Informal Carer vs Foster Carer in South Australia: Key Differences

Why This Distinction Matters More Than Anything Else

The single most important question for any grandparent or relative raising a child in South Australia is this: did the child come into your care through the Department for Child Protection (DCP), or through a private family decision?

That one fact determines which payments you can claim, which agencies support you, which decisions you can make for the child, and how much of the system is designed to help you. Two carers doing identical work — feeding, housing, clothing and parenting the same-aged child — can have completely different entitlements depending on the answer.

Statutory Foster and Kinship Care

If DCP placed the child with you under the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, you are a statutory carer. This includes both foster carers (no prior relationship with the child) and statutory kinship carers (a relative or family friend approved by DCP for a specific placement).

Statutory carers receive:

• Automatic fortnightly DCP Carer Support Payments (non-taxable, not counted by Centrelink)
• Special Needs Loadings for children with additional complexities
• A DCP caseworker assigned to the child's case
• Access to DCP-funded respite care
• Incidental payments for school camps, therapy and contact travel
• Start-up grants when the child first arrives
• Decision-making authority via section 76 delegation
• School Card: students under the Guardianship of the Chief Executive are automatically eligible at government schools; other care arrangements use Form F

Informal Kinship Care

If you are raising a relative's child because of a family crisis — without DCP involvement and without a court order — you are an informal kinship carer. Over 70% of kinship care arrangements in South Australia are informal.

Informal carers are entirely excluded from DCP Carer Support Payments, DCP caseworker support and state-funded respite. This is the gap that Grandcarers SA and the Social Development Committee Inquiry have highlighted repeatedly.

What informal carers can access:

• Federal Centrelink payments: Family Tax Benefit Parts A and B, Double Orphan Pension, Parenting Payment Single, Carer Allowance and Carer Payment (for children with disabilities)
• Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) through Centrelink — up to 100% of childcare fees
• State household concessions through ConcessionsSA (energy, water, cost-of-living)
• School Card Form F for formal and informal care arrangements; these care-arrangement applications are not assessed against income limits
• Medical consent under the Consent to Medical Treatment and Palliative Care Act 1995 depends on the child's age and whether the carer acts in loco parentis; a statutory declaration alone does not grant authority
• Community support through Grandcarers SA and community legal centres

Care Without a Court Order

You do not need a court order to access Centrelink family payments as an informal carer. Services Australia assesses actual primary care — they want evidence that the child lives with you and you provide day-to-day care, not a judge's signature.

Acceptable evidence includes statutory declarations, school enrolment letters, Medicare card listings, GP letters and community professional statements. Call the Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser Line (1800 245 965) to start the process — they bypass the standard Centrelink queue and understand non-parent carer claims.

When the Lines Blur

Some carers start informally and later enter the DCP system when a child protection concern is reported. Others begin with a DCP placement and later take Long Term Guardianship (Specified Person) under section 53(1)(h), which transfers legal guardianship directly to them while maintaining access to carer payments.

If your arrangement changes — or you are unsure which category you fall into — the SA kinship carer guide starts with a care arrangement decision tree that maps your exact situation to the agencies, payments and forms you need.

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