Funding for carer respite extended

Federal Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, on 9 May announced the extension of 555 funding agreements for an additional three years.

“The agreements come under the National Respite for Carers Program (NRCP) and the affiliated Commonwealth Carelink Program (CCP) and were due to expire on 30 June 2008,” Mrs Elliot said. 

“Over $420.33 million, plus indexation in the order of $18 million, will be provided to respite and carer support services over the next three years through these extended funding agreements,” she said.

“Extending these agreements for a further three years provides community-based respite and carer support services with the certainty they require to plan and manage their operations and continue to deliver high quality respite care for the carers of frail older Australians.”

The Government estimates that the NRCP and CCP programs alone provide respite care, counselling, carer information and support services as well as carer planning to nearly 130,000 carers per year. 

Mrs Elliot said the Government was committed to improving the operation of the community care sector, including through streamlining respite services to create a more sensible system for carers.  The funding
extensions would reflect this.

“In addition, we will be extending the requirement for providers to undertake police checks for all staff, as well as volunteers with unsupervised access to care recipients as part of the extension of funding agreements.”  

The NRCP supports carers by funding respite, information provision and other support for carers.  It funds more than 600 community-based respite services, as well as 54 Commonwealth Respite and Carelink
Centres located around Australia, which are able to assist carers locate and obtain respite services in their local area.  

NRCP funded respite is delivered in a wide range of settings, including day centres, overnight cottages and in carers’ own homes.

In addition to funding community-based respite, the Government also provides funding to approved residential aged care homes to deliver residential respite to the carers of older people.  Funding for residential respite in
2007-08 is estimated to total $122 million.

Officers from the Department of Health and Ageing will be contacting services with expiring agreements over the coming days to provide more information about the extensions process. Services delivering pilot projects such as the Employed Carer Innovative Pilots (ECIPs), will also be contacted shortly by the Department with information about longer-term arrangements.

“These funding extensions provide respite services with funding certainty while the Government considers, in consultation, possible improvements to the system,” Mrs Elliot said.