NSW Kinship Carers: DCJ vs Centrelink — Which Do You Call First?

If you're a grandparent or relative raising a child in NSW, the answer depends on your care arrangement. If the child was placed with you by DCJ under a care order or you have a DCJ caseworker, call your caseworker first — they administer the state allowances. If you're caring for the child informally (no order, no caseworker), call the Centrelink Grandparent Adviser Line (1800 245 965) first — DCJ state allowances aren't available to you, but Centrelink federal payments are. In both cases, you should eventually contact both agencies, because their payments stack.

Two Separate Governments, Two Separate Payment Systems

This is the single most confusing fact about kinship care in NSW: the support comes from two unrelated systems that don't communicate with each other.

Centrelink (Services Australia) is the Australian federal government. It administers Family Tax Benefit, the Additional Child Care Subsidy, Double Orphan Pension, Carer Allowance, and the Foster Child Health Care Card. These are national payments available across all states.

DCJ (Department of Communities and Justice) is the NSW state government. It administers Statutory Care Allowances, Supported Care Allowances, Guardianship Allowances, and establishment payments. These are NSW-specific payments tied to the state child protection system.

Qualifying for one does not register you with the other. Receiving a DCJ allowance does not automatically start your Family Tax Benefit. Receiving FTB does not notify DCJ that a child is in your care.

Which to Call First: Decision Tree

You have a DCJ caseworker or Children's Court care order → Call your DCJ caseworker first. They'll activate the Statutory Care Allowance and can request establishment payments. Then call Centrelink (1800 245 965) to claim FTB on top. The two payments stack.

You have a Family Court order made after formal DCJ protective intervention and assessment → Contact DCJ about the Supported Care Allowance. Then call Centrelink for FTB. Again, both systems pay simultaneously.

You have a Family Court parenting order but no DCJ involvement → Call Centrelink (1800 245 965) first. A parenting order gives you strong evidence for FTB, ACCS, and other Centrelink payments. DCJ allowances are generally not available without a Children's Court care order or DCJ-supported placement.

You have no order and no caseworker (informal care) → Call Centrelink (1800 245 965) first. This is your primary route. You'll need to establish proof of non-parent care (the 35% actual care threshold) using statutory declarations, school letters, and GP letters. DCJ state allowances are generally not available to you, but Centrelink federal payments are.

The Payments That Stack

The most common mistake kinship carers make is treating DCJ and Centrelink as either/or. They're not. Here's what stacks:

A carer with a Children's Court care order can simultaneously receive:

• DCJ Statutory Care Allowance ($714–$1,081/fortnight depending on age)
• Centrelink Family Tax Benefit Part A (up to ~$200+/fortnight per child under 13)
• Centrelink Family Tax Benefit Part B (up to ~$168/fortnight)
• ACCS Grandparent (up to 100 hours fully subsidised childcare/fortnight)
• Foster Child Health Care Card

The DCJ allowance is classified as non-assessable income for both Centrelink FTB purposes and NSW social housing rent calculations.

An informal carer (no order) can simultaneously receive:

• Family Tax Benefit Parts A and B
• ACCS Grandparent (if on income support)
• Double Orphan Pension (if criteria met)
• Carer Allowance (if child has a disability)
• Foster Child Health Care Card

Who This Is For

• Grandparents or relatives who just took on a child and don't know which agency to call first
• Carers who found one system (Centrelink or DCJ) and are wondering whether the other pays them too
• Informal carers who assumed DCJ has nothing for them and want to confirm what Centrelink offers instead
• Carers whose arrangement just changed (a new court order was made, DCJ became involved) and need to know what the change unlocks in both systems
• Anyone confused by the fact that two separate governments seem to be running overlapping programmes

Who This Is NOT For

• Carers with an active caseworker already coordinating both sets of payments
• People seeking advice on which court order to apply for — call LawAccess NSW (1300 888 529)
• Foster carers placed through an approved agency — your agency handles DCJ claims
• Carers outside NSW — each state has its own child protection agency with different rules

The Honest Tradeoff

Both agencies are free to contact. The limitation is that each one only knows about its own system. The DCJ caseworker won't tell you about Centrelink FTB. The Centrelink adviser won't mention DCJ allowances. There is no single government phone number that covers both.

The Support for Grandparents and Kinship Carers in NSW guide was built specifically around this problem — a care-arrangement matrix showing which payments each arrangement unlocks from each agency, the documents each one needs, and the order to apply. It includes a 1800 245 965 phone preparation script so your first Centrelink call results in an approved claim rather than a callback.

Both agencies are your starting point. The guide is the map that connects them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does DCJ tell Centrelink when a child is placed with me?

No. DCJ and Centrelink are separate systems run by different levels of government. A DCJ placement does not automatically register you for Family Tax Benefit or any other Centrelink payment. You need to contact Centrelink separately on 1800 245 965.

Will claiming FTB from Centrelink reduce my DCJ allowance?

No. Centrelink Family Tax Benefit does not affect DCJ care allowance amounts. The two systems calculate their payments independently. Similarly, DCJ allowances are generally not counted as income for FTB means testing.

I'm an informal carer — is there any point contacting DCJ?

If you have no caseworker and no court order, DCJ state allowances are generally not available to you. However, contacting My Forever Family NSW (1300 782 975) — which works alongside DCJ — can connect you with peer support, training, and information about whether a supported care arrangement might be appropriate for your situation. Your primary financial route is Centrelink.

Can I call the main Centrelink number instead of 1800 245 965?

You can, but the general Centrelink line doesn't have specialist knowledge of non-parent care claims. The 1800 245 965 Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser Line has dedicated staff who can manually override standard identity requirements, connect you to a social worker, and process non-standard care claims. It's available Monday–Friday, 8:30am–4:30pm.

See more New South Wales guides →