Apr 02, 2020

Prime Minister Announces That Child Care Will Be Free For Essential Workers

The federal government have just announced that they will introduce a new childcare system from Sunday.

Education Minister Dan Tehan said the new system will mean parents who are essential workers will get their childcare for free.

“What we will be doing is turning off the old system and going to a new system which will provide that relief to parents,” Mr Tehan said.

“The way it will work is that we will look at what 50 per cent of the fees up to the rate cap were in the fortnight before March 2 and we will pay you that amount on a fortnightly basis.”

He said the hope is that now all parents who will get the care they want and whose who have sought to disengage with the child care sector will re-engage with the sector.

Childcare centres will be urged to prioritise the needs of workers when it comes to providing care under the federal government’s new childcare system.

“We are going to ask the centres to prioritise and they should prioritise obviously those who need their children cared for because they are working and working where they can’t care for their children safely at home,” Education Minister Dan Tehan said.

“For them to prioritise as well vulnerable children who need that continuity of care as well and then to re-engage with those parents who have taken their children out of care to see whether they can be accommodated as necessary as well, but there is a clear priority list that we want centres to take into account.”

He said the most important of those are essential workers and the vulnerable children.

Photo Credit – iStock – SDI Productions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Is your social media resonating with your audience?

Read More

Aged-care facilities need accredited infection control experts. Who are they, and what will they do?

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety last week released a special report looking at the sector’s response to COVID-19 and made several recommendations designed to safeguard residents moving forward. One was that the federal government should arrange with states and territories to deploy “accredited infection prevention and control experts” into aged-care facilities to better prepare for, and assist with, management of outbreaks. But who are these accredited infection prevention and control experts, and what will they actually do? Read More

New aged care regulation: Why falls and medication management must be reported from July 1

From July 1, aged care providers will have to report on falls and medication management for the first time, adding to reporting on pressure injuries, use of physical restraint and unplanned weight loss, as part of the government’s compulsory quality indicator program. Read More
Advertisement