Kinship Carer Respite Victoria: Where to Find a Break

Respite Is Not a Luxury

Kinship carers are disproportionately older. Many are grandparents on pensions, managing their own health conditions while raising energetic children. Over 72% of Victorian kinship carers report dipping into personal savings to cover the costs of unexpected care, and the emotional weight — the grief about what happened to the birth parent, the worry about the child — compounds the physical demands.

Respite care gives you a planned break while someone else looks after the child. It might be a few hours, a weekend, or a week. It is not abandoning the child. It is keeping yourself well enough to continue caring for them.

Respite for Formal (Statutory) Kinship Carers

If DFFH has formally endorsed the placement, ask your case manager or supporting CSO/ACCO what respite or other support is available for your situation:

Discuss respite with your case manager. Ask for your respite needs to be discussed at a case plan review and what options are available through your placement or provider.

After-hours child protection. If there is an immediate child protection concern outside business hours, call the After Hours Child Protection Emergency Service on 13 12 78. Ask your case manager in advance about urgent support and respite pathways.

First Supports. If you were referred to First Supports, ask your worker what support or brokerage is available for your circumstances.

Respite for Informal Kinship Carers

Informal carers — those raising a child through a private family arrangement without DFFH involvement — have fewer funded options, but they exist:

Carer Gateway. Call the national Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) to ask whether your circumstances meet its eligibility rules and whether respite or other support is available. Do not assume eligibility is automatic for every kinship carer.

Kinship Carers Victoria. KCV (0499 969 234) provides kinship carer information and support. Ask whether it can point you to respite options in your area.

Grandparents Victoria. Ask about peer support networks in your area. Carers may be able to build mutual support, depending on the group and local availability.

Local council programs. Some Victorian councils run occasional respite programs, school holiday activities or family support services that give carers a break. Contact your council's family services team and ask what's available for kinship families.

Childcare as Respite

For carers with children under school age, subsidised childcare can function as regular respite:

• Child Care Subsidy (CCS) covers a percentage of childcare fees based on your income. If you receive Carer Allowance, you automatically qualify for 72 recognised hours per fortnight
• Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) can cover 100% of the actual fee up to 120% of the Child Care Subsidy hourly rate cap for up to 100 hours per fortnight, if you meet the relationship, income support, care and decision-making requirements

This means a kinship carer on the Age Pension or Parenting Payment can have a child in childcare five days a week with most or all of the cost covered — giving you regular structured time to attend medical appointments, rest, or simply be an adult for a few hours.

School Holiday Programs

During school holidays, funded programs can provide respite for carers of school-aged children:

• CSEF ($400 per eligible student per year) helps with school camps, sports and excursions; ask the school which costs qualify
• Local council holiday programs often offer subsidised or free places for families with concession cards
• Community organisations (YMCA, local neighbourhood houses, sporting clubs) run holiday activities — ask about hardship or concession rates

Planning for Respite

The best time to arrange respite is before you desperately need it. A few practical steps:

1. Register with Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) even if you don't need respite right now — having your details in the system makes it faster to access when you do
2. Build a respite network — identify a trusted family member, friend or fellow carer who could look after the child for a few hours if needed
3. If you're a formal carer, raise respite at your next case plan review and get it documented in the plan
4. Explore childcare subsidies — even part-time childcare gives you predictable breaks

The Victoria Kinship Carer Support Guide includes a section on building a sustainable care routine, with information on every respite and childcare option available to Victorian kinship carers.

See more Victoria guides →