The Grandcarers Support Scheme is an annual payment designed to help with the demands and financial pressures that full time grandparent carers may experience.

If you’ve opened up your home to care for your grandchildren, you may be eligible to apply for an annual payment of $1000 for each eligible grandchildren in your full-time care.

Applying for the Grandcarers Support Scheme will give you access to:

• an annual payment funded by the Department of Communities
• advice about other resources and services
• support and guidance regarding the grandparent carer role

Who can apply?

To be eligible for the Grandcarers Support Scheme:

1. You must be an informal grandparent carer

‍‍'Informal' means you're not receiving any regular financial support from the Department of Communities, for example, a carer subsidy or Special Guardianship Order payment

2. You must be a full-time, primary carer

To apply, your grandchildren (up to 18 years) must have resided in your full-time, primary care for at least four months

3. You must permanently reside in WA

You must be an Australian citizen, hold a permanent visa and be a permanent resident of Western Australia

4. You must be a grandparent

‍‍You must be a biological, marital, defacto or culturally defined grandparent to the children in your care

How to apply for the Grandcarers Support Scheme

1. Contact us

Contact the Grandcare team by emailing gss@wanslea.org.au or calling 1800 794 909. If the phone line is busy, please leave a message with your full name, phone number and a brief reason for your call. We will get back to you within three business days.

2. Phone assessment

We’ll conduct a phone assessment to determine your eligibility. During the call, we’ll explain the application process, requirements and payment time-frame in more detail. 

3. Application

Following the call, we’ll email or post you the documents that need to be completed as part of your application, including a Statutory Declaration and 100 points of ID. You’ll need to complete and return these documents to Wanslea.

4. Payment

Once received, we’ll forward your completed application to the Department of Communities for payment. Your payment may take up to 6 weeks to reach your nominated bank account.

‍

View our Grandcarer Support Scheme brochure for more information.