Absences for Child Care Benefit (CCB) and JET Child Care fee assistance (JETCCFA) 007-03060040

Item

Examples

1

Allowable absences: The number of absence days that CCB can be paid for any reason is limited to 42 days across all services.

Approved absences: CCB can be paid for additional absences if they are approved based on the evidence available.

Note: CCB, CCR and JETCCFA are not payable for unapproved absences over the 42 absence day limit.

CCB is also not payable for disregarded absences.

2

Absence within allowable limit

John and Karen have 1 child, Norman, who usually attends care totalling 50 hours per week. The family has an eligible hours limit of 50 hours. In a particular week Norman is absent 2 days without specifying a reason, but this is still under the limit for allowable absences for any reason used in the financial year. The service provider may still claim CCB for 50 hours for the week and pass the fee reduction onto the customer for 50 hours of care.

3

Allowable absence limit reached

Charles usually attends care totalling 30 hours (or 3 days) per week. The family has an eligible hours limit of 50 hours. In a particular week Charles is absent for all 3 days. Charles has already reached the 42 day allowable absence day limit in the current financial year. The family provides a medical certificate which explains the absence for the week. The service provider can still claim CCB for the 30 hours as the absence is approved as additional absence days. There is no limit to the number of approved additional absence days providing suitable evidence is provided.

4

Allowable absence limit not reached and evidence provided

Charles usually attends care totalling 30 hours (or 3 days) per week. The family has an eligible hours limit of 50 hours. In a particular week Charles is absent for all 3 days. Charles hasn’t reached the 42 day allowable absence day limit in the current financial year. The family provides a medical certificate which explains the absence for the week. The absence would be counted as an allowable absence as the 42 day limit hasn’t yet been reached.

5

Child has not yet started care

Jane has found a child care place and booked child care at a new service from Monday, 31 July. Jane's child Bobby will not start to attend the service until Monday, 7 August. CCB cannot be paid for an absence until Bobby actually starts to attend child care from 7 August.

6

Child has left care

Rachel is Poppy's parent. Rachel is moving interstate on 23 September and on Friday 15 September gives 2 weeks' notice to the child care service that Poppy will be ceasing care. Rachel is liable to pay for care for the entire 2 weeks until 29 September however Poppy's last day of care is 22 September. Child Care Benefit (CCB) cannot be paid for an absence after 22 September as there is no intention to use care for the final week.

7

Allowable absence limit reached and service claims exceptional circumstances

Jack uses 35 of the 42 initial absence days as a result of illness and the remaining 7 absence days for public holidays and to spend time with grandparents who are visiting from interstate. CCB is paid for these 42 initial absence days and supporting documentation is not required in order to claim these absences.

Once the 42 initial absence days are exhausted then any further absences for which CCB is paid must be taken for an additional absence reason.

So if Jack were to take a 43rd absence day due to illness and had a medical certificate to support this, then CCB would be paid as this falls under the additional absence provisions. However, if Jack was absent on the 43rd day because the grandparents were visiting again then, ordinarily, CCB would not be paid as the initial 42 days absence have been used and the absence is not taken for one of the additional absence reasons.

However, because the service identifies that Jack has taken more than 31 of the initial 42 absences as a result of illness, which is one of the exceptional circumstances reasons, the service may claim, on behalf of the family, this 43rd absence for a break from care as an absence under exceptional circumstances and CCB can be paid. To support the claim, the family would need to provide supporting documentation (in the form of a medical certificate or certificates) as evidence that Jack was absent for 31 or more of the 42 initial absences as a result of illness.

Once the service has this supporting evidence then it would be able to claim, on behalf of the family, further absences under exceptional circumstances, up to a limit of 20, as needed by the family for that particular year.

The service approves the absence and would record this as an additional absence under exceptional circumstances.

Additional absences in exceptional circumstances cannot be used to enable CCB to be paid for fees charged for a child who has already ceased care.

Item

Treatment of absences over limit

1

Type of absence

Illness of the child, sibling, or parent

Absences over 42

Paid as an approved absence day if medical certificate is supplied.

2

Type of absence

Non-immunisation of child

Absences over 42

Paid as an approved absence day if appropriate supporting documentation is supplied, for example, medical certificate.

3

Type of absence

Parent not at work due to a rotating shift or rostered day off from full or part-time employment

Absences over 42

Paid as an approved absence day if appropriate supporting documentation is supplied, e.g. letter from employer.

4

Type of absence

Temporary closure of school or pupil free day (apart from school holidays)

Absences over 42

Paid as an additional absence day

5

Type of absence

Periods of local emergency

Absences over 42

Periods of local emergency are approved by Department of Social Services as an absence day, and do not count towards the 42 day limit

6

Type of absence

Child absent under a court order, registered parenting plan, parenting plan or a parenting order)

Absences over 42

Paid as an additional absence day if court order, parenting plan or parenting order supplied

7

Type of absence

Attendance at a specialised preschool or kindergarten

Absences over 42

Paid as an additional absence day