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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-02-08 Daily Xml
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Carer Respite Support

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (14:29): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. Can the minister provide an update on respite support for carers?

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:29): First of all, I thank the member for her question and for her fierce advocacy for foster and kinship carers. I am deeply committed to doing all that I can. Our government is deeply committed to doing all that we possibly can to help improve the lives of children, young people and their families, including foster and kinship carer families.

Carers, of course, play an absolutely critical role in supporting, caring for and nurturing children and young people. They provide love, support and a really strong foundation that helps give children and young people the best possible ability to grow, to thrive, to succeed and to live happy, fulfilling lives. Our government is committed to doing more to help recognise foster and kinship carers' vital roles and their remarkable commitment. They are integral to the child protection and family support system.

What they do is deeply rewarding. It also can come with enormous, sometimes heartbreaking, challenges. They need support and sometimes they need a break. Getting that break can be hard. Following an extensive consultation, where more than 400 people had their say, we have made significant changes to the respite model to ensure that respite is more flexible and easily accessible for carers. We want to help ensure that South Australia's kinship and foster carers can have relief and support in the way that works for them.

The new flexible respite support payment of $800 a year will help eligible carers pay for respite-like support chosen by them. This can mean hiring a cleaner, a gardener or even simply taking time out to go to the cinema or elsewhere. This move expands the opportunities for South Australian carers to access respite-like help and ensure that they are well supported in the critical role that they play caring for children and young people. Carers will be able to direct the payment towards services that help meet their individual needs, with the first quarterly payment of $200, on top of existing respite payments already provided to carers.

The new flexible respite arrangements follow other recent initiatives to improve supports for carers, such as the Carer Council, established to amplify their voices and provide valuable feedback on their experiences. The additional payment is also on top of the 4.8 per cent increase we made in the 2023-24 budget that went to every carer, as well as an additional $50 payment to those who have children and young people under the age of 16.

I am continuously inspired by the tenacity, resilience and commitment that carers show in their efforts to strengthen children's lives and keep them safe and supported to reach their goals. During January, I took the opportunity, as I frequently do, to meet with carers, including in Whyalla, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, the Barossa and Ceduna to hear about what matters to them. This change to the respite model was really well received and it is demonstrative of our government's commitment to listen to carers and to support and empower them to keep undertaking the vital role they do. I thank carers and I thank the peak body, Connecting Foster and Kinship Carers SA, for their enduring advocacy on behalf of carers and the vital role that they play in facilitating the Carer Council.

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