Disclosing information to parents of Youth Allowance customers 104-01020020

If the young person is assessed as being independent for Youth Allowance (YA) due to 'unreasonable to live at home' or similar criteria, staff must not acknowledge to a parent/guardian that their child is receiving YA or provide details of payment.

Customers can give authority for their parents to enquire on their behalf:

• Verbally during a phone call
• In a letter or statement from the YA customer
• When completing an online claim for YA
• When completing the Claim for Youth Allowance (SY001)
• By completing an Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf (SS313) form. Customers can appoint their parent as a nominee or person permitted to enquire. When a nominee is appointed, there is no stipulation over what information they can have access to subject to the type of nominee arrangement (correspondence and/or payment). For more information, see Nominees.

Do not provide personal information to the customer about their parents. This especially relates to parental income details. If the customer's payment has been cancelled or reduced due to parent's income, the customer may only be told that their payment has been affected by their parent's income and to discuss it with them.

When contact is made over the phone, receipt numbers should be issued to parents of under 18s whose payments go to that parent's account.