of income of the individual, due to the death of a former partner who was providing ongoing financial assistance in relation to their child
- the individual, or their partner, has been adversely affected by a major disaster event
- destruction of, or severe damage to, the individual, or their partner’s, home
- the individual having to leave home and not being able to return because of an extreme circumstance (such as domestic violence)
- where an individual is still living at home and a family member has left or has been removed because of domestic violence against the individual.
Please Note: When you are applying for (Temporary Financial Hardship) via Centrelink it is recommended to keep the Woodlands Campus Manager up to date as once it's approved this will be visible on our internal systems.
How Do Families Apply?
Families can apply for the subsidy by accessing their Centrelink online account through myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app, or by visiting a Centrelink office and applying in person.
To receive the subsidy, families need to apply for temporary financial hardship assistance within six months from the date of the event. Evidence will be required to support the application and may include, but is not limited to, a letter from an employer (for loss of job), statutory declaration outlining the nature of the temporary hardship, medical certificate or death certificate. Further information on the types of acceptable supporting evidence is available on the Services Australia website
Evidence will also need to show the circumstance/event occurred within six months from the date of application and identify how the event has resulted in a substantial reduction in their ability to pay child care fees.
How Will The Subsidy Be Paid?
The Additional Child Care Subsidy (Temporary Financial Hardship) is paid directly to child care providers to cover the cost of child care fees. The subsidy is paid for a maximum of 13 weeks per event. (In most cases, the full cost of child care will be covered.)