We’ve declared a Child Care Subsidy (CCS) period of emergency in parts of Victoria where some services have been directed to close due to fire risk.
The CCS period of emergency applies for 13 February 2024 in the following local government areas:
- Hindmarsh Shire Council
- Horsham Rural City Council
- Northern Grampians Shire Council
- West Wimmera Shire Council
- Yarriambiack Shire Council.
We continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as required.
Support during the emergency
The following support is available in affected regions during the CCS period of emergency:
- you can continue to get CCS if your service closes as a direct result of the emergency
- you can waive the gap fee if a child doesn’t attend, or your service is closed, during the CCS period of emergency
- families will get unlimited allowable absences for the duration of the CCS period of emergency.
Read more about support during a CCS period of emergency.
Support after the emergency
The following support may help you recover after an emergency:
- you may be eligible for a Community Child Care Fund special circumstances grant if the emergency threatens your service’s ability to stay open after the event, and you have already accessed other disaster support
- families may be able to access additional absences if they’ve exhausted their allowable absences
- families may be eligible for Additional Child Care Subsidy if they experience temporary financial hardship due to an emergency that happened in the last 6 months.
Read more about support after an emergency.
Other disaster support
You may be eligible for other government disaster support:
The Australian Government provides help for people affected by natural disasters. Find out whether you're eligible on the Services Australia website.
Your state or territory government may provide additional support in the event of a natural disaster. Find out more at VicEmergency.