Recommendations
Chapter 3
Recommendation 1
The Taskforce recommends that the Australian Government recognise the role of carers and introduce carer recognition legislation and a national action plan for carers.
Recommendation 2
The Taskforce recommends that the government ensure clear and readily accessible information is available about the Carer Payment (child) and Carer Allowance (child) and their purpose, and consider revising the current payment names to more accurately differentiate the intent and nature of each payment.
Chapter 4
Recommendation 3
The Taskforce recommends that the government review the overall costs of caring and costs of disability incurred by carers and children with severe disability or medical conditions in light of the adequacy and availability of current payments and other financial support for carers.
Recommendation 4
To support participation in the workforce by carers of children with severe disability, the Taskforce recommends that the government:
- examine options to increase the availability of suitable child care, including before and after school and vacation care, for children with high care needs;
- improve access for Carer Payment recipients to the full range of Job Network assistance,
including intensive or specialist support;
and - examine ways to assist employers to provide employment opportunities and develop consistent and flexible policies and practices for carers.
Recommendation 5
The Taskforce recommends that a provision be made to cater for situations where multiple care responsibilities for people of any age with disability are equal to the care required by a single child with profound disability, as currently defined in legislation (which will require amendments to section 198 of the Social Security Act 1991).
Recommendation 6
The Taskforce recommends that the application process for those claiming Carer Payment (child) on the basis of two or more children with disability be altered as soon as possible to clarify the requirements.
Recommendation 7
In order to better support carers’ labour force participation, the Taskforce recommends that the government examine options for providing income support payments in situations where carers are temporarily unable to work due to the need to provide care on an episodic basis for a child with a severe disability or medical condition.
Recommendation 8
The Taskforce recommends that the government recognise the need for ready access to short-term assistance for carers of children with disability, including tailored assessment and review arrangements that allow quick access to payments in extreme circumstances.
Recommendation 9
As Carer Payment (child) does not provide additional financial assistance to families in the adjustment period following a catastrophic event that results in children requiring high levels of care, the Taskforce recommends that the government consider a form of assistance that addresses this need.
Recommendation 10
The Taskforce recommends that the government reconsider the assistance provided through Carer Allowance (child), the Carer Adjustment Payment and the Child Disability Assistance Payment with a view to establishing a rationale for the assistance being provided that can be reflected in the administration of the payment or payments and that the provision of such assistance be continued in some form and regularised.
Recommendation 11
The Taskforce recommends that the government review the arrangements for temporary cessation of care for Carer Payment (child) to remove the limit on the allowable number of hospital admission days, subject to appropriate review arrangements.
Recommendation 12
The Taskforce recommends that eligibility for Carer Payment (child) recognise situations where parents have shared caring responsibilities that are endorsed by the courts or articulated in an agreed parenting plan and these arrangements preclude each parent from substantial workforce participation.
Recommendation 13
The Taskforce recommends that section 197(2)(c)(vi) of the Social Security Act 1991— which requires that a medical practitioner certify in writing that the child has a terminal condition for which palliative care has replaced active treatment—be amended to remove the provision.
Recommendation 14
The current requirement in section 197(2A) of the Social Security Act 1991 for a medical professional to certify that a child has a terminal condition and will not live for substantially longer than 12 months should be replaced with a process that assesses the average life expectancy for a child with the same or a similar condition.
Recommendation 15
The Taskforce recommends that the current requirement in section 197(2A) of the Social Security Act 1991 relating to terminal conditions and the life expectancy of a child be amended from the current 12 months to an average life expectancy not substantially longer than 24 months.
Recommendation 16
The Taskforce recommends that the frequency of periodic reviews for a carer in receipt of Carer Payment (child) for a child with a limited life expectancy be extended from six months to 12 months.
Recommendation 17
To improve service delivery for carers of children with severe disability or medical conditions, the Taskforce recommends that:
- Centrelink and the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs work together to develop and implement a more targeted service delivery strategy to ensure services meet the needs and circumstances of carers applying for Carer Payment (child);
- Centrelink forms, letters and data-capture and data-exchange arrangements in relation to carers be further reviewed, noting the work already completed through the Colbeck review, to ensure they are appropriate; and
- carers receive appropriate information, advice and support, particularly in the first 12 months after contact with Centrelink, through dedicated case coordinators.
Chapter 5
Recommendation 18
The Taskforce recommends that the eligibility criteria for Carer Payment (child) be amended to recognise the level of care required by and provided to children with severe disability or medical conditions.
Chapter 6
Recommendation 19
The Taskforce recommends that a revised assessment process for Carer Payment (child) eligibility based on the level of care required by the child with disability or severe medical conditions and the amount of care actually provided by the carer be established through a disallowable instrument.
Recommendation 20
The Taskforce recommends that the Social Security Act 1991 be amended to give effect to Recommendation 19.
Recommendation 21
In implementing Recommendation 19, a new assessment tool should be developed that:◗ takes into account the level of care required for a child with severe disability or medical conditions;
- has regard to the current Adult Disability Assessment Tool and Child Disability Assessment Tool processes;
- is informed by existing standardised functional assessments appropriate for use with a paediatric population;
- pays attention to cognitive and behavioural issues, as well as functional and special care needs; and
- ensures any transitions from Carer Payment (child) to Carer Payment (adult) are easy and straightforward, particularly if the child’s condition and/or level of care need have not changed.
Recommendation 22
The Taskforce recommends that the assessment process allow carers to provide details on the amount and type of care they are providing.
Recommendation 23
The Taskforce recommends that the government review the allowable medical, health and other professionals who can verify claims for Carer Payment (child) and Carer Allowance (child).
Recommendation 24
The Taskforce recommends that recent evidence held by the carer that provides a sufficient level of detail about the child’s disability and/or medical condition be allowed to support a claim for payment.
Chapter 7
Recommendation 25
The Taskforce recommends that Carer Payment (child) recipients be automatically eligible for Carer Allowance (child).
Recommendation 26
The Taskforce recommends that participation requirements for parent carers in receipt of Carer Allowance and a relevant income support payment be reviewed to ensure that verification requirements have greater regard to the individual circumstances of carers.
Recommendation 27
The Taskforce recommends that the transition from Carer Payment (child) to Carer Payment (adult) be streamlined.
Chapter 8
Recommendation 28
The Taskforce recommends that an appropriate review regime be developed for carers receiving Carer Payment (child) and Carer Allowance (child).
Recommendation 29
The Taskforce recommends that, where appropriate, the government introduce a single treating doctor report/health professional assessment form.
Recommendation 30
The Taskforce recommends that the government undertake further work to ensure that the barriers facing carers from Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in accessing Carer Payment (child) are recognised and addressed.
Recommendation 31
The Taskforce recommends that the government ensure there is effective access to Carer Payment (child) for carers in rural and remote areas.
Chapter 9
Recommendation 32
The Taskforce recommends that the issues raised in submissions to the review that were outside the Taskforce’s terms of reference be further considered by government.
Key Features of the Carer Payment (child) Review Taskforce Recommendations
