Regional WA Kinship Carer Support: Midwest, Goldfields, Kimberley and Country Services

Distance Adds a Layer to Everything

Raising a relative's child is hard enough in Perth, where government offices, schools, health services and support groups are within driving distance. In regional and remote WA — the Midwest, Goldfields, Kimberley, Pilbara, Great Southern — every step takes longer. Centrelink offices are sparse, specialist medical appointments may require travelling hundreds of kilometres, and face-to-face peer support groups may not exist locally.

The financial payments and entitlements are the same regardless of where you live in WA. The difference is how you access them and what practical support exists on the ground.

Region-by-Region Services

Midwest (Geraldton, Meekatharra, Mullewa, Mt Magnet, Cue, Northampton)

Mission Australia Grandparents Raising Grandchildren — the main dedicated grandparent support service in the Midwest. They provide casework, peer connection and practical help navigating payments and school enrolment.

Freecall: 1800 951 123

This program specifically covers grandparents and kinship carers across the towns listed above.

Goldfields (Kalgoorlie, Boulder, Coolgardie, surrounding communities)

Wanslea (Uplyft) Grandcare provides support and referrals across WA by phone (1800 794 909). A regional Department of Communities office can also advise on child-protection matters and local family-support referrals.

Centrelink Grandparent Advisers at 1800 245 965 work by phone and can manage your claims without an in-person visit.

Kimberley (Broome, Derby, Kununurra, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek)

Aboriginal kinship care is particularly prevalent in the Kimberley. Key services:

• Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (ALSWA) — Freecall 1800 019 900. ALSWA operates across the Kimberley with legal advice on family law and child protection.
• WA Country Health Service Kimberley — provides health and family support, including referrals for children's mental health and developmental concerns.
• Remote Centrelink servicing — mobile teams visit remote communities. Call 1800 245 965 to find out when the next visit is scheduled for your area.

Pilbara (Karratha, Port Hedland, Newman, Tom Price)

Support contacts for the Pilbara include:

• Wanslea Grandcare helpline (1800 794 909) by phone
• Regional Department of Communities offices
• Centrelink Grandparent Advisers (1800 245 965)
• 4Families (Relationships Australia WA) — 6164 0600, though their physical hubs are in the south

Great Southern and South West (Albany, Bunbury, Busselton, Mandurah, Rockingham)

4Families (Relationships Australia WA) operates community-based family support across these towns. They provide counselling, practical help and referrals.

Phone: 6164 0600

Accessing Payments From Regional Areas

Every payment available to Perth-based carers is available to you:

• Grandcarers Support Scheme — eligible grandparents providing full-time informal care for at least four months can apply through Wanslea by phone (1800 794 909), the online portal or a paper application form.
• Family Tax Benefit — lodge through myGov, by phone (1800 245 965) or by paper form. Eligible grandparents can also apply for ACCS Grandparent through Centrelink.
• Gold Card energy relief — registration through the ServiceWA app from July 2026. If you have difficulty with the app, Wanslea caseworkers can help you through the process.

The Student Travel Subsidy Scheme (STSS) is particularly relevant for regional families — it provides travel assistance for eligible students, including subsidised fares for those in defined remote areas. Apply through the WA Department of Transport; the school may need to endorse parts of the application.

Extra Concessions Worth Knowing About

• KidSport — up to $300 per eligible child per financial year for sports club registration fees. Apply online through the WA Government's KidSport program.
• Hardship Utility Grant Scheme (HUGS) — emergency help with electricity, water and gas bills. Particularly important in hot climate regions where cooling costs are high.

Getting It All in One Place

Piecing together the available support from a dozen different agency websites is frustrating at the best of times. From a regional town with patchy internet, it is worse.

Our WA Kinship Carer Support Guide compiles every payment, concession, school enrolment process and medical consent step into one printable document — designed to be useful whether you are in Perth or 1,500 kilometres from the nearest Centrelink office.

See more Western Australia guides →