We’ve declared a period of emergency for the early childhood education and care sector in parts of New South Wales following severe weather and flooding.
The period of emergency applies from 10 to 17 October 2022 for services and families in affected Local Government Areas (LGAs).
See the full list of affected LGAs on our website. We continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates here as required.
Sector-specific support
The following support is available for services and families in affected regions during the period of emergency:
- services can continue to get Child Care Subsidy (CCS) if they close as a direct result of the emergency
- services can waive gap fees if a child doesn’t attend, or their service is closed, during the emergency
- children will get unlimited allowable absences for the duration of the period of emergency.
After the period of emergency, families can access additional absences if they’ve exhausted their allowable absences:
- for 28 days if a child is unable to attend
- for 7 days if a family decides the child should not attend.
Affected families may be eligible for extra help with the cost of child care through the Additional Child Care Subsidy (temporary financial hardship). Families should apply through their Centrelink online account.
The Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) special circumstances grant helps services stay open when something unexpected happens, such as an emergency. Affected services can apply. Applicants should request funding after an event has occurred and they have accessed other disaster support.
Full details of this support are available on our Help in an Emergency page.
Other government support
Services in affected areas may also be eligible for other government support:
- The Australian Government provides payments and help for people affected by natural disasters. Find out if you’re eligible for support on the Services Australia website.
- The NSW Government has support for individuals and businesses impacted by a natural disaster. Find information on the NSW Government website.
For action
- Tell us as soon as possible if you close your service. Do this via the Provider Entry Point (PEP) or your third-party software. You also need to tell your state or territory regulatory authority.
- Update your contact details in the Child Care Subsidy System so you don’t miss important information. Do this via the PEP or your third-party software.
- Update your vacancy details on StartingBlocks.gov.au to help families looking for care. Do this via the PEP or your third-party software.
- Join the Australian Child Care Providers and Services Facebook group for alerts and updates.
- Keep an eye on the NSW State Emergency Service website for current emergency information in your region.