Carer support services

In Queensland, foster and kinship carers receive a fortnightly caring allowance from Child Safety to help cover everyday costs such as food, clothing, transport and activities. As of early 2025, base rates range from roughly $623 to $729.68 per fortnight depending on the child’s age, with higher payments for complex needs. These rates are indexed and reviewed regularly. Anglicare can explain current figures.

At all stages, we’re here to help you fulfil your role as a carer, however, it’s important that you’re still able to financially support yourself and your family.

The financial support available for your foster child includes Queensland Government payments like the Fortnightly Carers Allowance. The amount you get will depend on a number of factors such as your child’s age. The payment would be expected to meet the basic day to day costs for things like shoes, clothing and so on.

We will work with you so it’s clear from the start as to who has financial responsibility for costs that fall outside the Fortnightly Carers Allowance.

There are also a range of other financial options available you may be able to apply for including:

• caring for children with high support or complex special needs
• if you live in a regional or remote area
• unexpected expenses for example that will come out of the child needing extra support over and above government and other payments (on a case by case basis).

Plus, you can also apply to have pre planned expenses reimbursed through a scheme called ‘Child Related Costs’. This would be in discussion with us and your Child Safety Officer.

These costs are considered on a case by case basis and include things like:

• educational costs for general schooling and vocational training
• healthcare costs including general medical, physical and mental health specialists
• travel costs for visiting family, court attendances and some overseas travel costs (based on Guardian consent for the child to travel)
• recreation costs including leisure and recreational activities including pocket money
• purchase of gifts, hobbies, entertainment, holiday expenses.

If you need to talk to someone, we are always here to help you and you can call us any time day or night through our 24-hour support phone line.

You can read more about the financial support available to carers in our Resources section here.

We support people like you to make a real difference to the lives of children and young people in foster care. Anglicare Southern Queensland has created safe and supportive foster care communities for more than 30 years.

Our person-centred approach means we work with you to find out how foster caring can fit with your lifestyle. We connect with you at every stage of your foster care journey, supporting and connecting you to training so you will have the skills you need to be a great carer. We also offer resources and access to wider community groups.

Yes definitely! Caring for children is an extremely rewarding and fulfilling experience. However we know it can, at times, be demanding. So it’s important to us that you take the time to recharge and take a break.

We’re here to support you and will work with you to book in regular or one off breaks so you get the time you need.

It’s important to know that we’re in this together. When you become a foster carer, you’ll be partnered with a dedicated case practitioner to provide the support you need to make caring for a foster child a rewarding and fulfilling experience. You also become part of a wider community of Anglicare carers in Queensland.

We’re here to connect you to the extensive support that we offer that includes ongoing training programs, resources and access to wider community groups at each step in your journey with us.

We understand that sometimes you just need someone to talk to. Our 24/7 phone support is available for you to call us at any time of the day or night.

Yes, absolutely! We’d love you to get involved and meet your fellow carers. The wealth of experience, support and advice from the community is so valuable.

There are lots of celebrations and events during the year where you will have the opportunity to meet fellow carers.

You’re more than welcome to join our events, we have a number of community groups and even training opportunities that are tailored to foster and kinship carers.

The kinship allowance is the same government-funded caring allowance paid to approved kinship carers in Queensland as to foster carers. It is designed to reimburse day-to-day costs of raising a child, not to provide a wage. Depending on the child’s age and needs, carers may also receive additional loadings, one-off payments or support for specific items like car seats, school uniforms or specialist appointments.

A kinship carer is someone who already has a strong relationship with the child—usually extended family such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, adult siblings or close family friends. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, this can also include community or language-group members. Kinship carers are assessed and supported like foster carers, with the goal of providing safe, culturally connected care.

Carer Allowance is a separate Centrelink payment for people providing daily care to someone with disability or a medical condition. It’s not limited to Queensland, but paid nationwide. From January 2025, the standard Carer Allowance rate is about $159.30 per fortnight, indexed over time. It can be paid in addition to other carer or income-support payments if you meet eligibility criteria.

The Carer Supplement is an extra annual lump-sum payment, currently $600 for each eligible Carer Allowance or Carer Payment you receive on 1 July. It’s automatically paid by Services Australia and is designed to help with the additional costs of caring. Carers don’t need to apply separately; the supplement appears in your bank account on top of ongoing fortnightly payments.