Aboriginal Kinship Care in Western Australia: Support, Payments and Cultural Services

Aboriginal Kinship Care Sits Inside a Longer Tradition

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in Western Australia, kinship care is not a new arrangement invented by the welfare system. Grandparents, aunties, uncles and extended family have always raised children when parents could not — long before any government department existed. What is relatively new is the paperwork, the agencies and the payments attached to it.

That creates a tension many Aboriginal carers feel acutely. Approaching government agencies can trigger legitimate fears about child protection involvement, especially given the history of forced removals and the ongoing over-representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. In 2024, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people made up 7.3 per cent of WA's population aged 0–17 but 56 per cent of children in out-of-home care.

Understanding what support is available — and what engaging with it actually means — helps carers make informed decisions on their own terms.

Financial Support Available to Aboriginal Kinship Carers in WA

Aboriginal kinship carers access the same payment streams as any other carer in Western Australia. The key ones:

Centrelink payments through Services Australia:

• Family Tax Benefit Part A and Part B — claimed by lodging a Change of Care with Centrelink. Single carers on the Age Pension receive Part B without a secondary income test.
• Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) Grandparent — qualifying grandparents on income support who are principal carers (65% or more care) can receive up to 100 hours per fortnight, with the subsidy covering up to 100% of fees capped at 120% of the hourly rate cap. They are exempt from the Activity Test.
• Double Orphan Pension — if both parents are deceased, or one is deceased and the other is indefinitely incapacitated, serving a sentence of at least 10 years in prison, or remains unlocated after reasonable search efforts.
• Parenting Payment Single — for single principal carers of a child under 14.

WA state payments:

• Grandcarers Support Scheme (GSS) — $1,000 per grandchild annually (plus $500/$250 cost-of-living top-up and $377 Gold Card energy relief from 2026–27). Restricted to grandparents providing informal full-time care for at least four months.
• Hardship Utility Grant Scheme (HUGS) — emergency help with electricity, water and gas bills.
• KidSport — up to $300 per child per year for sports club fees.

None of these payments require involvement with the Department of Communities' child protection division. They are administered separately through Centrelink and Wanslea (operating as Uplyft).

The Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (ALSWA)

ALSWA provides free, culturally safe legal help for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across WA — both in Perth and in regional offices. Their family law team assists with:

• Parenting orders through the Family Court of Western Australia
• Special Guardianship Order applications
• Child protection matters where the Department of Communities is involved
• Legal advice about care arrangements and carer rights

Freecall: 1800 019 900

ALSWA understands the specific cultural context of Aboriginal kinship care, including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle, which prioritises placement with extended family and community over stranger foster care. If a Department of Communities caseworker has contacted you about a child in your care, speaking with ALSWA before responding is a practical step.

Centrelink Claims Without Triggering Child Protection

A common concern: does lodging a Centrelink claim for a grandchild or niece alert child protection?

Services Australia and the WA Department of Communities are separate agencies. Claiming Family Tax Benefit or the Grandcarers Support Scheme is an administrative process to establish care for payment purposes, handled separately from the Department's child-protection functions; it is not itself a child-protection assessment.

Centrelink's dedicated Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Advisers (1800 245 965) can help you lodge claims, explain evidence requirements and connect you with other support. A Centrelink payment claim is an administrative process handled separately from the Department of Communities' child protection functions; it does not itself assess a child-protection concern.

The evidence Centrelink needs to process a Change of Care:

• A statutory declaration describing the care arrangement
• School enrolment confirmation showing you as primary contact
• A GP letter confirming the child attends appointments with you
• Medicare card listing showing the child on your card

Cultural and Community Support Services

Beyond the government payments, several organisations offer culturally appropriate support:

• Wanslea (Uplyft) Grandcare — 1800 794 909. Administers the GSS and runs peer support groups across WA.
• Yorganop Association — Aboriginal community-controlled foster care organisation supporting Aboriginal children and families in Perth, Peel, Wheatbelt and Great Southern.
• Mission Australia Midwest Grandparents Raising Grandchildren — 1800 951 123. Covers Geraldton, Meekatharra, Mullewa, Mt Magnet, Cue and Northampton.
• Grandcarers WA Inc — peer advocacy at 08 6270 2486.
• 4Families (Relationships Australia WA) — community-based support across regional hubs including Albany, Bunbury and Mandurah at 6164 0600.

For carers in remote communities, mobile Centrelink servicing teams are another way to access Centrelink support.

Getting Organised

The paperwork involved in claiming payments, enrolling a child in school and setting up Medicare can feel overwhelming — particularly when you are also managing the emotional reality of why the child is in your care.

Our WA Kinship Carer Support Guide walks through each payment and administrative step in order, with document checklists and worked examples for both grandparent and non-grandparent carers. It covers the Centrelink claims, the GSS application, school enrolment without court orders, and the medical consent process — all in one place, so you are not piecing it together from a dozen different agency websites.

See more Western Australia guides →