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* How can I get these supports? Young Carer Workers can connect you up with local supports. You can contact them through the Commonwealth Carer Resource Centre on 1800 242 636*; Youth Workers can be found at youth and community centres, and sometimes at schools, and can connect you up to supports; Lifeline on 13 1114 and Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800 are a great place to talk, and to find out how to get more support; 'Just look' is a website where you can find out what supports are available in your local area. You can find it on-line at www.justlook.org.au * How does the Australian Government help young carers? Financial assistance Depending on your situation, you may be able to access financial assistance in the form of: Carer Allowance: an income supplement for people who provide daily care and attention at home to a person who has disabilities or a severe medical condition. The person you care for must meet certain eligibility criteria for you to receive Carer Allowance. Carers of any age can apply for the payment. Your income does not affect the amount of money paid. Carer Payment: an income support payment to people, who because of their caring role, are unable to support themselves through participation in the workforce. The person you care for must meet certain eligibility criteria for you to receive Carer Payment. Carers of any age can apply. Carers can work, train or study for up to 25 hours per week, and still receive payment. Any income you earn, may affect the amount of money paid. Youth Allowance: is available to eligible young people who are studying; seeking employment; or preparing for paid employment. Newstart Allowance: provides income support for people over 21 years of age who are unemployed. ABSTUDY: Indigenous secondary or tertiary students may be eligible for ABSTUDY. Other forms of assistance are also available, such as Rent Assistance; Pharmaceutical Allowance; Concession Cards. For more information, contact your local Centrelink office on 13 2717. * Respite Taking time out from your caring tasks and responsibilities is very important, in order for you to stay on top of things, staying healthy and enjoying life. Respite is available through the Commonwealth Carer Respite Centres, if you are under 25 years, and are the significant provider of care and support for a parent, partner, child, relative or friend, who has a disability; is frail aged; or who has a severe mental or physical condition, and because of your caring responsibilities you: Frequently miss school; Have little or no time to do your homework; Find it hard to concentrate at school, or hang out with school friends; Are thinking of leaving school early. Some of the options available include: Up to five hours at home respite per week during the school term, to complete secondary education or vocational equivalent education. Unused respite may be stored for later use (up to a maximum or 20 hours); and 2-week blocks to undertake activities such as study for exams, training or recreation. This respite can be taken in a 2-week block, to cover exam periods, or one day at a time, when you feel stressed about caring, and trying to study. For more information, contact the Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre on 1800 059 059*. * Youth support programs Youth Activities Services and Family Liaison Worker (YAS/FLW) program helps young people 11 to 16 years of age. YAS/FLW Services can: Help young people gain access to a range of supervised, structured, and attractive activities, which are matched to their needs, mainly outside school hours; Provide positive peer support; Where possible and appropriate, provide individual practical support and guidance to young people and their families; Advocate on behalf of young people to schools and other Organisations where appropriate. Reconnect helps young people between the ages of 12 and 18 who are homeless, and those at the risk of homelessness, to become more involved with their family, work, education, training and the community, through mediation, counselling and practical support for the whole family. Reconnect provides confidential support to families, to try to help young people to stay at home until they have the necessary skills to become independent. Reconnect can help young people to: Work things out with their family; Connect with programs that help to find employment; Stay in school when it gets tough; Link into training options; Get income support if eligible; Find somewhere safe to stay if necessary. Reconnect works closely with other local services, to provide help in a way that is sensitive to your family's needs and those of your community. Reconnect pamphlets are available in many languages, and can be obtained from schools, Centrelink, and the Reconnect Service in your area. Mentor Marketplace is a program that aims to increase the mentoring opportunities available to young people. Mentoring available under the program, improves the outcomes for young people aged 12 to 25, who need assistance to stay connected to family and community, education, training and the workplace. The funded Service Providers ensure access to mentoring for a wide range of young people, including those in foster care; young carers; young people with disabilities; Indigenous young people; and those from disadvantaged groups and localities. Mentor Marketplace forms part of the Australian Government's ongoing response, to ensure that young people have the support they need for effective participation in community life. You can find further information on the Australian Government Youth Programs that are administered by the Department of Family and Community Services, on their website. * Assistance with work and study Job Placement, Employment and Training Program (JPET)
Participate socially in the life of their communities; Participate in economic focused activity, such as education, employment and vocation training; Benefit from employment assistance; Young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, are the primary focus for JPET. JPET aims to help young people stabilise their situation, and then address their personal and social barriers, so they can reconnect with school, or start looking for work and retraining programs. More information about JPET can be found at: www.workplace.gov.au New Apprenticeship Scheme
Information about the scheme can be found at www.newapprenticeships.gov.au or by phoning 1800 639 629. New Apprenticeships Access Program
More information can be found at Centrelink, your Job Network Provider or naap.dest.gov.au/Default.aspx Jobs Pathway Program
Information about the scheme, can be found at jpp.detya.gov.au or by phoning 1800 635 035. * How can I find the right service for me? Getting the right service is important, and often the best place to start, is with your local Commonwealth Carer Resource Centre, which you can call on 1800 242 636*. Workers on the other end of the line, can help you get information about services and supports that are available. They can also link you up with your local Young Carers Worker. In many towns and cities, there are also Commonwealth Carelink Centres, where you can get information about community care and aged care services. To find out where the closest centre is, call 1800 052 222*. You can also get help finding supports for your relative and family from: Commonwealth Carer Respite Centres on 1800 059 059* Aged Care Information Line on 1800 500 853. To find help 24 hours a day 7 days a week, try calling: Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 Lifeline on 13 11 14. * How do I get started? Once you've made contact with a service, they'll probably want to come around and do an assessment of your family. This means that they'll talk to you and your family about what it is you need, and what kind of help you want. Sometimes, services will only want to talk to adult members of the family - but if you want to be involved, you definitely should ask. It's a good idea to talk this through with other family members, so they can support you with this. When the service comes up with ideas about how they are going to help your family, make sure that you let them know what you think - because it will definitely impact on your life too. * Making complaints about services It's not always easy to complain about a worker or a service. You might not like the way that you or your relative are being treated; the types of things that workers do and don't do; or how you are involved in making decisions. Many young carers are worried, that if they make a complaint, then they won't get any help in the future. Will making a complaint make a difference? Sometimes, people won't do anything with your complaint, but often they will. They might change the way that they work with your family; they might involve you more in making decisions; or change the kinds of supports they provide. If a service doesn't know that you're unhappy - they can't do much about it! How can I make a complaint? There's lots of different ways of making a complaint, including: Talking directly to the service, raising your issues with a worker face-to-face; Asking to speak to a senior person in the Organisation; Getting a youth worker, a teacher, a counsellor or someone else you trust, to complain for you (or with you); Writing down your complaint, and sending it in to the service Organisation who is running the program. Most services will have a complaints procedure, that can give you ideas about the best ways of making a complaint. It's often a good idea, no matter what you choose, to talk it through with an adult you trust, to get their support and advice. * Call for help Emergency Services Poisons Information Line Commonwealth Carer Resource Centre Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre Kids Help Line Lifeline Commonwealth Carelink Centres Just Ask Family Drug Support Line *Free call except from mobile phones. Mobile calls are charged at mobile rates. Useful websites www.carersaustralia.com.au - for information about what Carers Australia does, and links to Carers Associations in each state and territory. www.reachout.asn.au - a national website for young people, on issues that effect their lives. www.justlook.org.au - to find out what services are in your area. * Help and Support Carers ACT Web: www.carersact.asn.au Address: Ph: 02 6296 9900 Respite Centres Commonwealth Carer Respite Centres Ph: 1800 059 059* ACT Web: www.carersact.asn.au Address: Young Carers tell us that sometimes there are emergencies at home, or times when they need extra help. They also tell us that the best way of dealing with these difficult times, is to have plans in place, that they've put together with their parents, so that they don't have to stress out. In this section of the Young Carers website, we've got some questions that you and your parents might want to work your way through. When you've answered the questions, the website will sort them into a 'Care Plan' that you can print out, and stick on the fridge. You can also give it to other family members; someone at school; or your local respite service (who you can contact on 1800 059 059*) so that everyone knows what to do during an emergency. Click here for information for parents of young carers. Click here for information for teachers of young carers. * Quick Contacts Phone numbers Commonwealth Carer Resource Centre Commonwealth Carer Respite Centres Commonwealth Carelink Centres Lifeline Kids Help Line *Free call, except from mobile phones. Mobile calls are charged at mobile rates. Websites Reachout The Source Its All Right Children of Parents with a Mental Illness Siblings Australia Click here to go to the Young Carers Website. Click here to view information about Carers ACT ****************************** This Community Support Website is |
