Australian Child Care Provider Handbook

We would like to remind all services of the government's Child Care Provider Handbook, available online as a PDF document.

The Child Care Provider Handbook is a guide to the requirements and responsibilities of child care providers and services that are approved under Family Assistance Law.

Contents includes:

• 1 Introduction
  • Legislative framework
  • Child care system responsibilities
  • Child care support - the three main elements
  • What systems do providers need to set up to administer child care subsidies?|
    
    
• 2 Becoming an approved provider
  • Types of eligible child care services
  • Entities that can become approved child care providers
  • Roles of specified personnel
  • Providers, managers and educators must be fit and proper persons
  • Applying for provider approval
  • Adding or removing a service
  • Legislation references – provider approvals
    
    
• 3 Enrolling children
  • Who is 'the individual' responsible for the child's care?
  • The enrolment process
  • Updating arrangements and enrolment notices
  • Other matters regarding enrolment and allocation of child care places
  • Legislation references - enrolments
    
    
• 4 Child Care Subsidy
  • An individual’s eligibility for Child Care Subsidy
  • Types of child care and sessions of care covered by Child Care Subsidy
  • Amount of Child Care Subsidy payments (entitlement)
  • Legislation references – Child Care Subsidy
    
    
• 5 Additional Child Care Subsidy
  • Additional Child Care Subsidy levels and rates
  • Additional Child Care Subsidy (child wellbeing)
  • A. Giving an Additional Child Care Subsidy (child wellbeing) certificate
  • B. Additional Child Care Subsidy (child wellbeing) determination
  • Providing notice to an appropriate state or territory body
  • Additional Child Care Subsidy (grandparent)
  • Additional Child Care Subsidy (temporary financial hardship)
  • Additional Child Care Subsidy (transition to work)
  • Legislation references – Additional Child Care Subsidy
    
    
• 6 Payments
  • 1. Session reports are submitted by the provider
  • 2. Calculation of entitlements and payments
  • 3. Statements of Entitlement are issued to families by providers
  • 4. Providers invoice families
  • 5. Reconciliation
  • Overpayments and debts
  • Legislation references - payments
    
    
• 7 Record keeping and notifications
  • Records that Family Day Care services must keep
  • Notifications providers must give about their service(s)
  • Legislation references - recordkeeping and notifications
    
    
• 8 Support funding and programs
  • Community Child Care Fund
    
    
• 9 Services exempt from the National Law and Regulations
  • Requirements for other exempt services
    
    
• Contacts and further information
• Glossary
• Log of updates and changes

A link access to the full Handbook is available here.