NSW storms: CCS period of emergency declared

The CCS period of emergency applies from 15 January 2025 to 17 January 2025 in the following local government areas:

• City of Maitland
• Port Stephens Council
• Singleton Council
• Northern Beaches Council
• Mid-Coast Council
• Lake Macquarie City Council
• Dungog Shire Council
• Cessnock City Council
• Blacktown City Council
• Hawkesbury City Council
• Snowy Valleys Council
• Upper Hunter Shire Council

To access the emergency provisions below your person with management or control must contact the department as follows:

• email CCSHelpdesk@education.gov.au
• use the subject line “Claim for NSW storms CCS period of emergency”
• include in the body of the email for each affected service:
  • service name
  • service ID
  • service address
  • estimated number of impacted families
  • expected period of closure
  • reason for closure
  • note whether the service was directed to close
• attach any of the following as evidence for each affected service:
  • photos of damage caused by the storm
  • communications from state emergency services agencies
  • other information you consider helpful.

We will review your request for emergency support. We will respond via email to advise if your request has been approved.

Support during the emergency

The following support is available in affected regions during the CCS period of emergency:

• you can continue to get CCS if your service closes as a direct result of the emergency
• you can waive the gap fee if a child doesn’t attend, or your service is closed, during the CCS period of emergency
• families will get unlimited allowable absences for the duration of the CCS period of emergency.

Read more about support during a CCS period of emergency.

Support after the emergency

The following support may help you recover after an emergency:

• you may be eligible for a Community Child Care Fund special circumstances grant if the emergency threatens your service’s ability to stay open after the event, and you have already accessed other disaster support
• families may be able to access additional absences if they’ve exhausted their allowable absences
• families may be eligible for Additional Child Care Subsidy if they experience temporary financial hardship due to an emergency that happened in the last 6 months.

Read more about support after an emergency.

Other disaster support

You may be eligible for other government disaster support:

• The Australian Government provides help for people affected by natural disasters. Find out whether you're eligible on the Services Australia website.
• Your state or territory government may provide additional support in the event of a natural disaster. Find out more at Emergency NSW.