Kinship Care Paperwork Victoria: What to Keep in Your Carer Binder

Why a Carer Binder Matters

When you're raising a relative's child in Victoria, paperwork follows you everywhere. Centrelink wants proof of care. The school wants a statutory declaration. The GP asks who can consent to treatment. DFFH needs vendor registration forms. The Victorian Carer Card application requires evidence of your caring role, which can include an Informal Carer Statutory Declaration or an authorised professional's signature.

Keeping all of this in one organised place — a carer binder, whether physical or digital — saves hours of searching when an agency calls back or a deadline arrives. More importantly, it protects you: if a care arrangement is ever questioned, your evidence is assembled and ready.

What to Include: The Core Sections

1. Care Arrangement Evidence

This is the foundation. Services Australia, schools and health providers all need to see that you have primary care of the child.

• Informal Carer Statutory Declaration — the Victorian Department of Education standard form. Get several copies signed and witnessed; you'll use them for school, the Carer Card, and potentially Centrelink
• Services Australia forms requested for your claim — SS293 and SS284 relate to relationship details or separation arrangements, not proof of care
• Letters from school confirming the child is enrolled at your address and you are the primary contact
• GP letters stating the child is in your care and you attend medical appointments
• Medicare card showing the child listed on your card
• Any court orders or protection orders — sealed copies. Even if your arrangement is informal now, keep any historical documents

2. Centrelink and Commonwealth Payment Records

• Customer Reference Number (CRN) for you and the child
• FTB Part A and B claim confirmation and any correspondence about rates or care percentages
• Foster Child Health Care Card — copy of the card itself plus the approval letter
• ACCS Grandparent approval if you receive the Additional Child Care Subsidy
• Double Orphan Pension documentation if applicable
• Income and assets details you provided at your last Centrelink review
• Receipts and reference numbers from every Centrelink interaction — note the date, the officer's name and what was discussed

3. DFFH and State Records (Formal Carers)

If your care arrangement is statutory (DFFH placed the child with you):

• Form A (Carer Vendor Registration) and Form B (Commence Care Allowance) — ask your case manager for copies
• Your DFFH vendor number — you need this for the Victorian Carer Card application
• Care allowance level and rate correspondence
• Case plan documents and review meeting notes
• First Supports referral confirmation

4. School and Education

• Enrolment confirmation from the school
• CSEF application (Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund — $400 per eligible student in 2026) and approval letter; eligibility can be based on a Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or DVA Gold Card held on the first day of Term 1 or Term 2, or the child's formal out-of-home care arrangement
• State Schools' Relief referral if uniforms or supplies were provided
• School reports and any wellbeing plans
• Correspondence with the school about the care arrangement — save emails

5. Medical and Health

• Medicare card copy
• Immunisation history (available from the Australian Immunisation Register via myGov)
• GP records — the practice should have a file under the child's name with you listed as the carer
• Specialist referrals and reports (paediatrician, psychologist, speech pathologist)
• Medical consent documentation — if you have an Informal Carer Statutory Declaration on file with the GP, keep a copy in the binder
• NDIS plan if the child has a disability

6. Victorian Carer Card and Concessions

• Victorian Carer Card copy and the application form you submitted
• Carer-coded myki details
• Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card copy
• Utility concession registrations

Physical vs Digital Binder

A physical binder with tabbed dividers works well for people who prefer paper, especially if you are taking documents to appointments at Centrelink or the school. Use plastic sleeves for originals and keep photocopies for handing over.

A digital version — scanned documents in clearly labelled folders on your phone, tablet or computer — has the advantage of being searchable and always with you. If an agency calls unexpectedly, you can pull up a document in seconds.

Many carers keep both: originals in a physical folder at home, scans on their device for quick reference.

Keeping It Current

Set a reminder to update your binder every school term:

• Add any new correspondence from Centrelink or DFFH
• Update care evidence if the arrangement has changed
• Check that your Victorian Carer Card and concession cards haven't expired
• File new school reports and medical records

The Victoria Kinship Carer Support Guide includes a printable document assembly checklist and claim tracking log that you can use as the skeleton of your binder — pre-organised into the sections above with tick boxes for each document.

See more Victoria guides →