Aunt or Uncle Raising a Niece or Nephew in South Australia

Not Every Kinship Carer Is a Grandparent

Most of the language around kinship care in Australia centres on grandparents — and for good reason, since they make up the largest group. But aunts, uncles, adult siblings, cousins, and close family friends also step in when a child's parents cannot cope. In South Australia, the legal and financial framework treats all non-parent relative carers the same way, regardless of the specific relationship.

If you are an aunt or uncle raising a niece or nephew, or an older sibling who has taken on a younger brother or sister, everything that applies to grandparent carers applies to you — with a few practical differences worth knowing.

Your Arrangement Type Still Determines Everything

The central distinction in SA is not who you are to the child, but how the care arrangement was established:

Informal arrangement (private family agreement). No DCP involvement, no court order. You took the child in because the parents could not cope, and the family agreed. Under this arrangement, you are excluded from DCP Carer Support Payments and DCP-funded respite. You can access Centrelink payments (Family Tax Benefit Part A and B, Parenting Payment Single if applicable) by proving primary care through a statutory declaration and supporting evidence.

Formal DCP placement. DCP placed the child with you as an approved kinship carer under the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017. You receive automatic fortnightly Carer Support Payments from DCP, access to DCP-funded respite, and caseworker support.

Federal parenting order. You applied through the Federal Circuit and Family Court for a parenting order giving you legal parental responsibility. This unlocks Centrelink payments and gives you clear legal authority for schools and medical providers, but does not create DCP payment eligibility.

The ACCS Grandparent Exception

One payment is explicitly limited by relationship: the Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent). To qualify, you or your partner must be eligible for CCS, receive an eligible income support payment, be a qualifying grandparent, have at least 65% care, and make day-to-day decisions about the child's care, welfare and development. Eligible grandparent carers can receive 100 hours of subsidised care per fortnight without meeting the recognised participation requirement; the subsidy covers up to 100% of the actual fee, capped at 120% of the hourly rate cap.

Aunts, uncles, and siblings do not qualify for ACCS (Grandparent). You can still access standard Child Care Subsidy (CCS) if you meet its eligibility rules. Since 5 January 2026, CCS-eligible families receive at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight; 100 hours depends on recognised participation or other qualifying circumstances.

If you are caring for a child in formal DCP care, the ACCS (Child Wellbeing) category may apply — speak to Centrelink's Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser Line on 1800 245 965 (the name is misleading; they serve all non-parent carers, not only grandparents).

School Enrolment and Medical Consent

As an aunt, uncle, or sibling carer, you navigate school and health systems the same way grandparent carers do:

School enrolment. A South Australian government school may accept the SA Government informal relative caregiver's statutory declaration as authority to deal with you about the child's education if you have assumed full-time care. The principal considers these requests case by case and may ask for supporting documents. The declaration does not give you legal guardianship.

School Card. For an eligible informal or formal care arrangement, apply using School Card Form F and provide the supporting evidence listed on the form. This category is not assessed against School Card income limits. Children under the guardianship of the Chief Executive attending a government school are automatically eligible and do not need an application.

Medical consent. Under the Consent to Medical Treatment and Palliative Care Act 1995 (SA), a person who provides day-to-day care for a child under 16 can be recognised as a "person responsible" under section 14B. For routine GP visits, many practices accept a statutory declaration of care combined with Medicare card listing. For medical emergencies, section 13 of the Act allows treatment without any consent to prevent life-threatening risk.

Payments You Can Claim

Assuming you are the primary carer of the child (65% or more of care), you can claim:

• Family Tax Benefit Part A — paid per child, based on the child's age and your household income
• Family Tax Benefit Part B — additional payment for single-income households or sole carers
• Double Orphan Pension — if both parents are deceased, or one is deceased and the other is incarcerated, medically incapacitated, or uncontactable
• Parenting Payment Single — if you are single, the principal carer of a child under 14, and meet income and asset tests
• Carer Allowance — if the child has a severe disability or medical condition requiring daily care

All claims are lodged through myGov/Centrelink. Call the Adviser Line (1800 245 965) for queue-bypassing help from specialist staff who understand non-parent carer claims.

Where to Find Support

Grandcarers SA serves all kinship carers, not only grandparents — the name reflects history, not eligibility. Their Village peer support groups, education grants, and emergency relief are available to aunts, uncles, and sibling carers.

Connecting Foster and Kinship Carers SA serves approved DCP carers regardless of their relationship to the child.

Our South Australia Kinship Carer Support guide covers the full payment and paperwork landscape for all relative carers in SA — including the specific forms, evidence requirements, and agency contact details you need.

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