Child Protection Income Management and enhanced Income Management 103-01160000

The aim of CPIM and CPeIM is to encourage responsible behaviour by parents to enhance the wellbeing of their children.

Case workers from a State or Territory Child Protection Authority may make a decision that welfare quarantining will contribute to improved outcomes for children at risk.

A customer may be referred to Services Australia to have their eligible welfare payments welfare quarantined. This is at the discretion of child protection authorities. The agency then determines if the customer meets the eligibility requirements for welfare quarantining under the Child Protection measure.

If Services Australia receives a new Child Protection notice, the customer will commence on CPeIM (enhanced IM program, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements).

Before a referral for enhanced IM is made, the State or Territory Child Protection Authority will request a Disclosure of Information (DOI) from Services Australia. This will provide them with information that will assist in determining if welfare quarantining is suitable and will be of benefit, given the customer's circumstances.

Once a Notice to Commence Income Management or enhanced Income Management has been lodged by the relevant State or Territory Child Protection Authority, Services Australia will determine if the customer meets all other criteria required under CPeIM. The customer will commence on enhanced IM with an initial waiting period of 28 days and a letter will be sent to the customer to advise they’ve commenced on enhanced IM.

CPeIM is compulsory, however, the Child Protection Authority case worker can revoke the notice at any time.

The partner of a welfare quarantined customer will not be automatically welfare quarantined. However, the State or Territory Child Protection Authority may refer both partners for welfare quarantining where they believe this is in the best interest of the child/ren concerned.

CPIM and CPeIM is available in the following states:

• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Victoria
• Western Australia

To be eligible under the Child Protection measure, the customer or their partner must be in receipt of an eligible welfare payment and:

• not be welfare quarantined under a measure higher in the hierarchy of Income Management and enhanced Income Management measures
• not have an excluded payment nominee for IM and enhanced IM purposes, and
• be referred for welfare quarantining by a State or Territory Child Protection Authority

Note: it is not expected that a Child Protection Authority will refer a customer for welfare quarantining who does not live in a Child Protection Income Management area or enhanced IM location. However, if a valid Notice for a customer who does not reside within a declared area is received, Services Australia can still apply welfare quarantining to the customer. The customer's address has no bearing on determining if a notice is valid or not.

The customer does not have to be living with the child/ren for their eligible welfare payments to be quarantined. If the Child Protection Authority believes that a customer's income support payment is contributing to improved outcomes for children at risk, they can request the quarantining of that payment.

A Child Protection Notice can be for a period of 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. The notice can be extended beyond a 12 month period if the Child Protection Authority case worker believes this would benefit the customer. This is requested with a continuation notice.

The State or Territory Child Protection Authority can ask for welfare quarantining to stop at any point in time by sending a Revocation of Income Management or enhanced Income Management.

Under CPIM and CPeIM:

• 70% of a customer’s eligible welfare payment are quarantined, and
• 100% of lump sum payments are quarantined

There are specific payments not quarantined.

Services Australia has nominated a position known as the Income Management Contact Officer (IMCO). The IMCO is responsible for liaising with the State or Territory Child Protection Authority in relation to customers referred to the agency, who might benefit from their payments being welfare quarantined.

Services Australia will:

• Action any requests from a State or Territory Child Protection Authority received through the Business Hub
• Be the single point of contact to receive any referrals for welfare quarantining sent by Child Protection Authorities
• Once a customer has been identified, determine if the customer meets all eligibility criteria under the Child Protection measure
• Commence the customer on enhanced IM with an initial waiting period of 28 days (the customer will receive a letter advising they have been referred for enhanced IM)
• Note: if a Notice to continue Income Management for a CPIM customer is received and the Notice takes effect the day following the end date of the initial notice, the customer will continue on CPIM rather than move to CPeIM.
• Provide the customer with enhanced IM program, account and SmartCard support whilst they are on enhanced IM, including referring customer to internal and external support services
• Contact the Child Protection Authority case worker 35 days prior to the end of the IM or enhanced IM period to discuss whether the current notice should be extended or ceased
• Complete the end date review where Referring Authority has confirmed the notice will cease, including ending CPIM or CPeIM
• Undertake further reviews/contact during the period as appropriate
• Facilitate the flow of information between Services Australia and the Child Protection Authorities in relation to the referred customer, for example, changes in care or changes in payment

The State or Territory Child Protection Authority will:

• make a request for Disclosure of Information (DOI) with Services Australia. This request for disclosure allows Child Protection Authorities to gather information to assist them in determining if a referral for welfare quarantining is appropriate
• advise the customer/s that they are going to be referred to Services Australia for welfare quarantining under the Child Protection measure and explain what this means, including expected duration
• provide Services Australia with a Notice to Commence Income Management or enhanced Income Management for the customer. The notice will include contact details and duration of enhanced IM
• provide Services Australia with a Revocation of Income Management or enhanced Income Management notice if it is to cease before the end of the original period stated in the Notice to Commence Income Management or enhanced Income Management
• provide Services Australia with a Notice to Continue Income Management or enhanced Income Management, if deemed appropriate at the end of the initial Notice period
• case manage the family as they would normally do
• advise Services Australia of any changes in the family's circumstances that may impact on Income Management or enhanced IM

A customer’s payments can only be welfare quarantined while a customer has an open case file with the Child Protection Authority. If the customer no longer has an open case, the Child Protection Authority will send Services Australia a Revocation of Income Management or enhanced Income Management notice. If Services Australia is advised that case management of the customer has ceased, contact should be made with the State/Territory Child Protection Authority, to discuss the future of Income Management or enhanced IM for the customer in question. This contact with the State/Territory Child Protection Authority will be made only by a Services Australia Income Management Contact Officer (IMCO).

A customer could be eligible for welfare quarantining under more than one measure at the same point in time. In these cases, a hierarchy is used to determine under which measure the customer will be welfare quarantined. CPIM and CPeIM are ranked second on the hierarchy of Income Management and enhanced IM measures, only behind the Cape York enhanced IM measure.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) administers payments which are eligible welfare payments for Income Management and therefore eligible to be welfare quarantined under the Child Protection and Voluntary measures.

The DVA trigger payments are:

• Service Pension
• Income Support Supplement
• Age Pension paid by DVA
• Veteran Payment

DVA customers are subject to the same welfare quarantining rules as Services Australia's customers. The task of providing this service to these customers is controlled by the Statement of Intent between DVA and Services Australia.

It will be necessary to confirm that the customer receives one of the DVA eligible payments and that they reside in an area where the relevant measure is available. An Income Management Contact Officer (IMCO) will handle all DVA cases.

A customer can appeal the Child Protection Authority's decision to refer them to Services Australia for welfare quarantining. In this case, Services Australia will refer the customer to the Child Protection Authority where usual internal appeals processes should occur. The Child Protection Authority will provide customers with information on their appeal rights.