School Enrolment for Kinship Carers in the ACT: What Canberra Schools Need

You Do Not Need a Court Order

ACT public schools accept enrolments from informal kinship carers. A grandparent, aunt, uncle or other relative who has taken on primary care of a child can enrol that child in a Canberra public school without a parenting order, guardianship order or any involvement from Child and Youth Protection Services.

The process is straightforward, but you need the right paperwork. Schools cannot waive their documentation requirements — they need to verify that you have a genuine care arrangement and that you live in the right catchment area.

What the School Will Ask For

The ACT Education Directorate's standard enrolment process requires informal carers to present:

1. Proof of residency within the school's Priority Enrolment Area — an ACT rates notice, utility bill or current lease agreement showing your Canberra address
2. The child's birth certificate — the original or a certified copy
3. Evidence of your care arrangement — the school may request an informal relative caregiver statutory declaration confirming your primary day-to-day responsibility

If the school requests a statutory declaration, it should be signed before an authorised witness (a Justice of the Peace, solicitor, pharmacist or other approved person listed under ACT law).

If you do not have the child's birth certificate because the parents have not provided it, contact the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state or territory where the child was born to ask about a replacement.

What You Can Do Once Enrolled

Once the school accepts the enrolment under a recognised informal care arrangement, the principal may allow you to:

• Sign permission notes for excursions and school events
• Receive academic reports and progress updates
• Act as the child's primary emergency contact
• Attend parent-teacher meetings

The school may recognise you for day-to-day administration, but confirm what authority it will accept for other decisions. If issues arise — a teacher questioning your authority, a request for documentation you do not have — Carers ACT (02 6296 9965) can advocate on your behalf.

Non-Government and Catholic Schools

Independent and Catholic systemic schools in the ACT operate under separate private enrolment contracts. Some may require explicit parental consent or a legal opinion before accepting an informal carer's enrolment. If you are considering a non-government school, contact the school registrar directly to ask what documentation they require from a non-parent carer.

The Future of Education Equity Fund

If money is tight — and for most grandparent carers on a pension, it is — the ACT Government's Future of Education Equity Fund provides direct annual grants to offset school costs:

• Preschool: $400 per student
• Primary school: $500 per student
• High school and college: $750 per student

Applications open 1 December each year for the following school year. You need to hold an eligible Centrelink concession card (Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card).

Individual school principals also have discretionary authority to waive voluntary contributions, lend digital learning devices or provide emergency uniform assistance for students in hardship.

Getting the Child's Immunisation Records

Schools may request an up-to-date immunisation history statement. You can access this through the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) via your myGov account, provided the child is listed on your Medicare card. If the child is not yet on your card, lodge Form MS011 with Services Australia first.

The ACT Kinship Carer Support guide includes the complete school enrolment preparation checklist and a step-by-step walkthrough of the statutory declaration process.

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