Kinship Carer vs Foster Carer in WA: What's the Difference?

It Matters Because the Payments and Rules Are Different

In Western Australia, "kinship care" and "foster care" are not interchangeable terms. Which category you fall into determines what payments you receive, who makes decisions about the child, and how much the Department of Communities is involved in your life. Many grandparents and relatives raising children do not realise that the two systems are distinct — and that you can be in one without being in the other.

The Four Care Arrangements in WA

Western Australia recognises a spectrum of care arrangements, from fully informal to fully statutory:

The critical distinction: informal kinship carers operate outside the child protection system. The Department of Communities is not involved in your arrangement. You do not have a caseworker. You are not "fostering."

Statutory foster carers — including relatives approved as foster carers through the Department — are part of the formal out-of-home care system. The Department holds parental responsibility (or shares it via a court order), and the carer follows a care plan.

Payment Differences

Informal kinship carers claim payments from two separate sources:

• Centrelink (federal): Family Tax Benefit Part A and B, ACCS Grandparent (eligible grandparents only), Parenting Payment, Double Orphan Pension
• WA state: Grandcarers Support Scheme ($1,000/year + $500/$250 top-up + Gold Card $377 energy relief). For grandparents providing informal full-time care for at least four months; aunts, uncles and other relatives cannot access the GSS.

Statutory foster carers receive:

• Department of Communities Foster Care Subsidy — paid directly by the Department at standard rates indexed by the child's age
• They are ineligible for the Grandcarers Support Scheme

Special Guardianship Order holders receive:

• Department of Communities SGO financial support — typically equivalent to foster care subsidy rates
• Also ineligible for the Grandcarers Support Scheme

Why This Matters for Grandparents

Many grandparents caring informally for a grandchild worry about whether they should "become a foster carer" to access more support. The decision is significant:

Staying informal means:

• No Department involvement in your daily life
• No caseworker visits, care plan reviews or placement matching
• Access to the GSS and Centrelink informal carer payments
• Limited formal legal authority (school and medical decisions rely on statutory declarations and principal discretion)

Entering the formal system means:

• Department oversight including care plans and review meetings
• Foster care subsidy (may be higher than informal payments for some age groups)
• Loss of GSS eligibility
• More formal legal authority delegated through the care plan
• The child is classified as being in "out-of-home care" — a legal status with implications for their records

For many informal grandparent carers, the combination of FTB, ACCS Grandparent and the GSS provides meaningful financial support without the trade-off of Department involvement. Legal authority for school and medical decisions can often be established through statutory declarations and informal carer declarations without court orders.

Making the Decision

This is genuinely a decision that depends on your circumstances. If the child has serious protection concerns and the Department is already involved, the formal pathway may be appropriate. If you are managing an informal family arrangement where the child is safe and settled, staying informal preserves your autonomy.

Our WA Kinship Carer Support Guide covers both pathways — the informal payment claims and paperwork in detail, and the formal system at a level that helps you understand what entering it would mean, without pushing you in either direction.

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