Best NSW Kinship Care Guide When a Grandchild Arrives Suddenly
If a grandchild or relative's child has just arrived in your home without warning, the best first step is calling the Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser Line on 1800 245 965 (Monday–Friday, 8:30am–4:30pm) to start a Family Tax Benefit claim — that's the fastest payment to activate. For a complete map of every payment and agency you'll need to contact across both Centrelink and DCJ, the NSW Kinship Carer Support guide puts them in one place. If you need legal advice about parenting orders or your authority over the child, call LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529.
The rest of this page explains what to do in what order when a placement is sudden and you have no time to research.
The First 72 Hours
When a child arrives suddenly — whether the parent called and asked you to take them, DCJ contacted you, or the child simply turned up — you're dealing with immediate costs (food, bedding, clothing, possibly a car seat or school shoes) on income that wasn't budgeted for an extra person. Here's what to prioritise.
Day 1–2: Safety and essentials. Get the child settled. If DCJ placed the child, your caseworker should contact you about emergency payments (up to $200 for a crisis placement). If the child arrived informally, there is no emergency payment available through DCJ — your financial route is Centrelink.
Day 2–3: Call 1800 245 965. This is the dedicated Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser Line. Have these ready:
- Child's full name and date of birth
- Your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (if you have one)
- Any document showing the child is in your care — even a text message from the parent
- The child's Medicare number if you have it
Ask the adviser to register you as a non-parent carer and begin a Family Tax Benefit claim. The effective claim date depends on your first contact and claim information; FTB cannot be backdated to before your first contact with Services Australia, so contact them promptly.
Day 3–7: School and medical. If the child needs to start or continue school, contact the school directly. NSW principals can enrol a child on a statutory declaration without a court order. For medical care, contact Services Australia about adding the child to your Medicare card or getting a separate card in the child's name.
What's Available and When
| Timeframe | Action | Who to Contact | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immediate | Emergency placement payment (DCJ placements only) | Your DCJ caseworker | Up to $200 crisis, up to $350 short-term |
| Week 1 | Family Tax Benefit claim | 1800 245 965 Adviser Line | FTB Part A: up to ~$200+/fortnight per child under 13 |
| Week 1–2 | Medicare card for the child | Services Australia | Healthcare access for the child |
| Week 1–2 | School enrolment | School principal directly | Child continues education |
| Week 2–4 | ACCS Grandparent childcare subsidy | MyGov (after FTB registered) | Up to 100 hrs fully subsidised childcare/fortnight |
| When applicable | DCJ Statutory/Supported Care Allowance | DCJ caseworker | $714–$1,081/fortnight (requires placement/order) |
| When applicable | Establishment payment | DCJ caseworker | Up to $1,400 for long-term placement setup |
| When applicable | Double Orphan Pension | Centrelink | If both parents have died, or one has died and the other meets Services Australia's specific criteria, including long-term imprisonment, indefinite institutional care, or unknown whereabouts |
Who This Is For
- Grandparents who took on a grandchild this week and are covering everything on a pension or low income
- Relatives who received a phone call from a parent, a hospital, or DCJ and now have a child in the house with no preparation
- Carers who are too overwhelmed to read six government websites and need the sequence of steps in one place
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander grandparents caring for a child through kinship obligations who need to know what financial support exists without triggering formal child protection processes
- Adult children or family friends doing the research because the grandparent raising the child can't sit at a computer right now
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Who This Is NOT For
- Carers who have had the child for months and are already receiving some payments — your question is whether you're receiving everything you qualify for, which is a different problem (see How to Claim All NSW Kinship Carer Payments)
- Anyone in a custody dispute with the child's parent — call LawAccess NSW (1300 888 529) for urgent legal advice
- Foster carers placed through an approved agency — your agency coordinates your payments and support
The Tradeoffs Between Your Options
Calling 1800 245 965 immediately is the right first step for financial help. The limitation: the line is only open Monday–Friday 8:30am–4:30pm, and callers without documents often get asked to call back. If the child arrives on a Friday evening, you can't reach them until Monday.
LawAccess NSW (1300 888 529) handles legal questions — your authority, whether you need a court order, what happens if the parent returns. It doesn't process Centrelink claims or explain DCJ allowances.
My Forever Family NSW (1300 782 975) provides emotional support and referrals. Useful when you need someone to talk to who understands kinship care, but not the place for specific payment applications.
The NSW Kinship Carer Support guide is built for this exact moment — the sudden placement, the two-system confusion, the paperwork stack. It puts every payment from both Centrelink and DCJ into one care-arrangement matrix, includes a phone preparation script for the 1800 245 965 call so your first call gets an approved claim instead of a callback, a proof-of-care worksheet for when you have almost no documents yet, and a school enrolment checklist for when the child needs to start school on Monday.
Doing nothing and paying out of pocket is what most kinship carers do for the first few weeks because the paperwork feels impossible while a child is settling in. The cost is real: FTB Part A alone can be over $200 per fortnight, and the claim date cannot be earlier than your first contact with Services Australia, so delaying that contact can leave more time outside the claim period.
What to Do Right Now
- Call 1800 245 965 (Mon–Fri 8:30am–4:30pm) with whatever documents you have. The adviser can start the process even without everything
- If DCJ placed the child, contact your caseworker about emergency and establishment payments
- If you need legal advice about your authority or the parent's rights, call LawAccess NSW (1300 888 529)
- For the complete map of every payment, form, and agency step across both Centrelink and DCJ, see the NSW Kinship Carer Support guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I claim Family Tax Benefit if the child only arrived yesterday?
Family Tax Benefit cannot be backdated to before your first contact with Services Australia. Call 1800 245 965 promptly — even if you don't have all the documents yet, the adviser can explain how your first-contact date and claim information affect the effective date. You'll need to provide proof of care (statutory declaration, school letter, GP letter) to finalise the claim.
What if the parent might come back for the child?
If the arrangement is temporary, you can still claim FTB while the child is in your care. The 35% actual care threshold is assessed on an ongoing basis. If the parent returns and the child goes back to them, you notify Centrelink and the payment stops. You don't have to repay for the period the child was genuinely in your care. For legal questions about what happens when a parent wants the child back, call LawAccess NSW (1300 888 529).
Do I need a court order to get any financial help?
No. Centrelink payments — FTB, ACCS Grandparent, Foster Child Health Care Card — do not require a court order. You need evidence of at least 35% actual care. DCJ state allowances generally do require a care order or DCJ-supported placement, but the Centrelink payments are available to informal carers immediately.
What if I can't afford to wait for Centrelink processing?
If you're in financial crisis, tell the 1800 245 965 adviser. They can refer you to a Centrelink social worker who may be able to arrange a crisis payment or expedited processing. If DCJ placed the child, your caseworker can process an emergency payment (up to $200) quickly. Community organisations like the Smith Family, Salvation Army, and St Vincent de Paul also provide emergency assistance in NSW.
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