Roles and responsibilities in the administration of Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) 007-17103145

The Department of Education is responsible for approving a child care provider as an approved child care service. Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) are only available to families using approved child care.

Approved child care services are responsible for:

• providing child care for families
• advising families about CCS and ACCS
• receiving CCS and ACCS payments on behalf of families and apply this as a fee reduction. Receipts issued reflect the amount of CCS/ACCS received
• submitting initial enrolment notices for new children entering their service with Services Australia (which customers are required to confirm, dispute or reject), and enrolment updates when circumstances change
• reminding new families transferring to their service to tell Services Australia of their change in child care arrangements
• identifying any children at risk of serious abuse and helping families access ACCS (child wellbeing)
• submitting session reports (attendance details) for children attending their service
• maintaining child care attendance records
• advising child care details to the Department of Education
• retaining any CCS related documents for three years and making them available to Services Australia or the Department of Education as required

Information submitted and received by child care services is via the internet using the secure integrated Child Care Subsidy System (CCSS). CCSS is accessible by the Department of Education and Services Australia.

Child care services should refer to the Child Care Provider Handbook produced by the Department of Education for policy and procedural information.

If further advice is required, child care services should contact the Department of Education CCS Helpdesk.

The Department of Education is responsible for:

• developing CCS and ACCS policy and legislation
• liaising with peak bodies within the child care industry
• assessing applications from child care providers to become an approved child care service
• compliance of child care services
• developing resources and provide support to child care services
• assessing ACCS (child wellbeing) certificates and determinations where the service requests to backdate more than 28 days, which was requested before 16 October 2023

Depending on their role, Service Officers at Services Australia will support families claiming or receiving Child Care Subsidy (CCS) by:

• telling families about eligibility criteria and CCS entitlement
• accepting claims and documents from families
• helping families claim CCS and/or ACCS via digital and staff assisted channels
• update customer details about CCS, including income estimates, activity details and changes in care
• conducting reassessments as required or as requested by customers
• answering and resolving queries from customers on CCS entitlement and assessment notices
• processing change of circumstances about CCS, including Activity test information and income estimate
• undertaking initial reviews and explain review process to customers where necessary
• referring helpdesk enquiries following the agreed helpdesk protocols
• referring queries about ACCS (child wellbeing) to their child care service
• helping families with exceptional circumstances, including accepting information or handing off as appropriate
• processing CCS claims and ACCS applications, including assessment of evidence provided and determining exceptional circumstances

From 16 October 2023, Services Australia are responsible for assessing exceptional circumstance certificate and determination applications.

Under no circumstances should Services Australia (including specialists, for example, Social Workers, Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Advisers, Multicultural Service Officers) have direct contact with child care services.

It is not the responsibility of Services Australia to act as a liaison point between customers and their providers as this would be considered a breach of privacy. The only exception would be where staff in the Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) processing team are required to contact the provider to advise of an ACCS (child wellbeing) application adverse outcome.

Child care services have been informed of the correct channels to escalate their enquiries through which is via the Department of Education.

• If a child care service contacts and the matter relates to the customer's CCS payment, the customer will need to contact Services Australia directly
• For all other matters, staff (including specialist staff; Social Worker, Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Advisers) should direct the child care service to refer their enquiries to the Department of Education in the first instance

Families need to:

• claim CCS and apply for ACCS as required
• enter into a Complying Written Agreement (CWA) with their child care service
• confirm initial enrolment details or advise of incorrect information on enrolment updates as submitted to Services Australia by their child care service
• sign attendance records at the child care service
• make sure child immunisation is up to date
• tell Services Australia of notifiable events which may impact their eligibility or entitlement for CCS or ACCS, including but not limited to:
• changes to their income estimate
• a change in the hours they (or their partner) engage in a recognised activity
• changes in their circumstances which may result in them no longer being eligible for ACCS (for example, no longer experiencing financial hardship, stopping study, change in caring arrangements for grandchild)
• changes in their circumstances which may impact their exceptional circumstance exemption or Activity Test result
• change of child school status
• change in child care provider
• give the child care service their and their child's CRN. Customers may make an informal enrolment at their child care service without CRNs, but their enrolment notice and session reports cannot be passed on via the CCSS until CRNs are provided to their child care service