Change of care for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) customers 009-03050000

Before contacting carers, the care receiver or nominees, it is important to check it is safe to do so. It may not be appropriate to contact the claiming carer, current carer, care receiver or any nominees if there is any indication of family and domestic violence (FDV) on any of the records.

Check details on the claiming carer, current carer and care receiver records (notes, Document List (DL) screen, scanned documents and the new claim) for information about the caring circumstances.

This includes:

• Address details - do the carer and care receiver reside together?
• Relationship/s between carer/s and care receiver
• Care arrangements (for child care receiver)
• Care receiver's medical conditions and care load
• Relationship/s between carer/s and care receiver
• Nominee and PPE authorities - for privacy reasons, when contacting either carer, do not refer to the other carer by their name unless the carer being spoken with has provided this information. Until this occurs, refer to them as 'another carer' or 'the other carer'
• If the care receiver is partnered with the current carer, and care has ceased due to separation, see Change in relationship status from partnered to single and Separating safely - protecting personal details before returning here

During contact with any of the parties, they may advise (or staff may suspect) they are affected by family and domestic violence (FDV). Follow the FDV Support Model to determine an appropriate referral and further agency support.

Note: if either carer, the care receiver or nominee advises someone other than themselves is affected by FDV, staff can provide them with referral options for the person affected by FDV, from the Family and domestic violence - Support services intranet page or Payment and Service Finder.

Make 2 genuine attempts to contact the claiming carer by phone to clarify information provided in their claim.

When contact is successful, discuss:

• Has a recent change of address occurred?
• Changes to living arrangements - is the claiming carer still residing with the care receiver?
• If the claiming carer and care receiver do not co-reside, what distance do they live apart? See 'Consideration of distance' information in Change of address for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA)
• Has any recent change to care occurred?
• Is daily care still provided 7 days per week?
• Does anyone else provide care?
• If so, what care do they provide?

Follow alternative Operational Blueprints if the carer and care receiver circumstances meet:

• Multiple care
• Combined care
• Shared care for CA, or
• Exchanged care (child)

Record any discussion with the claiming carer in the claim progress Note and DOC. Do not include the name of the current carer, unless provided by the claiming carer.

Is there enough information to determine both carers' entitlements?

• Yes, proceed with the claiming carer's claim and reassess the current carer’s entitlement if required. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 3

Make 2 genuine attempts to contact the current carer by phone to clarify information about the claims by the claiming carer.

Note: for privacy reasons, when contacting either carer, do not refer to the other carer by their name unless the carer being spoken with has provided this information. Until this has occurred, refer to them as 'another carer' or 'the other carer'.

When contact is successful, discuss:

• Has a recent change of address occurred?
• Changes to living arrangements - is the claiming carer still residing with the care receiver?
• If the claiming carer and care receiver do not co-reside, what distance do they live apart? See 'Consideration of distance - assessment of constant care for CP' information in Change of address for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA)
• Has any recent change to care occurred?
• Is daily care still provided 7 days per week?
• Does anyone else provide care?
• If so, what care do they provide?

Follow alternative Operational Blueprints if the carer and care receiver circumstances meet:

• Multiple care
• Combined care
• Shared care for CA, and/or
• Exchanged care (child)

Record any discussion on the current carer’s record and the claiming carer’s record in the claim progress Note and DOC. Do not include the name of the current carer in the Note or DOC, unless provided by the claiming carer.

Is there enough information to determine both carers' entitlements?

• Yes, proceed with the claiming carer's claim and reassess the current carer’s entitlement if required. Procedure ends here
• No:
• if phone contact was unsuccessful for either carer, go to Step 4
• if both carers were contacted but change in care cannot be determined or there is a dispute between the 2 carers over the care being provided, see Step 1 in Table 2

Attempts to contact the claiming carer have been unsuccessful.

In the claiming carer's record:

• Send a Q164 Request to contact letter for the claiming carer to clarify any ambiguity in the new claim information they have provided
• Hold the claim until the Q164 due date. For more information about times allowed to respond, see the Resources page of Requesting information (CLK)
• Record details of contact attempts, claim information and the reason for attempted contact in the claim progress Note and/or DOC. Do not include the name of the current carer
• Include information to discuss with the claiming carer if they contact, for example:
• Confirm details provided in the new claim
• Is anyone else is also providing care?
• If any recent change to care has occurred?
• All discussions must be recorded in the progress Note and/or DOC

Attempts to contact the current carer have been unsuccessful.

In the current carer's record:

• Send a Q164 Request to contact letter for the current carer to clarify care arrangements
• Record details of contact attempts and reason for attempted contact in a Note and/or DOC on the current carer’s record. Do not include the name of the claiming carer
• Include information to discuss with the current carer if they contact, for example:
• If any recent change in care has occurred?
• If anyone else is also providing care?
• Record all discussions in the Note and/or DOC

In the claiming carer's record:

• Record in the claim progress Note and/or DOC that attempts to contact the current carer have been unsuccessful. Do not include the name or any identifying details of the current carer
• If not already held, hold the claim until the Q164 due date. For more information about times allowed to respond, see the Resources page of Requesting information (CLK)
• Self assign the Work Item via Work Optimiser Hold to User if required

When the claim comes due, go to Step 5.

Check the claiming and current carer’s Notes and Document Lists (DL) for any contact information that clarifies care arrangements.

Is there enough information to determine both carers' entitlements?

• Yes, proceed with claiming carer's claim and reassess current carer’s entitlement if required. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 6

Claiming carer has not responded to the Request For Information (RFI) by the due date and there is not enough information to make a change in care decision.

Process and reject the claim. See:

• Processing claims for Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA)
• Rejecting a Carer Payment (CP) claim and/or
• Rejecting a Carer Allowance (CA) claim

Current carer has not responded to the RFI by the due date and there is not enough information to make a change in care decision.

Cancel the current carer's Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance using code Fail to Reply to correspondence (FRC). See Cancellation and suspension of Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance.

If any carers dispute the change in care, see Table 2

If it is reasonable for the current carer to have supporting evidence, make 2 genuine attempts to contact the current carer to verbally request this evidence be provided.

While care schedules cannot be asked for, the carer could have other documents supporting their claims. For example, a letter from a hospital stating they attend to the care receiver on a regular basis.

Go to Step 2

Check details on the carer's and care receiver's record - Notes, Document List (DL), medical reports, scanned documents, new carer's claim and current circumstances.

Consider the care receiver's:

• Nominee arrangements
• Medical conditions that may affect communication (such as cognitive abilities, hearing loss)
• Relationships with current and claiming carer
• Location in relation to current and claiming carer

If any risk is identified or any other reason the care receiver should be contacted by a social worker, go to Step 3.

Only if reasonable, make 2 genuine attempts to contact the care receiver. If contact is successful, ask:

• A domestic violence risk identification question such as “are you experiencing family and domestic violence?” For other questions, see Family and Domestic Violence, process table 2
• Have any recent changes to care occurred?
• Any changes to address or living arrangements?
• Is care receiver residing with any carer?
• If carer and care receiver do not co-reside, what distance do they live apart?
• Is daily care provided 7 days per week?
• Is anyone else providing care?
• If so, what care is provided and by whom?

Record discussion with care receiver in the claiming carer's progress DOC. Go to Step 4

If contact is unsuccessful, go to Step 5.

If it is unreasonable to contact the care receiver and dispute cannot be clarified, record reasons in the claim progress Note and DOC. Go to Step 5.

Complete a Multiple and Complex Social Work Referral on the care receiver's record. The referral to the social worker should detail all attempted phone contacts and discussions with carer and care receiver, if applicable. Details of the care receiver’s medical condition are to be included.

• Record details of the social worker referral in the claim progress Note and/or DOC
• Hold the claim until the current carer's review due date
• See Hold to User process in Work Optimiser for staff

When the SWO assessment is completed, go to Step 4

Is there enough information to determine both carers' entitlements?

• Yes, proceed with the claiming carer's claim and reassess the current carer’s entitlement if required. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 5

Submit an enquiry to Level 2 Policy Helpdesk.

Outline claim information, attempted contacts, and any additional information supplied by the carers and/or care receiver.

Record details of the request in the claiming carer's claim progress Note and/or DOC.

Hold to User via Work Optimiser, waiting for Level 2 Policy Helpdesk instruction.