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s22
Notification and assessment of shared care arrangements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) 007-
02040020
Currently published version valid from 18/07/2024 9:36 PM
Background
s22
If you have concerns about a child's safety, conduct the risk and referral process.
This document explains the notification and assessment of shared care arrangements for family
assistance and Paid Parental Leave scheme payments. A shared care arrangement should not be
confused with a change of care. A shared care assessment is appropriate if there is a pattern of care
over a certain period (for example, the child stays with the other parent on weekends or during
school holidays). Use this document with claim procedures.
Shared care
Shared care is where a child is jointly cared for by 2 or more people who are not members of the
same couple. If a child spends time (on weekends or school holidays for example) with someone else,
each carer may be assessed to have shared care.
The percentage of shared care used for family assistance will determine the amount of Family Tax
Benefit (FTB) payable, even if the other carer is not currently claiming FTB. To qualify for FTB for a
child, the child must be in the actual care of a person for at least 35% of the time.
Customers with a Regular Care Child are not eligible for FTB for the child but may be eligible for
ancillary benefits or a higher rate of income support payment.
When a person advises they share the care of a child with another person, the care arrangements
must be confirmed with each person caring for the child. s47E(d)
If a person advises their percentage of care has reduced, and this cannot be immediately confirmed
with the other carer/s, a preliminary care decision should be made until the new care arrangement
can be verified. This care decision should be based on the persons notified care percentage.
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Service Officers can code point of contact changes to shared care arrangements on a customer's
record if there is:
• a decrease in their level of shared care, or
• an increase in their level of shared care
and one of the following applies:
o signed FA012 supplied by both parties
o verbal confirmation from both carers of the increase in care,
or the other carer's
record has previously been documented or coded advising the change in shared
care, or
47E(d)
o
Mutual Centrelink and Child Support customers
A mutual customer of Centrelink and Child Support can notify either agency of changes to shared
care arrangements for a child. Both agencies will use the same rules to make a shared care
determination.
The agency receiving the information will make the shared care determination and that information
will be transferred to the other agency through the alignment of care data exchange.
If the customer notifies Child Support of a change, the percentage of care will be assessed and
transferred to Centrelink electronically via the data exchange. A revised decision may be required for
social security purposes when the new assessment from Child Support is received. A Manual Follow-
up (MFU) is generated to identify customers whose social security payment rate or eligibility may
need to be reassessed following the Child Support care determination.
For more information about alignment of care determinations between Child Support and Centrelink
mutual customers, see Transfer of information between Centrelink and Child Support.
Shared care and payment eligibility
Family Tax Benefit
Generally, care arrangements are made between separated parents of a child, however another
family member or unrelated adult may also care for the child. FTB payment for a child may also be
shared by:
• Separated couples living under one roof. Assessing the eligibility for each person should be
the same as for any other shared care case
• Separated couples who both claim FTB for a period before they separated
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• Members of a blended family as long as they each have at least 35% care. In this case, the
members of the couple nominate the percentage of the family's total FTB entitlement each is
to receive
If 2 FTB customers become partnered, they will need to decide which member of the couple will
receive ongoing FTB, unless they decide to be paid as a blended family. If they shared the care of a
child now solely in their care, care details must be updated.
The result of a care assessment must be recorded on each carer's record linked to the relevant child
record.
FTB can be shared between customers based on the percentage of time the child spends in each
customer's care and if the child is considered an FTB child. A person must have actual care of a child
for at least 35% of the time to receive FTB for the child.
• Customers with more than 65% actual care of a child will receive 100% FTB for the child
• Customers with 35-65% actual care of a child will receive some FTB for the child based on
their actual care of the child and applying the FTB shared care percentage
• Customers with 14-34% actual care of a child will not receive FTB for the child but may be
eligible for ancillary benefits for the child. The child is considered to be a Regular Care Child
of the customer
• Customers with less than 14% actual care of a child will not receive FTB for the child or be
entitled to any ancillary benefits
The percentage recorded must be a whole number - rounding rules for actual care percentage apply.
FTB components are calculated using the shared care percentage for an FTB child (at least 35% actual
care),
except for Rent Assistance (RA), Single Income Family Supplement (SIFS) and Newborn
Supplement (NBS).
For Income Support Payments (ISP) and shared care, see 'With child' rate of benefit for non-principal
carers with shared care.
Only one child support case
If parents share the care of a child or if each has one or more children in care, Child Support registers
child support case which:
• assesses the entitlements of all parties, and
• determines an overall payee and payer
The system will only establish an electronic link with one Centrelink customer (the child support
payee) at the time the link is established. This means that information received electronically from
Child Support to show that the other party (generally the payer) is not recognised and the system will
not show that the payer has met the Maintenance Action Test (MAT).
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If both parents are FTB customers, manual coding may be required on the other parent's record to
reflect the MAT status and prevent the payer's FTB Part A rate being restricted to base rate.
See Maintenance Action Test (MAT) for customers with shared care.
Parental Leave Pay (PPL)
For children born or adopted
on or after 1 July 2023, claimants must have care of the child on their
PPL days. Customers do not need to have 'primary care' of the child on their PPL days, just 'care'.
As more than one customer can have care of a child on a day, multiple customers can claim PPL on
the same day. There is a maximum of 10 concurrent dates per child. This means customers can take a
maximum of 10 PPL days for the same child on the same day.
The birth mother must give approval to claim and approval to share days for:
• the partner of the birth mother
• the other parent
• the partner of the other parent
In cases of adoption, where there is:
• one adoptive parent, they must give approval to claim and approval to share PPL days to any
other claimant (that is, partner of the adoptive parent)
• two adoptive parents, the first adoptive parent to claim must give approval to share PPL days
to the other adoptive parent. They do not need to give approval to claim
For children born or adopted
before 1 July 2023, in a shared care situation, PPL will only be paid to
the primary carer. PPL cannot be shared. If more than one carer lodges a claim for PPL, Services
Australia will determine who will be the primary carer to receive PPL. Generally, the birth or adoptive
mother will be the primary carer. If neither carer is birth mother, a decision will be made in favour of
the carer with workforce connections. Carers will be notified of the decision in writing.
Dad and Partner Pay (DAP)
DAP can only be claimed for a child born or adopted
before 1 July 2023. Percentages of care are not
relevant for DAP. An eligibility determination is based on the customer having care of a child for DAP
purposes on each day of the DAP period.
Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
For child care provided
from 2 July 2018, shared care details do not affect the customer's CCS rate.
Each person liable to pay child care fees (that is, have a Complying Written Agreement (CWA)) may
be eligible for CCS for the child providing the child is an FTB or regular care child. Each person liable
for the child care fees needs to claim CCS separately.
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Note: from 27 June 2022, where a CCS customer is partnered, and does not meet care requirements,
the system will automatically check if their current partner has the child/ren coded in their care (ICC)
with 14% care or more.
Customers not eligible for FTB for a child due to the percentage of shared care may still be eligible for
CCS.
Change in shared care will not affect FTB eligibility/rate of payment and child support cost
percentage
Where a change in shared care percentage
does not affect Family Tax Benefit (FTB) eligibility/rate of
payment and the child support assessment/ cost percentage, a care decision may not be required:
•
A new care determination would not vary the assessed child support amount or the FTB
entitlement. This is because the new care percentage falls within a particular 'care
percentage range' that does not alter these amounts
•
As the care percentages on record or in the child support assessment will not be changed, no
decision has been made, which means review and appeal/objection rights
do not apply
•
Although no decision has been made relating to a particular reported care change, it is
important that customers continue to notify all future changes so that it can be assessed
whether or not a new care determination needs to be made
Note: if the customer is in receipt of an income support payment, a care determination
must be
made to determine if the customer is considered the Principal Carer.
Multiple carers
If a child is being cared for by 3 or more people, and if:
•
none of the carers has at least 35% actual care, no customer will be paid FTB for the child
•
only one customer has 35% or more actual care, then that customer may be entitled to 100%
of the family assistance for the child
•
2 customers have at least 35% actual care, the family assistance is apportioned and
disbursed between the 2
Separated under one roof (SUOR)
s47E(d)
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s47E(d)
If parents are separated but living in the same house, the Service Officer will determine each parent's
percentage of care based upon the care that is actually occurring for the child.
Assessing the FTB eligibility for each individual should be the same as for any other shared care case.
Before the separation, one of the parents would have been the primary carer. Consider the extent to
which the level of care has changed since the separation occurred.
Contacting carers
In most cases it is
mandatory to attempt to contact the other carer.
s47E(d)
Note: where FDV concerns are identified, the FDV Support Model must be followed and
consideration be given to the involvement of a
social worker where a child may be at risk of harm or
where a customer's circumstances indicate vulnerability or risk to the customer's safety. See Social
work service referral.
Disagreement over care arrangements
For Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and child support, a disagreement may occur between carers over how
much care is actually being provided for a child, or over the facts regarding the care of a child.
Disagreements may occur with or without a formal arrangement (such as a written agreement,
parenting plan or court order) being in place.
A disagreement
without a formal care plan was previously known as
contested care.
This is not to be confused with disputed care.
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Integrated Care skilled staff manage all disagreed care situations.
Disputed care
For Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and child support, a dispute in relation to the care of a child exists
where:
•
a written care arrangement (for example, written agreement, parenting plan or court order)
for the child is in place
•
there is a departure from the terms of the arrangement by one of the parties, and
•
the person with reduced care (compared to the amount in the written care arrangement) is
taking reasonable action to have the care arrangement complied with
The dispute may relate to a departure from shared care arrangements between 2 or more people, or
to a departure from arrangements for the sole care of a child, where care changes from one person
to another in breach of the arrangement. In these cases, there is no disagreement about how much
care is actually being provided for the child.
Integrated Care skilled staff manage all disputed care cases. In disputed care situations, Integrated
Care may make an 'interim period' decision and an 'actual care' decision.
The care assessment will be based on the care set out in the written care arrangement for an interim
period from when the care arrangement ceased to be complied with. The interim period will be
anywhere between 4 weeks to 52 weeks depending on:
•
the type of written care arrangement (interim periods will generally be longer for court
orders than for parenting plans or written care agreements)
•
how long the written care arrangement has been in place
•
whether or not the person with increased care is taking reasonable action to participate in
family dispute resolution
At the end of the interim period, the care assessment will be based on the 'actual care'.
Note: before 23 May 2018, the interim period was for 14 weeks (up to a maximum of 26 weeks if
special circumstances existed).
Examples of a disputed care include:
•
the child has decided not to return to live with the customer, or
•
the child has not been returned by the other parent even though the care arrangement
states the child should have been returned by the other parent
Disagreements about care are relevant whether or not a formal arrangement is in place. The
percentage of care is generally determined on the basis of actual care provided.
Special circumstances
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47E(d)
All special circumstances disputed care decisions are assessed by the Integrated Care skilled officers.
Actual Care in Special Circumstances (ACSC) Officers will assess these decisions.
s47E(d)
Lump sum payments
The total amount of FTB payable for the child cannot be more than 100%.
If a carer lodges an FTB lump sum, past period and/or instalment claim but another person has
already claimed 100% FTB for that child, an investigation into the correct percentage of care should
take place before the new claim is determined (the claim should not be rejected). This may result in
an overpayment for the customer who has received FTB for the child.
Customers can apply for a formal review of the care decision.
Social security payments
A shared care assessment should be completed in all cases.
For customers receiving a social security payment, shared care assessment details need to be
recorded separately to make sure the correct entitlement and rate of payment is made. Customers
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may be entitled to a higher rate of benefit even if they are not considered the principal carer as they
may still be entitled to a 'with child' rate of payment for JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance
(YA) and Special Benefit (SpB).
Even if only one person is claiming income support or if each person has another qualifying child
solely in their care, an assessment is required. The shared care assessment will determine a
customer's principal carer status. Changes in care and shared care impact family payments and some
income support payments such as PP, JSP, YA (job seeker) and SpB. Customers may receive both
payments or just one. All changes in care and shared care must be actioned by staff taking into
consideration both payment types. The incorrect coding or not coding of care screens may result in a
customer receiving incorrect entitlements. For more information see Principal carer of a dependent
child.
A principal carer is a person with the primary care of a dependent child under the age of 16 years. A
step parent may qualify as a principal carer if they live as a member of a couple with the parent of
the child.
A person is generally the principal carer if they have the higher level of responsibility for the child's
day-to-day care, welfare and development.
The person considered to be the principal carer of the child may qualify for Parenting Payment (PP) if
they have an eligible child in their care:
• Parenting Payment Partnered (PPP) if under 6 years of age, or
• Parenting Payment Single if under 14 years of age
A child can be a Parenting Payment (PP) child of only one customer at a time. This means only one
customer can be paid PP for a child. In most cases, this will be the customer who has the greater
degree of care and control.
For customers receiving Carer Allowance (CA) and family assistance payments and/or PP for a shared
care child, shared care for CA must be recorded separately.
If Child Support has completed a care assessment for an income support customer, a Manual Follow-
up (MFU) may be generated to review the principal carer status for the customer. The MFUs are
completed by appropriately trained Families and Child Care Smart Centre staff.
Change in principal carer status
s47E(d)
• to determine principal carer status for income support payments
• in conjunction with existing screens to determine principal carer status
s47E(d)
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s47E(d)
For equal care, staff must make sure a principal carer assessment has been completed and the s47E(d)
s47E(d)
updated correctly.
For single JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance (job seeker) and Special Benefit (SpB)
customers coding of the principal carer determination on the s47E(d)
will
automatically update the customers principal carer status on the s47E(d)
screen.
s47E(d)
Shared care percentage system issue
There is a known system issue that may affect a customer's shared care percentage. P24845 - in
some cases, where the FTB for a child is being paid to the step-parent, care is not being applied
correctly. The Process page contains more information.
Care assessment referral activities for income support payment, LIC, CSHC and FST claims
Customers may advise of a child entering care, or a change to an existing care arrangement for a
child in care within the following claims or existing payments:
• Income support payment
• Low Income Health Care Card (LIC)
• Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) or
• Foster Child Health Care Card (FST)
If an Assessment of Care Arrangements is needed, the assessment must be completed before the
claim can be finalised. When a referral is required, claim processing staff using Process Direct that are
not trained in undertaking care assessments select the s47E(d)
referral
option, which will generate a work item.
The Assessment of Care Arrangements work item will be allocated to a suitably skilled Families
Service Officer to complete the care assessment in Customer First.
Work item information can be located via s47E(d)
s47E(d)
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After the care assessment has been completed, income support payment, LIC, CSHC and FST
processing staff will proceed to claim assessment and finalisation.
In Customer First, there is no change to the existing protocols for referral and assessment.
The Resources page has:
• examples and scenarios
• links to various resources for assessing care arrangements including:
o the care estimator, and
o shared care calendars that can be printed and issued to customers
• information about the letters produced with the s47E(d)
script,
and
• a link to the Services Australia website
Related links
Changes to shared care for Carer Allowance (CA)
Alignment of Care Manual Follow-up (MFU) activities
Alignment of Care processing for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) lump sum claims
Blended families and Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
Completing the Details of your child's care arrangements (FA012)
Customer advises a change to their level of care of a child
Customer advises care arrangements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
Eligibility for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for individuals
Eligibility for Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
Family Relationship Centres and the Family Relationship Advice Line
Linking a child to a customer's record
Rate of Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
Review of care decisions
Separated couples and eligibility for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for a period before separation
Shared care eligibility for family assistance and Paid Parental Leave scheme payments
Shared care for social security payments
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Transfer of information between Centrelink and Child Support
Waiver of Family Tax Benefit (FTB) shared care entitlement
Maintenance Action Test (MAT) for customers with shared care
Risk identification and management of threats to the safety or welfare of a child
'With child' rate of benefit for non-principal carers with shared care
Shared care for income support payments and principal carer determinations
Principal carer of a dependent child
Process
If you have concerns about a child's safety, conduct the risk and referral process.
This document explains the notification and assessment of shared care arrangements for family
assistance and Paid Parental Leave scheme payments. A shared care arrangement should not be
confused with a change of care. A shared care assessment is appropriate if there is a pattern of care
over a certain period (for example, the child stays with the other parent on weekends or during
school holidays). Use this document with claim procedures.
Staff processing families claims in Process Direct, select the
Process Direct tab. Otherwise,
select
Customer First.
Process Direct
On this page:
Initial customer contact and information gathering
Shared care not confirmed and agreed or customer in hardship
Disputed care - request evidence and code an interim care decision
Making a decision on a shared care arrangement
Coding shared care arrangements
P24845 - Step-parent workaround
Initial customer contact and information gathering
Table 1: this table describes the steps to follow when gathering information to be able to assess
shared care percentages for a child. A customer may advise a shared care arrangement verbally, in
writing, on a Details of your care arrangements (FA012), via the Child Support Online and Express
Plus App services, or when claiming a Centrelink payment.
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Step
Action
1
Shared care change + Read more ...
Has the change in shared care already happened?
•
Yes:
o If a person (including a non-customer) wants to apply for a formal
review of a
care decision, see Internal review process for care decisions.
Procedure ends here
o In all other cases, go to Step 2
•
No, the change is for a future date:
o Ask the carer to contact once the change has actually occurred
o Record the advice given in Customer First using s47E(d)
2
Determine if disputed care provisions apply + Read more ...
For FTB and child support, a dispute in relation to the care of a child exists when a
written care arrangement applies in relation to that child, and where actual care is not
being followed in accordance with the written arrangement.
If a disputed care assessment has already been completed for this care change, and
a
DOA DOC exists on the record advising this assessment is being undertaken by
Integrated Care (INC), see Table 3, Step 2 on the Process Direct tab.
There are specific actions needed when the:
• carer is advising that a current written care arrangement (for example written
agreement, parenting plan or court order) in place for the child is no longer
being complied with,
and
• care arrangement was being followed immediately before the most recent
change
or the change in care occurred before the care outlined in the written
care arrangement commenced
Do the above circumstances apply?
•
Yes, go to Step 3
•
No, this is not disputed care, go to Step 4
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3
Check if reasonable action has been taken + Read more ...
Examples of reasonable action for the person with reduced care include:
• initiating or participating in court action for contravention of a court order
• obtaining or seeking legal advice regarding the making of a court order
• initiating mediation, through a Family Relationship Centre or other service, to
re-establish the care arrangement
• negotiating with the other parent with a view to re-establishing the care
arrangement
Is the carer with reduced care of the child/ren (compared to the amount in the written
care arrangement), taking reasonable action to have the care arrangement complied
with?
•
Yes, disputed care may apply, see Table 3, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
•
No, this is not disputed care, go to Step 4
•
Unknown, as the care change was not reported by the person with reduced
care, see Table 2, Step 2 on the Process Direct tab
4
Determine if this is a notification of a shared care arrangement + Read more ...
A shared care assessment is not to be confused with a change of care. A shared care
assessment is appropriate if there is a pattern of care over a certain period (for
example. the child stays with the other parent every second week, or on weekends or
during school holidays)
A change of care occurs when the full caring responsibility for the child passes to
another person (the child does not regularly spend
any time with another carer).
Is this a notification of a new shared care arrangement?
•
Yes, go to Step 5
•
No, for a change of care, see Change of care for Family Tax Benefit
5
Determine if the change in shared care impacts family assistance and child support, or
income support payments or concessions, or is an Assessment of Care arrangements
referral is required + Read more ...
Will the change in shared care impact FTB eligibility/rate of payment and the child
support assessment/cost percentage, or does care need to be checked or updated for
entitlement and rate of payment to income support payment, Low Income Health Care
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card (LIC), Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) or Foster Child Health Care Card
(FST)?
•
Yes, go to Step 6
•
No, go to Step 7
6
Shared care change will affect FTB, child support, income support payment or FST,
CSHC or LIC entitlement + Read more ...
• Check for sensitive issues (such as family and domestic violence or hardship)
and make appropriate referral to a social worker if required, see Social Work
Services
• Check whether the shared care assessment has been commenced or finalised
by Child Support on thes47E(d)
screen
If the child is not linked to the customer, locate the child's record by searching
for a customer on the system
To check the s47E(d)screen:
s47E(d)
• On the s47E(d)
screen, check the s47E(d)
to see if Child Support have finalised a care activity. The record will display
as s47E(d)
Has Child Support commenced or finalised the care activity?
•
Yes, go to Step 8
•
No, go to Step 9
7
Change in shared care will not impact FTB and child support + Read more ...
The following are examples of when shared care percentages are easy to determine:
• Conclusive evidence has already been provided confirming the new care
percentage
• The care change is a new written care arrangement that has not yet been
recorded
Are the shared care percentages easy to determine?
•
Yes, see Step 1 in the Coding table to update the care
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•
No, no care decision is required. As no care percentage decision has been
made, no review and appeal rights exist. The References page contains a link to
legislation.
For a change in care notification that does not result in a change to FTB rate of
payment and child support cost percentage tell the customer the following:
o If we were to make a new care determination, it would not vary the
assessed child support amount or the Family Tax Benefit entitlement.
This is because the new care percentage falls within a particular 'care
percentage range' that does not alter these amounts. Therefore no
further investigation of the reported care change will occur and a new
care determination will not be made
o As we will not be changing the care percentages on record or in the
child support assessment, no decision has been made, which means
review and appeal/objection rights
do not apply
o Although we have not made a decision relating to this particular
reported care change, it is important that you continue to notify us of
all future changes so that we can determine whether or not a new care
determination needs to be made
o Record details on s47E(d)
o If the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance,
appropriately trained carer staff will still need to complete a
reassessment of eligibility.
Use the s47E(d)
, to send a request for the Carer Payment
and/or Carer Allowance eligibility to be checked by appropriately
trained staff
Notes:
• the Resources page contains scenarios/examples where the Change of care has
no effect on Family Assistance and child support
• staff must make one genuine attempt to contact the customer to advise of the
above information
Procedure ends here.
8
Child Support has commenced or finalised care activity + Read more ...
s47E(d)
If the care assessment has been
commenced by Child Support on the
screen:
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• Child Support are in the process of making the care decision. Information will
automatically transfer to Centrelink when the decision is finalised
• Record details in Customer First if the customer has contacted, use s47E(d)
• If a new claim is pending the care determination for a decision commenced less
than 21 days ago, place the claim on hold in both Process Direct and Customer
First with a resubmit date of 21 days from the date Child Support commenced
the care assessment, and annotate the s47E(d)
DOC
s47E(d)
If the care assessment has been
finalised by Child Support on the s47E(d) screen:
• In the child record, go to the s47E(d)
screen and view the
information on the s47E(d)
Tell the customer the date the
new care arrangement commenced and the care percentage
• If the customer is already FTB current for the child/ren, go to the s47E(d)
screen and tell the customer of their new FTB payment rate
• If a new claim is pending, see appropriate claim procedure to action claim
• If an individual (including a non-customer) wants to apply for a formal review of
the care decision, see Review of care decisions
• Record details of the contact in Customer First, use s47E(d)
Note: in some circumstances the Child Support decision cannot be automatically
applied on the record and may require manual update for example:
• If this is a step-parent case, see Table 6, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab for the
correct process to follow
• If there are un-actioned Manual Follow-ups (MFU) on the s47E(d)
screen about Child Support care, these may require manual action in Customer
First. See Alignment of Care Manual Follow-up (MFU) activities
Procedure ends here.
9
Check if shared care change is agreed + Read more ...
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 18 of 122
Investigate other linked record/s to see if care has been advised, coded on that party's
file
or customer has supplied a Details of your Child's Care Arrangement (FA012)
signed
by both parties.
Has all shared care percentage information, including care start date and percentage
been confirmed and agreed by the other party?
•
Yes, if the customer:
o is FTB current, process the advised changes at first point of contact.
See Table 5, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
o is not FTB current, discuss eligibility and invite them to lodge a new
claim. Refer to appropriate claim procedures as shared care details for
the customer will need to be updated within the claim activity. If the
other carer is in receipt of FTB for the child, and the care changes have
not yet been coded on their record, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Process
Direct tab to update the agreed care changes for the other carer
o has lodged the information for an income support payment, CSHC, FST
or LIC claim, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
o has a new families claim pending, see Progress of claim
•
No, see Table 2, Step 1 on Process Direct tab
Note: if the care arrangement is
informal, and a grandparent, other relative or non-
parent carer has supplied a Details of your Child's Care Arrangement (FA012)
signed by
a parent of the child or they advised verbally, additional evidence is required to make a
change of care determination.
Shared care not confirmed and agreed or customer in hardship
Table 2: this table describes the steps to follow when a change in shared care arrangements has not
been confirmed and agreed by both parties at initial contact. A customer may advise a shared care
arrangement verbally, in writing, on a Details of your care arrangements (FA012), via the Child
Support Online and Express Plus App services, or when claiming a Centrelink payment.
Step
Action
1
Change in shared care is not confirmed and agreed by both parties + Read more ...
All shared care percentage information, including care start date and percentage has
not been confirmed and agreed by the other party, and:
• confirmation of care arrangements has not been requested previously, go to
Step 2
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 19 of 122
• the care review for return of evidence activity is due and has been allocated for
processing, see Table 4, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
• the customer has contacted as requests for evidence of care have already been
sent to each party and the required timeframe has elapsed, shared care trained
staff see Table 4, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
• the customer is providing more evidence, see Receipt of claims, forms and
documentation for family assistance
• evidence of care has been requested but the timeframe to provide the
information has
not elapsed, tell the customer of the processing timeframes
and evidence requirements (promote
online lodgement of documents)
• the customer is advising of financial hardship, confirm the hardship criteria are
met and go to Step 11
2
Attempt to contact the other carer + Read more ...
It is mandatory to attempt to contact the other carer unless an exception applies.
s47E(d)
Note: where FDV concerns are identified the FDV Support Model must be followed and
consideration be given to the involvement of a
social worker where a child may be at
risk of harm or where a customer's circumstances indicate vulnerability or a risk to the
customer's safety. See Social work service referral
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 20 of 122
Make one genuine attempt to contact the other carer.
If subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop
Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes
in case there is a delay sending the message.
Was contact successful?
•
Yes, go to Step 3
•
No, go to Step 10
3
Other carer contacted + Read more ...
Where possible obtain details and confirm the information provided by the other party,
such as:
•
the date the shared care arrangement changed
•
details of the pattern of care and the actual care level
•
whether the care arrangements are agreed
•
what the current actual care is
If the:
•
shared care arrangements are agreed and
confirmed, see the Table 5, Step 1 on
the Process Direct tab
•
other carer is advising that a current written agreement for shared care
arrangements (court order/parenting plan/written agreement) in place for the
child is no longer being complied with (disputed care), go to Step 4
•
other carer
disagrees with care percentage or date (disagreement over care
arrangements), go to Step 6
4
Written agreement is not being complied with (disputed care) + Read more ...
Had the care arrangement been followed immediately before the most recent change,
or, did the change in care occur before the care provided under the care arrangement
could be established?
•
Yes, go to Step 5
•
No, this is not disputed care. If the other carer:
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 21 of 122
o
is not happy with the care arrangement, but confirms the care is as
advised by the notifying carer, the care change is confirmed. See Table
5, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
o
disagrees with certain points of the care arrangement, for example with
the pattern of care, care percentage or date, this is a disagreement over
care arrangements. Go to Step 6
5
Reasonable action + Read more ...
Examples of reasonable action for the person with reduced care include:
•
initiating or participating in court action for contravention of a court order
•
obtaining or seeking legal advice regarding the making of a court order
•
initiating mediation, through a Family Relationship Centre or other service, to
re-establish the care arrangement
•
negotiating with the other parent with a view to re-establishing the care
arrangement
Is the carer with reduced care of the child/ren (compared to the amount in the written
care arrangement), taking reasonable action to have the care arrangement complied
with?
•
Yes, disputed care may apply, see Table 3, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
•
No, this is not disputed care. If the other carer:
o
is not happy with the care arrangement, but confirms the care is
occurring as advised by the notifying carer, the care change is
confirmed, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
o
disagrees with certain points of the care arrangement, for example with
the pattern of care, care percentage and/or date, this is a disagreement
over care arrangements. Go to Step 6
6
Other carer disagrees with care percentage or date + Read more ...
Check the customer's record to see if the disagreed care process has commenced.
Is there a
DOC/Note in regards to the disagreed care on the customer's record?
•
Yes:
o
s47E(d)
DOC, go to Step 7
o
s47E(d)
DOC, go to Step 8
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 22 of 122
o s47E(d)
DOC. Do not transfer the customer to the INC team.
Manage enquiries relating to that care decision as per the processes
in Review of care decisions. Staff will get feedback via the Staff
Feedback Tool where the call transfer does not meet the specified
guidelines
•
No, go to Step 9
7
s47E(d)
DOC + Read more ...
Check for a s47E(d)
referral
DOC. If there is no:
• s47E(d)
DOC, or
• s47E(d)
DOC
A s47E(d)
' referral
DOC means the referral has not been assigned to
an INC skilled Service Officer.
Tell the customer:
• a Service Officer specialised in care decisions will review the evidence from all
relevant parties to the care change and make a decision
• they will get a call from the Service Officer to discuss the intended decision if
the decision and/or impact will be:
o adverse, or
o different to what they would expect or had reported
Annotate the s47E(d)
referral
DOC with details of the customer
conversation.
During the conversation, if the customer agrees to the care and there is no
disagreement to the facts:
• apply the care change as agreed between the parties, and
• complete/finalise any Review/DOC referrals to the Integrated Care team
• remove any s47E(d) keywords from s47E(d)
or other associated
activities and action as appropriate
Procedure ends here.
8
s47E(d)
DOC + Read more ...
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 23 of 122
INC Service Officers will create an s47E(d)
DOC on the customer's
record when they receive a s47E(d)
referral. The
DOC may be:
• open
• on hold, or
• completed
The
DOC will have the following information - This case has been assigned and is being
managed by an Integrated Care skilled Service Officer. If this customer or other relevant
parties to this care change call, transfer them to Integrated Care using s47E(d)
.
If the s47E(d)
DOC is open or on hold and the customer:
• wants to speak to INC about the referral:
s47E(d)
• calls to give further information and does not want a call back from INC:
o annotate the s47E(d)
DOC with the information from
the customer
9
Referral to INC + Read more ...
If the other carer disagrees with the care percentage, or dates gather more information,
such as:
• what facts about the change they disagree with
• the date, the details of care - nights, hours or the pattern of care
• what circumstances led to the change
• what care is actually occurring
• how have they calculated the pattern of care
• any other relevant information
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If agreement cannot be reached:
• Tell
all care parties they must provide evidence to support the actual pattern of
care within the expected timeframe, indicating an assessment will be made on
the available evidence at end of timeframe or rejected if suitable evidence is
not provided
• Tell
all care parties what that timeframe is
• Promote
online lodgement of documents
• If a shared care assessment is not yet
Commenced, or has a status of
Lapsed,
and the activity cannot be completed end to end on the date received:
s47E(d)
• If
all care parties are FTB current and/or current on an Income Support
s47E(d)
payment, select
on each record to request care
information.
Note: there is no requirement to issue an FA012 locally, customer should follow
the instructions contained in the RFI to access the form online
• For
CCS only customers:
o send a Q888 CCS ACCS RFI using approved text
o include Details of your child's care arrangements (FA012) if issuing a
Q888 to the other carer
• Consider relevant privacy issues when referring to the other carer in the letter
• If the other carer is not FTB current,
and has an existing Centrelink record,
s47E(d)
select
to request care information
s47E(d)
•
If either the customer or the other carer/s does not have an existing
Centrelink record, and enough information to create a record has/can be
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 25 of 122
supplied, a record must be created and the children linked to the new record.
See Adding a customer to the system and Linking a child to a customer's record.
s47E(d)
Select
o request care information from the record
•
If the gaining carer cannot provide enough information to create a record for
the losing carer,
the RFI can be issued to the other carer from the gaining
s47E(d)
carer's record.
s47E(d)
Note: there is no requirement to issue a FA012 locally, customers are to follow
the instructions contained in the RFI to access the form online
s47E(d)
• The review will mature on the
Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload
Management will allocate the review for manual action
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 26 of 122
• Record details in Customer First using s47E(d)
on
all care parties'
records
• Make sure all details including the due date are provided within s47E(d)
on all parties' records
• Where actioning a FA012, the scanned document work item will need to be
completed, see Viewing Centrelink customers' digital images
• Create a s47E(d)
on
all parties' records, with
an expiry date of 28 days
•
All disagreed care assessments and updates are completed by Integrated Care
skilled staff. Once evidence is returned or the activity/claim becomes DUE, this
will be allocated to an Integrated Care skilled staff
s47E(d)
If the customer has provided evidence for this care period, a further request is not
needed.
Decrease in care not confirmed
If the customer is advising that their care has
decreased and it has
not been confirmed
with the other carer, the decrease needs to be coded as a preliminary decision to avoid
overpayment. See Table 5, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab to update the decrease
only.
For
increase in care, procedure ends here.
10
Other carer could not be contacted + Read more ...
If the customer is in
hardship, go to Step 11.
If the other carer cannot be contacted by phone and/or there is no record of a prior
request to confirm shared care arrangements:
s47E(d)
• If the other carer is also FTB current, select
s47E(d)
to request care information in
each carer's record, requesting
evidence for a change in shared care
Note: there is no requirement to issue a
FA012 locally. The customer should follow the instructions contained in the
request for information to access the form online
• For
CCS only customers:
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 27 of 122
o send a Q888 CCS ACCS RFI using approved text
o include Details of your child's care arrangements (FA012) if issuing a
Q888 to the other carer
• Consider relevant privacy issues when referring to the other carer in the letter
• If the other carer is not FTB current,
and
s47E(d)
o has an existing Centrelink record, select
s47E(d)
to request care information
s47E(d)
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining carer
has
or can supply enough information to create a record for the losing
carer, a record must be created, and the children linked to the new
record. See Adding a customer to the system and Linking a child to a
s47E(d)
customer's record. Select
to request care
information
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining
carer
cannot provide enough information to create a record for the
losing carer, s47E(d)
o Where the other carer does not have a current record and/or
documentation provided does not include the other carer's current
contact details, s47E(d)
r
• Letters are sent to both the losing and gaining carer now as this gives both
carers equal opportunity to provide evidence for change of care without
unnecessary delays to process the FTB payment
• If a shared care assessment is not yet
Commenced or has a status of
Lapsed,
and the activity cannot be completed end to end on the date received:
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 28 of 122
s47E(d)
• Sending the RFI will automatically place the existing work item on hold for the
required timeframe, allowing extra time for mail delivery
• s47E(d)
• If there is no activity, in
Customer First, s47E(d)
on the s47E(d
screen and complete the fields as follows:
)
s47E(d)
• The review will mature on the
Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload
Management will allocate the review for manual action
• Make sure all details including the due date are provided by creating s47E(d)
on
all parties' records
• If the customer is advising a
decrease in care that has not been confirmed,
update as a preliminary decision to avoid overpayment. See Table 5, Step 1 on
the Process Direct tab to update the decrease in care
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 29 of 122
Procedure ends here.
11
Customer in hardship + Read more ...
47E(d)
s47E(d)
47E
47E(d)
s47E(d)
• If care has been confirmed or the customer's evidence is satisfactory, see Table
5, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
• If not satisfied with the evidence provided, tell the customer to provide
evidence to support their request for change of care percentage. A request for
care information must also be sent to the customer and the other carer by
s47E(d)
selecting
to confirm their obligations to provide
evidence
• Promote
online lodgement of documents
• For
CCS only customers do not use the script. Instead:
s47E(d)
• Do not issue multiple FA012s when an initial one has been completed and
returned
• If the other carer is not FTB current,
and
s47E(d)
o has an existing Centrelink record, select
s47E(d)
to request care information
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining carer
has
or can supply enough information to create a record for the losing
carer, a record must be created, and the children linked to the new
record. See Adding a customer to the system and Linking a child to a
s47E(d)
customer's record. Select
request care
information
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 30 of 122
s47E(d)
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining
carer
cannot provide enough information to create a record for the
losing carer, from the customer's record, send an RFI by
s47E(d)
• If a shared care assessment is not yet
Commenced or has a status of
Lapsed,
and the activity cannot be completed end to end on the date received:
s47E(d)
• Issuing the RFI will automatically place the existing work item on hold for the
required timeframe, allowing extra time for mail delivery
s47E(d)
•
• Where there is no activity, in
Customer First, s47E(d)
on the
s47E(d)
screen and complete the fields as follows:
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 31 of 122
s47E(d)
From 10 June 2019, FTB top-ups, supplements, lump sum claim amounts and instalment
arrears can be used to recover any family assistance, social security, student assistance
and Paid Parental Leave scheme payment debts. This will occur even if the customer has
a current payment arrangement. Previously, FTB amounts could only be used to recover
FTB, Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) debts.
Where exceptional and/or unforeseen circumstances apply which may cause the
customer to suffer severe financial hardship, customers can request to be temporarily
excluded from debt recovery prior to any money being taken from their FTB arrears,
lump sum or top-up payments.
Disputed care - request evidence and code an interim care decision
Table 3: this table describes the steps to follow when care is disputed. Disputed care provisions may
apply for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and child support where there is a departure from the terms of a
written care arrangement, and the person with reduced care is taking reasonable action to have the
care arrangement complied with.
Step
Action
1
Contact other carer to confirm interim care arrangements: + Read more ...
In most cases it is
mandatory to attempt to contact the other carer to confirm the
'actual' care arrangements currently being followed, where a customer has advised that
a court order/parenting plan/written agreement for care arrangements is not being
complied with (disputed care). Where the other carer does not have a current record
and/or documentation provided does not include the other carer's current contact
details, s47E(d)
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 32 of 122
s47E(d)
Note: where FDV concerns are identified, the FDV Support Model must be followed and
consideration be given to the involvement of a
social worker where a child may be at
risk of harm or where a customer's circumstances indicate vulnerability or risk to the
customer's safety. See Social work service referral.
Make one genuine attempt to contact the other carer.
If subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop
Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes
in case there is a delay sending the message.
Explain that a disputed care determination will be made based on information and
evidence that establishes care-related facts to support:
• the care that is most likely to be occurring (including care other than nights)
• whether the established pattern of care has changed or not
• the new pattern of care is likely to continue into the future (and is not a one-off
minor change such as occasionally missing a weekend of care due to work or
illness)
Send request for evidence letters to both carers:
s47E(d)
• If the other carer is also FTB current, select
s47E(d)
to request care information
• For
CCS only customers:
o send a Q888 CCS ACCS RFI using approved text
o include Details of your child's care arrangements (FA012) if issuing a
Q888 to the other carer
• Consider relevant privacy issues when referring to the other carer in the letter.
If verbal contact was unsuccessful, a FA012 must be issued to the other carer
with the Q888. Do not send a FA012 to the initiating carer unless they request
this to provide more information
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 33 of 122
• s47E(d)
• If the other carer is not FTB current,
and
s47E(d)
o has an existing Centrelink record, select
s47E(d)
to request care information
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining carer
has
or can supply enough information to create a record for the losing
carer, a record must be created, and the children linked to the new
record. See Adding a customer to the system and Linking a child to a
s47E(d)
customer's record. Select
to request care
information
s47E(d)
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining
carer
cannot provide enough information to create a record for the
losing carer, from the customer's record, send an RFI by
s47E(d)
selecting
. s47E(d)
Note: if the written care arrangement has not previously been coded on the system or
scanned to the record, it will need to be provided as part of the evidence requested.
All disputed care
assessments and updates are completed by Integrated Care skilled
staff.
Note: if the update relates to an ARO implementation request relating to a disputed
care determination, the program that made the original decision must implement the
ARO decision. See Review of Care Decision.
• Centrelink staff, go to Step 2
• Integrated Care skilled staff, go to Step 6
2
Hand off disputed care work item to Integrated Care skilled staff + Read more ...
To hand-off to Integrated Care (INC) skilled staff:
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 34 of 122
• When there is an existing work item (for example claim activity), place the work
item on hold for 14 days, allowing extra time for mail delivery
• Add the keyword s47E(d)
• When there is no activity, in
Customer First, s47E(d)
on the
s47E(d)
screen and complete the fields as follows (this
includes where evidence has been requested when actioning FA012s):
s47E(d)
• The review will mature on the
Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload
Management will allocate the review for manual action
• When actioning a FA012, the scanned document work item will need to be
completed, see Viewing Centrelink customers' digital images
• Make sure all details including the due date are provided within s47E(d)
on
all parties' records
• Create a
DOA DOC using the s47E(d)
-
select s47E(d)
use s47E(d)
on
all parties' records, with
an expiry date of 28 days
• Once evidence is returned or the activity/claim becomes DUE, this will be
allocated to a Child Support Service Officer for action
• If the written care arrangement has not been previously coded on the system, it
will need to be provided as part of the evidence requested
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 35 of 122
s47E(d)
For customers who are experiencing financial hardship or are a family in
crisis and s47E(d)
:
s47E(d)
Centrelink staff:
• If contact is received
regarding a disputed care change being managed by
Integrated Care (INC) skilled staff, go to Step 3
• If a
work item is received relating to a disputed care change being managed by
Integrated Care skilled staff, go to Step 4
• If contact is received
during the maximum interim period of an existing
disputed care decision, go to Step 5
3
Contact regarding a disputed care change being managed by Integrated Care skilled
staff + Read more ...
Where contact is received (either in person or via the phone) from a parent/carer who
has a disputed care assessment already being managed by Integrated Care skilled staff
as per the s47E(d)
DOA DOC, advise the parent/carer, their care
assessment will be applied to both their Child Support and Centrelink records once
complete.
Procedure ends here.
4
Work item received relating to a disputed care change being managed by Integrated
Care skilled staff + Read more ...
If a work item is received related to a care change already being managed by Integrated
Care skilled staff (as per the s47E(d)
DOA DOC), hand-off the work
item by adding the keyword s47E(d) and reallocating the work item back to the pool.
Note: the work item does not need to be re-categorised, by adding the keyword, it will
automatically be allocated to Integrated Care skilled staff.
Procedure ends here.
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 36 of 122
5
Contact received during the maximum interim period of an existing disputed care
decision + Read more ...
If a contact is received during the maximum interim period as outlined in the s47E(d)
DOA DOC, where there is a change to the care arrangements for the
relevant children or a change to reasonable action being taken, hand-off to Integrated
Care skilled staff.
If there is a relevant work item on the record add the keyword s47E(d) and reallocate
the work item back to the pool.
If there is no existing work item, an
ACTDOC will need to be created in Customer First
usings47E(d)
Note: the keyword s47E(d) does not need to be added to the s47E(d) , it is built into
the auto text template.
Procedure ends here.
6
Customer seeking to enforce order/plan/agreement + Read more ...
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 37 of 122
s47E(d)
7
Record interim care decision + Read more ...
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 38 of 122
• In Customer First complete the s47E(d)
with details of the
disputed care and interim care decision, and
DOC the record using
Fast Note
• When a disputed care assessment is finalised, to indicate the maximum interim
period where referrals to CSSC are still required:
s47E(d)
If a new written care arrangement is made
during the interim period (for example, new
court orders are lodged) the interim period will be reduced, ending on the day before
the written care arrangement starts.
Actual care decision
An 'actual care' decision is to be made based on evidence provided at the end of the
allowed time if attempts have been made to comply with the care arrangements or
action for a new arrangement is unsuccessful. See Table 4, Step 1 on the Process Direct
tab.
For care periods that commence
on or after 1 July 2012, if there are special
circumstances, s47E(d)
From 10 June 2019, FTB top-ups, supplements, lump sum claim amounts and instalment
arrears can be used to recover any family assistance, social security, student assistance
and Paid Parental Leave scheme payment debts. This will occur even if the customer has
a current payment arrangement. Previously, FTB amounts could only be used to recover
FTB, Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) debts.
Making a decision on a shared care arrangement
Table 4: this table contains information for Service Officers to follow to determine shared care
percentages.
Step
Action
1
Check records to make sure that all carers were given equal opportunity to provide
evidence and were advised of their obligations + Read more ...
Has a request for evidence been sent to all carers?
•
Yes, and if all carers have been given adequate time to respond, check both
records for any documents and scans that have been provided as evidence of
the pattern of care, go to Step 2
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 39 of 122
•
No, if a request for evidence has not been sent to all carers, see Table 2, Step
2 on the Process Direct tab for help. Resubmit the work item until the relevant
due date
2
Evidence received + Read more ...
Has acceptable evidence been received from both carers within the expected
timeframe?
•
Yes, all carers have:
o agreed on percentage/s of care, there is no need to calculate the
percentage based on the agreed pattern of care or the available
evidence. See Table 5, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
o agreed on nights or hours of care, work out the percentage of care. Go
to Step 3
o provided evidence, but care is
not agreed. Go to Step 6
•
No:
o only one carer has responded, go to Step 10
o no response from either carer, go to Step 11
3
Working out the percentage of care + Read more ...
Where customers have responded with nights or weeks in care rather than a
percentage, determine the percentage of shared cared used for family assistance
payments.
Actual care percentage = number of nights in care / days in the assessment period x 100
or use the Care estimator available from the Resources page.
Determine the assessment period. For
post 1 July 2010 calculations, the assessment
period is 12 months from the start of the care arrangement.
• Add up the number of nights the child is in the customer's care during the
assessment period
• If the number of nights does not accurately reflect the time in care, the number
of hours can be used:
o Add up the number of hours for each part day the child is in care and
divide by 24 to get the number of days
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 40 of 122
o Add this to the number of whole days in care to get the total number of
days in care during the assessment period
• Divide the number of nights in care in the assessment period by the number of
days in the assessment period
• Multiply the result by 100 to get the actual care percentage
• The percentage recorded must be a whole number - rounding rules for actual
care percentage
The Resources page contains care calculator which can assist with calculating the
percentage of care and examples of calculating care. The Family Assistance Guide links
under the References tab also contain extra information and examples.
Are there Multiple carers (3 or more)?
•
Yes, go to Step 4
•
No, go to Step 5
4
Multiple carers - care percentage and apportioning + Read more ...
If a child is being cared for by 3 or more people and:
• none of the carers has at least 35% actual care, no customer will be paid FTB for
the child
• only one customer has at least 35% actual care, they will be entitled to 100% of
the family assistance for the child
• 2 customers have at least 35% actual care, family assistance may be
apportioned and disbursed between them
Note: if the change is a reduction that has not been confirmed with the other carer,
code s47E(d)
and once evidence is supplied and the care change is
finalised the s47E(d)
The Apportioning formula for shared care is used to disburse any unclaimed FTB
percentage where there are multiple carers of three or more.
The Resources page contains examples of
Coding and assessing more than 2 carers.
Is the actual care percentage at least 35% in the assessment period?
•
Yes, confirm customer meets FTB eligibility requirements, go to Step 5
•
No, the customer is not entitled to FTB for the child. However, they may be
entitled to ancillary benefits and/or a higher rate of payment if they have at
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 41 of 122
14% care of a dependent child. See 'With child' rate of benefit for non-principal
carers with shared care. Procedure ends here
5
Shared care percentage and date of change + Read more ...
Is the shared care percentage and date of change agreed?
•
Yes, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
•
No, care is disagreed:
o Centrelink staff, go to Step 6
o Integrated Care skilled staff, go to Step 7
6
Shared care arrangement not agreed + Read more ...
All disagreed care assessments and updates are completed by Integrated Care skilled
staff.
To
hand-off to Integrated Care (INC) skilled staff:
• When there is an existing work item (for example, claim activity), place the work
item on hold for 14 days, allowing extra time for mail delivery and add the
keyword s47E(d) and s47E(d)
• When there is no activity, in
Customer First, s47E(d)
on the
s47E(d)
screen and complete the fields as follows (this
includes where evidence has been requested when actioning FA012s):
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 42 of 122
s47E(d)
• The review will mature on the
Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload
Management will allocate the review for manual action
• When actioning a FA012, the scanned document work item will need to be
completed, see Viewing Centrelink customers' digital images
• Make sure all details including the due date are provided within s47
-
select
E(d
s47E(d)
on
all parties' records
• Create a
DOA DOC using the s47E(d)
on
all parties' records, with
an expiry date of 28 days
• Once evidence is returned or the activity/claim becomes
DUE, this will be
allocated to a Child Support Service Officer for action
Note: the work item does not need to be re-categorised, as by adding the keyword, it
will automatically flow to Integrated Care skilled staff.
For customers who are experiencing financial hardship or are a family in
crisis and s47E(d)
s47E(d)
Procedure ends here for Centrelink staff.
7
Making a care determination where the care change is disagreed + Read more ...
This step should only be undertaken by Child Support staff trained in Integrated Care:
Compare available evidence and identify areas of disagreement. Phone each carer to
discuss the discrepancies and give them the opportunity to respond.
Is care agreed after discussion?
•
Yes, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 43 of 122
•
No:
o If more information will not be provided, or all parties cannot be
contacted, go to Step 8
o If a carer indicates they can provide additional supporting evidence,
request it be provided within 7 days
o Let customers know about
online lodgement of documents
o Place work item on hold for 15 days (22 days for remote or overseas
customers) to allow mailing time
o Document the discussion, care information, and when more evidence is
due
o Once the work item becomes due, make a care determination based on
available evidence. If care percentage and apportioning needs to be
considered, return to Steps 3 and 4. Then go to Step 8
8
Has sufficient evidence been provided to make a care decision? + Read more ...
•
Yes, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
•
No, if a care decision cannot be made as the evidence is inconclusive, reject the
care decision. Go to Step 9
9
Reject the care decision + Read more ...
• Document the records with the reason for this decision. Make sure
the
DOC covers:
o the reasons for the assessment outcomes,
o how the information was received, and
o if a manual advice was sent and other relevant information.
Note: if the
other party does not have a record, do not create a record for the
purpose of a
DOC
• In Customer First, issue a Q999 letter to the customer and/or other carer,
including reason for outcome and the review and appeal rights.
The Resources page contains approved text for the Q999 letter
• Cancel any associated review activities
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 44 of 122
• Assess any claim pending as '
NEF' (not effective), as not all required information
has been provided. For:
o
CCS pending claims, see Table 3, Step 9 in the Process page of
Processing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims
o
All other claims, see Not effective, rejection, or withdrawal of claim for
Family Tax Benefit or Stillborn Baby Payment
• If either carer is in receipt of an income support payment, their entitlement may
be affected by the change in care. Consider if cancellation or suspension is
appropriate. See Principal carer of a dependent child
• If the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately
trained carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility. Use
the s47E(d)
, to send a request for the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance
eligibility to be checked by appropriately trained staff
• Procedure ends here
10
Only one carer has responded + Read more ...
If only one carer responds within the allowable timeframe, this evidence may be used
to assess the care percentage if it is considered to be sufficient.
Determine whether the evidence is acceptable and supports the pattern of care and
date of the change being claimed. Weigh the evidence.
The Resources page contains a care calculator which can assist with calculating the
percentage of care and examples of calculating care. The References page contains links
to the Family Assistance Guide with extra information and examples of verifying care
arrangements and establishing a pattern of care.
Do not change the care percentages until there is enough evidence to support such a
decision.
For assistance in calculating the percentage of care, refer to the Care Calculator on
the Resources page before continuing.
Tell the customer that the other person caring for the child may apply for a
formal Review of care decision.
• If the care percentage is determined and supported by evidence, see Table 5,
Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
• If the evidence provided is not sufficient to update the care decision, the care
assessment is rejected. In Customer First, issue Free Text (Q999) to customer
and/or other carer, including reason for outcome and the review and appeal
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 45 of 122
rights. The Resources page contains example text for the Q999. Document the
decision in a
Fast Note
• If the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately
trained carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility. Use
the s47E(d)
to send a request for the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance
eligibility to be checked by appropriately trained staff. Procedure ends here
11
No response from either carer + Read more ...
If no response is received from either carer within the expected time frame:
• Cancel FTB in Customer First where entitlement is potentially reduced or
eligibility lost (to avoid possible overpayments), using:
o Service Reason: '
FRC' (Failed to Reply to Correspondence)
o
Date of Effect: date paid to plus one (this is not relevant if not FTB
current/no Centrelink record)
•
DOC the record usings47E(d)
• Assess any claim pending as '
NEF' (not effective), as not all required information
has been provided. For:
o a
CCS pending claim, see Table 3, Step 9 in the Process page of
Processing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims
o
all other claims, see Not effective, rejection, or withdrawal of claim for
Family Tax Benefit or Stillborn Baby Payment
• Where the entitlement was potentially increasing, consider any pending care
changes not effective
• In Customer First, issue a Q999 letter to the customer and/or other carer,
including reason for outcome and the review and appeal rights.
The Resources page contains approved text for the Q999 letter for carers
already in receipt of FTB.
Note: there is no requirement to issue a letter to a
non-FTB customer
•
DOC the record of both parties.
Note: if the other party does not have a record,
do not create one for the purpose of a
DOC.
DOC the outcome:
o including the reasons for the assessment outcome (for example,
claim/care change Not Effective (NEF)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 46 of 122
o how the information was received
o if a manual advice was sent, and
o other relevant information
•
s47E(d
When the
screen is coded as commenced, the system will automatically
)
update to lapsed after 21 days, no update is required
• If the customer is CCS current, this is to reduce to zero rate. Policy allows a zero
rate to be applied to customers in this circumstance
o Escalate to Level 2 Policy Helpdesk quoting s47E(d)
o Advise what information is required to correctly assess entitlement. See
the Resources page for a link
If either carer is in receipt of an income support payment, their entitlement may be
affected by the change in care. See Principal carer of a dependent child.
If the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately trained
carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility. Use the s47E(d)
to send a
request for the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance eligibility to be checked by
appropriately trained staff.
Coding shared care arrangements
Table 5: this table describes the steps for coding, finalising and advising customers of care
arrangement decisions.
Step
Action
1
Checks before coding shared care details for FTB + Read more ...
The details for the customer with the
reduction in care percentage must be coded first,
followed by the customer with the increase in care percentage.
Notes:
• A child can only be linked to a person (carer's) record if:
o both carers have participated in the making of a new care decision
either verbally or written (FA012)
o a subsequent care decision is being made and the 'E004WA Mandatory
value not entered on screen' error is experienced due to a care decision
displaying on the s47E(d)
screen for a non-linked
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 47 of 122
carer. This can occur when Child Support have made a previous care
decision and it has been received via the data exchange
o the customer has made a claim in relation to the child (includes an
income support payment claim that attracts the 'with child' rate)
o the claimant is a step parent and the P24845 - Step-parent workaround
needs to be applied
• Staff
must not link a child to the record, unless one of the above criteria is met.
See the Resources page in Linking a child to a customer's record for examples
s47E(d)
When assessing a new claim, use the following steps within the claim activity.
Has the child been linked to all relevant carers who have made a claim?
Check the s47E(d)
screen in all relevant records.
• If the customer (or partner) has claimed for the child, if not already listed, the
child can be linked:
o within the FTB new claim, or
o by keying s47E(d)
• If there has
never been a claim
do not link the child/ren
Child's Customer Reference Number (CRN)
s47E(d)
Check the same CRN is being used on all carer records for the child. The
screen may
display only one carer line due to multiple child CRNs. If CRN is not the same on each
record, check for multiple or duplicate CRNs.
Child and customer environment
Check the customer and child environment, and transfer to the correct environment
where appropriate. For help with transferring, see Process Direct navigation, common
screens and functions.
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 48 of 122
The child's home environment can be determined viewing the s47E(d)
screen in Process Direct. Child changes recorded on one customer's
record will 'ripple' to other customers linked to the child.
2
Determine if the claimant is a step-parent + Read more ...
Where FTB is transferred out to partner ('
TOP' is coded on the Childs47E(d)
screen - from parent to step-parent) for
any level of care and the parent is a
Centrelink and Child Support mutual customer, the record needs to be referred for
investigation as the P24845 system issue may impact.
Is the claimant a step-parent?
•
Yes, s47E(d)
, see Table 6
•
No, go to Step 3
3
Code the decrease in care first + Read more ...
Use the correct date of receipt (DOR) and channel when coding activities.
Once completed, code the increase in care on the other carer.
Create a change in circumstance activity via s47E(d)
Key s47E(d)
into
the s47E(d) and select the s47E(d)
workflow on the
Task
Selector. Relevant child level screens will be pre-selected. Select the parent level
screens from the task selector that may require updating:
• s47E(d)
):
o If the customer is in receipt of an Income Support Payment (ISP), coding
may be required on the s47E(d) screen to assess 'with child' rate of the
ISP or change in qualification for PP. For help, see s47E(d)
screen
o For PPS if the customer is no longer the principal carer of a child, coding
may be required on the s47E(d)
screen.
Note: the
child may continue to be assessed for the purpose of the additional
income free area if the customer retains entitlement to PPS for another
child, or other child/ren. If this is an update to the last remaining PP
child, PPS should cancel. If PSS does not cancel, see s47E(d)
) screen for extra coding requirements
o If the
E630PN or
E559NM edits present, see E630PN or E559NM Child is
the dependant of another principal carer
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 49 of 122
• s47E(d)
screen from the date the child
entered care. s47E(d)
• If the customer is single and receiving JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth
Allowance (job seeker) or Special Benefit (SpB) and the principal carer status is
changing, the s47E(d) screen will automatically update based on s47E(d)
table coding on the s47E(d)
) screen
To update child level screens:
s47E(d)
4
Update other child screens if necessary + Read more ...
s47E(d)
5
Finalise activity and document the customer's record + Read more ...
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 50 of 122
s47E(d)
Add required information in the automated finalisation
DOC/Note to document the
decision.
For ABSTUDY customers, check continuing entitlement after ABSTUDY customer leaves
parental home.
Note: if the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately
trained carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility.
Use the s47E(d)
in Customer First, to send a request for the Carer Payment and/or Carer
Allowance eligibility to be checked by appropriately trained staff.
6
Code the increase in care + Read more ...
Go to the record where the
increase in care is to be coded. If the child is not appearing
s47E(d)
on the
they can be linked by:
s47E(d)
If the customer is not yet FTB current, and the new care level entitles the customer to
FTB, a claim will need to be lodged. See Initial contact by customers claiming payments
for families.
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 51 of 122
s47E(d)
To update child level screens:
s47E(d)
Update other child screens if necessary:
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 52 of 122
s47E(d)
If maintenance group requires update, see How to group children on a customer's
Family Tax Benefit record.
s47E(d)
Check the outcome is correct before finalising the activity on the
screen.
• If the customer is in
hardship and
immediate arrears are required, go to the
s47E(d)screen and select the s47E(d) box in the started activity before finalising.
This will ensure immediate arrears will issue. If not, the payment will be issued
with the next available payday
• Add required information to the automated s47E(d)
to
document to decision
• If the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately
trained carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility. In
Customer First, use the s47E(d)
, to send a request for
the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance eligibility to be checked by
appropriately trained staff
Note: from 10 June 2019, FTB top-ups, supplements, lump sum claim amounts and
instalment arrears can be used to recover any family assistance, social security, student
assistance and Paid Parental Leave scheme payment debts. This will occur even if the
customer has a current payment arrangement. Previously, FTB amounts could only be
used to recover FTB, Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) debts.
Is at least one carer claiming/receiving an income support payment?
•
Yes, go to Step 7
•
No, procedure ends here
7
Advise customer and other carer(s) of decision + Read more ...
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 53 of 122
s47E(d)
Any disclosure of personal/protected information must comply with the confidentiality
provisions in sections 201-208 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 and
Australian Privacy Principle (APP) 6 of the Privacy Act 1988. See the References page for
links. If a Service Officer feels it necessary, the name of the other carer should be
replaced with the term 'other carer'. The reasons for this must be documented.
s47E(d)
8
P24845 - Step-parent workaround
Table 6: this table describes the process to follow prior to referring to record for investigation and to
correctly action the workaround for the P24845 - Claimant is a step-parent issue.
Step
Action
1
Claimant is a step-parent or P24845 workaround is present on child record + Read
more ...
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 54 of 122
The record needs to be referred for investigation as the P24845 system issue may
impact:
• when FTB is transferred out to partner (47E(d) is coded on the 47E(d)
screen - from parent to step-parent) and the parent is a
Centrelink and Child Support mutual customer
• if the P24845 workaround is present on a
record for a child,-either now or for a
date in the past, the workaround will need to be applied with each subsequent
care change until the child ceases to be an FTB child
If the workaround has previously been applied the 47E(d)
on
the 47E(d) screen will show 3 or more carers with shared care.
The Resources page contains examples of when the P24845 system issue may affect a
record.
2
Coding required before referring for investigation + Read more ...
• Make sure the:
o customer and step-parent records are linked and any linking activity has
been finalised. See Family Assistance customer becomes partnered
o child has been linked to both the biological parent and step-parent.
See Linking a child to a customer's record
o child and parent are in the same environment
• If the biological parent is still FTB current:
s47E(d)
o in s47E(d)
, in a separate activity, code
on the
parent's s47E(d)screen - from parent to step-parent so that the
customer's FTB cancels for that child
o finalise this activity
• If the biological parent is not FTB current:
o
s47E(d)
in s47E(d)
, if not previously coded, code
on the biological
parent's
s
s47E(d) creen - from parent to step-parent. This update can be
made within an existing s47E(d)
activity if there is
one
• Coding can be completed in an existing s47E(d) activity if it has the correct
date of receipt (DOR) for the care decision. Otherwise, complete the following
coding:
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 55 of 122
s47E(d)
• The care decision must be documented on each carer's record. In Customer
First, use s47E(d)
• If the biological parent and step parent have now separated, updates to the
s47E(d)
s47E(d)
on the
for the child/ren must be
escalated via standard escalation protocols as a workaround is required
3
Document the records + Read more ...
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 56 of 122
s47E(d)
4
Referral process for workaround coding + Read more ...
Following the coding, to make sure the correct rate applies to the Step-parent record, a
s47E(d)
workaround must be applied to the s47E(d)
on the
screen.
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 57 of 122
s47E(d)
Customer First
On this page:
Initial customer contact and information gathering
Shared care not confirmed and agreed or customer in hardship
Disputed care - request evidence and code an interim care decision
Making a decision on a shared care arrangement
Coding shared care arrangements
P24845 - Step-parent workaround
Initial customer contact and information gathering
Table 1: this table describes the steps to follow when gathering information to be able to assess
shared care percentages for a child. A customer may advise a shared care arrangement verbally, in
writing, on a Details of your care arrangements (FA012), via CS Online or the Express Plus App, or
when claiming a Centrelink payment.
Step
Action
1
Shared care change + Read more ...
Has the change in shared care already happened?
•
Yes:
o If a person (including a non-customer) wants to apply for a formal
review of a
care decision, see Review of care decisions. Procedure ends
here
o In all other cases, go to Step 2
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 58 of 122
•
No, the change is for a future date:
o Ask the carer to contact once the change has actually occurred
o Record the advice given in a s47E(d)
. Procedure ends here
2
Determine if disputed care provisions apply + Read more ...
For FTB and child support, a dispute in relation to the care of a child exists when a
written care arrangement applies in relation to that child, and where actual care is not
being followed in accordance with the written arrangement.
If a disputed care assessment has already been completed for this care change, and
a
DOA DOC exists on the record advising this assessment is being undertaken by
Integrated Care (INC), see Table 3, Step 2 on the Customer First tab.
There are specific actions needed when the:
• carer is advising that a current written care arrangement (for example written
agreement, parenting plan or court order) in place for the child is no longer
being complied with,
and
• the care arrangement was being followed immediately before the most recent
change
or the change in care occurred before the care outlined in the written
care arrangement commenced
Do the above circumstances apply?
•
Yes, go to Step 3
•
No, this is not disputed care, go to Step 4
3
Check if reasonable action has been taken + Read more ...
Examples of reasonable action for the person with reduced care include:
• initiating or participating in court action for contravention of a court order
• obtaining or seeking legal advice regarding the making of a court order
• initiating mediation, through a Family Relationship Centre or other service, to
re-establish the care arrangement
• negotiating with the other parent with a view to re-establishing the care
arrangement
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 59 of 122
Is the carer with reduced care of the child/ren (compared to the amount in the written
care arrangement), taking reasonable action to have the care arrangement complied
with?
•
Yes, disputed care may apply, see Table 3, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
•
No, this is not disputed care, go to Step 4
Unknown, as the care change was not reported by the person with reduced care,
see Table 2, Step 2 on the Customer First tab
4
Determine if this is a notification of a shared care arrangement + Read more ...
A shared care assessment is not to be confused with a change of care. A shared care
assessment is appropriate if there is a pattern of care over a certain period (for
example. the child stays with the other parent every second week, or on weekends or
during school holidays)
A change of care occurs when the full caring responsibility for the child passes to
another person (the child does not regularly spend
any time with another carer).
Is this a notification of a new shared care arrangement?
•
Yes, go to Step 5
•
No, for a change of care, see Change of care for Family Tax Benefit
5
Determine if the change in care affects family assistance and child support, or is an
Assessment of Care arrangements referral + Read more ...
Will the change in shared care affect FTB eligibility/rate of payment and the child
support assessment/cost percentage, or does care need to be checked or updated for
entitlement to income support payment, Low Income Health Care card (LIC),
Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) or Foster Child Health Care Card (FST) ?
•
Yes, go to Step 6
•
No, go to Step 7
6
Shared care change will affect FTB, child support, income support payment or FST,
CSHC or LIC entitlement + Read more ...
• Check for sensitive issues (such as family and domestic violence or hardship)
and make appropriate referral to a social worker if required, see Social Work
Services
• Check whether the shared care assessment has been commenced or finalised
by s47E(d)
screen.
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 60 of 122
If the child is not linked to the customer, locate the child's record by searching
for a customer on the system
To check the s47E(d)
screen:
s47E(d)
• Check the s47E(d)
screen to see if Child Support have finalised a
care activity. The record will display as s47E(d)
Has Child Support commenced or finalised the care activity?
•
Yes, go to Step 8
•
No, go to Step 9
7
Change in shared care will not affect FTB and child support + Read more ...
The following are examples of when shared care percentages are easy to determine:
• Conclusive evidence has already been provided confirming the new care
percentage
• The care change is a new written care arrangement that has not yet been
recorded
Are the shared care percentages easy to determine?
•
Yes, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab to update the care
•
No, no care decision is required. As no care percentage decision has been
made, no review and appeal rights exist. The References page contains a link to
legislation.
For a change in care notification that does not result in a change to FTB rate of
payment and child support cost percentage tell the customer the following:
o If we were to make a new care determination, it would not vary the
assessed child support amount or the Family Tax Benefit entitlement.
This is because the new care percentage falls within a particular 'care
percentage range' that does not alter these amounts. Therefore no
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 61 of 122
further investigation of the reported care change will occur and a new
care determination will not be made
o As we will not be changing the care percentages on record or in the
child support assessment, no decision has been made, which means
review and appeal/objection rights
do not apply
o Although we have not made a decision relating to this particular
reported care change, it is important that you continue to notify us of
all future changes so that we can determine whether or not a new care
determination needs to be made
o Record details on s47E(d)
o If the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance,
appropriately trained carer staff will still need to complete a
reassessment of eligibility.
Use the s47E(d)
to send a request for the Carer Payment
and/or Carer Allowance eligibility to be checked by appropriately
trained staff
Notes:
• The Resources page contains scenarios/examples where the Change of care has
no effect on Family Assistance and child support
• Staff must make one genuine attempt to contact the customer to advise of the
above information
Procedure ends here.
8
Child Support has commenced or finalised care activity + Read more ...
If the care assessment has been
commenced by Child Support on thes47E(d) screen:
• Child Support are in the process of making the care decision. Information will
automatically transfer to Centrelink when the decision is finalised
• Record details of the contact in s47E(d)
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 62 of 122
If the care assessment has been
finalised by Child Support on the s47E(d) screen:
s47E(d)
• Select child from
screen and go to s47E(d)
screen. Tell the
customer the date the new care arrangement commenced and the care
percentage
• If the customer is already FTB current for the child/ren, go to the s47E(d)
screen and tell the customer of their new FTB payment rate
• If a new claim is pending, see appropriate claim procedure to action claim
• If an individual (including a non-customer) wants to apply for a formal review of
the care decision, see Review of care decisions
• Record details of the contact using s47E(d)
Note: in some circumstances the Child Support decision cannot be automatically
applied on the record and may require manual update for example:
• If this is a step-parent case, see Table 6, Step 1 on the Customer First tab for the
correct process to follow
• If there are un-actioned Manual Follow-ups (MFU) on the s47E(d)
screen about Child Support care, these may require manual action.
See Alignment of Care Manual Follow-up (MFU) activities
Procedure ends here.
9
Check if shared care change is agreed + Read more ...
Investigate other linked record/s to see if care has been advised, coded on that party's
file
or customer has supplied a Details of your Child's Care Arrangement (FA012)
signed
by both parties.
Has all shared care percentage information, including care start date and percentage
been confirmed and agreed by the other party?
•
Yes, if the customer:
o is FTB current, process the advised changes at first point of contact.
See Table 5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
o is not FTB current, discuss eligibility and invite them to lodge a new
claim. Refer to appropriate claim procedures as shared care details for
the customer will need to be updated within the claim activity. If the
other carer is in receipt of FTB for the child, and the care changes have
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 63 of 122
not yet been coded on their record, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Customer
First tab to update the agreed care changes for the other carer
o has lodged the information for an income support payment, CSHC, FST
or LIC claim, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
o has a new families claim pending, see Progress of claim
•
No, see Table 2, Step 1 on the Process Direct tab
Shared care not confirmed and agreed or customer in hardship
Table 2: this table describes the steps to follow when a change in shared care arrangements has not
been confirmed and agreed by both parties at initial contact. A customer may advise a shared care
arrangement verbally, in writing, on a Details of your care arrangements (FA012), via CS Online or the
Express Plus App, or when claiming a Centrelink payment.
Step
Action
1
Change in shared care is not confirmed and agreed by both parties + Read more ...
All shared care percentage information, including care start date and percentage has
not been confirmed and agreed by the other party, and:
• confirmation of care arrangements has not been requested previously, go to
Step 2
• the care review for return of evidence activity is due and has been allocated for
processing, see Table 4, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
• the customer has contacted as requests for evidence of care have already been
sent to each party and the required timeframe has elapsed, shared care trained
staff see Table 4, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
• the customer is providing more evidence, see Receipt of claims, forms and
documentation for family assistance
• evidence of care has been requested but the timeframe to provide the
information has
not elapsed, tell the customer of the processing timeframes
and evidence requirements (promote
online lodgement of documents)
• the customer is advising of financial hardship, confirm the hardship criteria are
met and go to Step 11
2
Attempt to contact the other carer + Read more ...
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 64 of 122
It is mandatory to attempt to contact the other carer unless an exception applies.
Where the other carer does not have a current record and/or documentation provided
does not include the other carer's current contact details, request their name, address,
date of birth and telephone number from the notifying carer. If the gaining carer can
supply enough information to create a record for the losing carer, a record must be
created, and the children linked to the new record. See Adding a customer to the
system and Linking a child to a customer's record.
Do not provide any details to the
notifying carer.
s47E(d)
Note: where FDV concerns are identified the FDV Support Model must be followed and
consideration be given to the involvement of a
social worker where a child may be at
risk of harm or where a customer's circumstances indicate vulnerability or a risk to the
customer's safety. See Social work service referral
Make one genuine attempt to contact the other carer.
If subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop
Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes
in case there is a delay sending the message.
Was contact successful?
•
Yes, go to Step 3
•
No, go to Step 10
3
Other carer contacted + Read more ...
Where possible obtain details and confirm the information provided by the other party,
such as:
• the date the shared care arrangement changed
• details of the pattern of care and the actual care level
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 65 of 122
• whether the care arrangements are agreed
• what the current actual care is
If the:
• shared care arrangements are agreed and
confirmed, see the Table 5, Step 1 on
the Customer First tab
• other carer is advising that a current written agreement for shared care
arrangements (court order/parenting plan/written agreement) in place for the
child is no longer being complied with (disputed care), go to Step 4
• other carer
disagrees with care percentage or date (disagreement over care
arrangements), go to Step 6
4
Written agreement is not being complied with (disputed care) + Read more ...
Had the care arrangement been followed immediately before the most recent change,
or, did the change in care occur before the care provided under the care arrangement
could be established?
•
Yes, go to Step 5
•
No, this is not disputed care. If the other carer:
o is not happy with the care arrangement, but confirms the care is as
advised by the notifying carer, the care change is confirmed. See Table
5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
o disagrees with certain points of the care arrangement, for example with
the pattern of care, care percentage or date, this is a disagreement over
care arrangements. Go to Step 6
5
Reasonable action + Read more ...
Examples of reasonable action for the person with reduced care include:
• initiating or participating in court action for contravention of a court order
• obtaining or seeking legal advice regarding the making of a court order
• initiating mediation, through a Family Relationship Centre or other service, to
re-establish the care arrangement
• negotiating with the other parent with a view to re-establishing the care
arrangement
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 66 of 122
Is the carer with reduced care of the child/ren (compared to the amount in the written
care arrangement), taking reasonable action to have the care arrangement complied
with?
•
Yes, disputed care may apply, see Table 3, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
•
No, this is not disputed care. If the other carer:
o is not happy with the care arrangement, but confirms the care is
occurring as advised by the notifying carer, the care change is
confirmed, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
o disagrees with certain points of the care arrangement, for example with
the pattern of care, care percentage and/or date, this is a disagreement
over care arrangements. Go to Step 6
6
Other carer disagrees with care percentage or date + Read more ...
Check the customer's record to see if the disagreed care process has commenced.
Is there a
DOC in regards to the disagreed care on the customer's record?
•
Yes:
o s47E(d)
DOC, go to Step 7
o s47E(d)
DOC, go to Step 8
o s47E(d)
DOC. Do not transfer the customer to the INC team.
Manage enquiries relating to that care decision as per the processes
in Review of care decisions. Staff will get feedback via the Staff
Feedback Tool where the call transfer does not meet the specified
guidelines
•
No, go to Step 9
7
s47E(d)
DOC + Read more ...
Check for a s47E(d)
referral
DOC if there is no
• s47E(d)
DOC, or
• s47E(d)
DOC
A s47E(d)
' referral
DOC means the referral has not been assigned to
an INC skilled Service Officer.
Tell the customer
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 67 of 122
• a Service Officer specialised in care decisions will review the evidence from all
relevant parties to the care change and make a decision
• they will get a call for the Service Officer the discuss the intended decision if the
decision and/or impact will be:
o adverse, or
o different to what they would expect or had reported
Annotate the s47E(d)
referral
DOC with details of the customer
conversation.
During the conversation, if the customer agrees to the care and there is no
disagreement to the facts:
• apply the care change as agreed between the parties, and
• complete/finalise any Review/DOC referrals to the Integrated Care team
• remove any s47E(d) keywords from s47E(d)
or other associated
activities and action as appropriate
Procedure ends here.
8
s47E(d)
DOC + Read more ...
INC Service Officers will create an s47E(d)
DOC on the customer's
record when they receive a s47E(d)
referral. The
DOC may be:
• open
• on hold, or
• completed
The
DOC will have the following information - This case has been assigned and is being
managed by an Integrated Care skilled Service Officer. If this customer or other relevant
parties to this care change call, transfer them to Integrated Care using s47E(d)
If the s47E(d)
DOC is open or on hold and the customer:
• wants to speak to INC about the referral:
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 68 of 122
o If the transfer is unsuccessful (i.e. received after 4:45pm ACST or ACDST
(SA time) or if the line is engaged, create a call back request. Use s47E(d)
• calls to give more information and does not want a call back from INC:
o Annotate thes47E(d)
DOC with the information from
the customer
9
Referral to INC + Read more ...
If the other carer disagrees with the care percentage, or dates gather more information,
such as:
• what facts about the change they disagree with
• the date, the details of care - nights, hours or the pattern of care
• what circumstances led to the change
• what care is actually occurring
• how have they calculated the pattern of care
• any other relevant information
If agreement cannot be reached:
• Tell
all care parties they must provide evidence to support the actual pattern of
care within the expected timeframe, indicating an assessment will be made on
the available evidence at end of timeframe or rejected if suitable evidence is
not provided
• Tell
all care parties what that timeframe is
• Promote
online lodgement of documents
• s47E(d)
• If
all care parties are FTB current and/or current on an Income Support
payment, run the s47E(d)
script on each record to
create the letter requesting evidence of the care arrangements (Q810) making
sure the appropriate options are selected.
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 69 of 122
s47E(d)
• For
CCS only customers do not use the script. Instead:
o send a Q888 CCS ACCS RFI using approved text
o include Details of your child's care arrangements (FA012) if issuing a
Q888 to the other carer
• Consider relevant privacy issues when referring to the other carer in the letter
• Close any open
DOCs automatically generated by the script on both the
customer's and other carer's record
• If the other carer is not FTB current,
and has an existing Centrelink record, issue
a Q999 letter requesting confirmation of shared care arrangements and
supporting evidence. See the Resources page for the letter text
•
If either the customer or the other carer/s does not have an existing
Centrelink record, and enough information to create a record has/can be
supplied, a record must be created and the children linked to the new record.
See Adding a customer to the system and Linking a child to a customer's record.
Issue a Q999 letter with a Details of your child's care arrangements (FA012)
from the record
•
Where the gaining carer cannot provide enough information to create a record
for the losing carer,
send a Q999 letter from the existing carer's record as a
third party letter. See the Resources page for the letter text
• Close any open
DOCs automatically generated by the script on both the
customer's and other carer's record
• Place any related work items on hold for 14 days. Allow extra time for mail
delivery and add the keywords s47E(d) and s47E(d)
• If there is no activity, in
Customer First,s47E(d)
on the s47E(d)
screen and complete the fields as follows:
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 70 of 122
s47E(d)
• The review will mature on the
Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload
Management will allocate the review for manual action
• Record details using s47E(d)
on
all care parties'
records
• Make sure all details including the due date are provided withins47E(d)
on all parties' records
• Where actioning a FA012, the scanned document work item will need to be
completed, see Viewing Centrelink customers' digital images
• Create a s47E(d)
on
all parties' records, with
an expiry date of 28 days
•
All disagreed care assessments and updates are completed by Integrated Care
skilled staff. Once evidence is returned or the activity/claim becomes DUE, this
will be allocated to an Integrated Care skilled staff
s47E(d)
If the customer has been issued a Q810 or has provided evidence for this care period, a
further request is not needed.
Decrease in care not confirmed
If the customer is advising that their care has
decreased and it has
not been confirmed
with the other carer, the decrease needs to be coded as a preliminary decision to avoid
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 71 of 122
overpayment. See Table 5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab to update the
decrease
only.
For
increase in care, procedure ends here.
10
Other carer could not be contacted + Read more ...
If the customer is in
hardship, go to Step 11.
If the other carer cannot be contacted by phone and/or there is no record of a prior
request to confirm shared care arrangements:
• If the other carer is also FTB current, run the s47E(d)
script to issue a
Q810 letter to both carers, requesting evidence
for a change in shared care
s47E(d)
• For
CCS only customers do not use the script. Instead:
o send a Q888 CCS ACCS RFI using approved text
o include Details of your child's care arrangements (FA012) if issuing a
Q888 to the other carer
• Consider relevant privacy issues when referring to the other carer in the letter.
s47E(d)
• Close any open
DOCs automatically generated by the script on both customer's
and other carer's record
• If the other carer is not FTB current,
and
o has an existing Centrelink record, issue a Q999 letter requesting
confirmation of shared care arrangements and supporting evidence.
See the Resources page for the letter text
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 72 of 122
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining carer
has
or can supply enough information to create a record for the losing
carer, a record must be created, and the children linked to the new
record. See Adding a customer to the system and Linking a child to a
customer's record. Issue Q999 letter with a Details of your child's care
arrangements (FA012) from the new record. See the Resources page
of Change of care for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for letter text
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining
carer
cannot provide enough information to create a record for the
losing carer, send a Q999 letter from the customer's record as a third
party letter. See the Resources page for the letter text
o Where the other carer does not have a current record and/or
documentation provided does not include the other carer's current
contact details, s47E(d)
• Letters are sent to both the losing and gaining carer now as this gives both
carers equal opportunity to provide evidence for change of care without
unnecessary delays to process the FTB payment
• s47E(d)
• Place existing work item on hold for 14 days, allowing extra time for mail
delivery and add the keyword s47E(d)
• If there is no activity, in
Customer First, s47E(d)
on the s47E(d)
screen and complete the fields as follows:
s47E(d)
o
Notes: 'Gaining/Losing carer have been advised if they do not provide
the supporting evidence within the required timeframe, a decision will
be made based on the information received which may result in a
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 73 of 122
change to entitlements and a change to their child support assessment,
or that the decision may be rejected. Check response to request for
evidence.'
s47E(d)
• The review will mature on the
Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload
Management will allocate the review for manual action
• Make sure all details including the due date are provided within s47E(d)
on
all parties' records
• If the customer is advising a
decrease in care that has not been confirmed,
update as a preliminary decision to avoid overpayment. See Table 5, Step 1 on
the Customer First tab to update the decrease in care
Procedure ends here.
11
Customer in hardship + Read more ...
47E(d)
s47E(d)
If
47E(d)
s47E(d)
• If care has been confirmed or the customer's evidence is satisfactory, see Table
5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
• If not satisfied with the evidence provided, tell the customer to
provide evidence to support their request for change of care percentage. A
Q810 letter must also be sent to the customer and the other carer via the s47
script to confirm their obligations to provide
E(d)
evidence. Promote
online lodgement of documents
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 74 of 122
• For
CCS only customers do not use the script. Instead:
o send a Q888 CCS ACCS RFI using approved text
o include Details of your child's care arrangements (FA012) if issuing a
Q888 to the other carer
• Do not issue multiple FA012s when an initial one has been completed and
returned
• Close any open
DOCs automatically generated by the script on both customer's
and other carer's record
• If the other carer is not FTB current,
and
o has an existing Centrelink record, issue a Q999 letter requesting
confirmation of shared care arrangements and supporting evidence.
See the Resources page for the letter text
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining carer
has
or can supply enough information to create a record for the losing
carer, a record must be created, and the children linked to the new
record. See Adding a customer to the system and Linking a child to a
customer's record. Issue Q999 letter with a Details of your child's care
arrangements (FA012) from the new record. See the Resources page
of Change of care for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for letter text
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining
carer
cannot provide enough information to create a record for the
losing carer, send a Q999 letter from the customer's record as a third
party letter. See the Resources page for the letter text
• s47E(d)
• Place existing work item on hold for 14 days, allowing extra time for mail
delivery and add the keyword s47E(d)
• Where there is no activity, in
Customer First, s47E(d)
on the
s47E(d)
screen and complete the fields as follows:
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 75 of 122
s47E(d)
• The review will mature on the
Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload
Management will allocate the review for manual action
•
s47E(d)
Make sure all details including the due date are provided within
s47E(d)
on
all parties' records
From 10 June 2019, FTB top-ups, supplements, lump sum claim amounts and instalment
arrears can be used to recover any family assistance, social security, student assistance
and Paid Parental Leave scheme payment debts. This will occur even if the customer has
a current payment arrangement. Previously, FTB amounts could only be used to recover
FTB, Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) debts.
Where exceptional and/or unforeseen circumstances apply which may cause the
customer to suffer severe financial hardship, customers can request to be temporarily
excluded from debt recovery prior to any money being taken from their FTB arrears,
lump sum or top-up payments.
Disputed care - request evidence and code an interim care decision
Table 3: this table describes the steps to follow when care is disputed. Disputed care provisions may
apply for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and child support where there is a departure from the terms of a
written care arrangement, and the person with reduced care is taking reasonable action to have the
care arrangement complied with.
Step
Action
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 76 of 122
1
Contact other carer to confirm interim care arrangements: + Read more ...
In most cases it is
mandatory to attempt to contact the other carer to confirm the
'actual' care arrangements currently being followed, where a customer has advised that
a court order/parenting plan/written agreement for care arrangements is not being
complied with (disputed care). Where the other carer does not have a current record
and/or documentation provided does not include the other carer's current contact
details, request their name, address and telephone number from the notifying carer.
DO
NOT provide any details to the notifying carer.
s47E(d)
Note: where FDV concerns are identified, the FDV Support Model must be followed and
consideration be given to the involvement of a
social worker where a child may be at
risk of harm or where a customer's circumstances indicate vulnerability or risk to the
customer's safety. See Social work service referral
Make one genuine attempt to contact the other carer.
If subscribed to Desktop Messaging, send a pre-call notification SMS through Desktop
Messaging before calling them. For pre-call messages, allow a lead-in time of 5 minutes
in case there is a delay sending the message.
Explain a disputed care determination will be made based on information and evidence
that establishes care-related facts to support:
• the care that is most likely to be occurring (including care other than nights)
• whether the established pattern of care has changed or not
• the new pattern of care is likely to continue into the future (and is not a one-off
minor change such as occasionally missing a weekend of care due to work or
illness)
Send request for evidence letters to both carers:
• If the other carer is also FTB current, run the Child - Change in Care
Arrangements script to issue a
Q810 letter to both carers, requesting evidence
for a change in shared care. Consider relevant privacy issues when referring to
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 77 of 122
the other carer in the letter.
If verbal contact was unsuccessful, a FA012 must be issued to the other carer
with the Q810. s47E(d)
• For
CCS only customers do not use the script. Instead:
o send a Q888 CCS ACCS RFI using approved text
o include Details of your child's care arrangements (FA012) if issuing a
Q888 to the other carer
• Consider relevant privacy issues when referring to the other carer in the letter.
An FA012 must be issued to the other carer with the Q810/Q888. In some
cases, it may be appropriate to issue an FA012 to the initiating carer, if so this
should also be sent with the Q810/Q888
• Close any open
DOCs automatically generated by the script on both customer's
and other carer's record
• If the other carer is not FTB current,
and
o has an existing Centrelink record, issue a Q999 letter requesting
confirmation of shared care arrangements and supporting evidence.
See the Resources page for the letter text
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining carer
has
or can supply enough information to create a record for the losing
carer, a record must be created, and the children linked to the new
record. See Adding a customer to the system and Linking a child to a
customer's record. Issue Q999 letter with a Details of your child's care
arrangements (FA012) from the new record. See the Resources page
of Change of care for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for letter text
o
does not have an existing Centrelink record, and the gaining
carer
cannot provide enough information to create a record for the
losing carer, send a Q999 letter from the customer's record as a third
party letter. See the Resources page for the letter text
Note: if the written care arrangement has not previously been coded on the system or
scanned to the record, it will need to be provided as part of the evidence requested.
All disputed care
assessments and updates are completed by Integrated Care skilled
staff.
Note: if the update relates to an ARO implementation request relating to a disputed
care determination, the program that made the original decision must implement the
ARO decision. See Review of Care Decision.
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 78 of 122
Centrelink staff, go to Step 2
Integrated Care skilled staff, go to Step 6
2
Hand off disputed care work item to Integrated Care skilled staff + Read more ...
Put work item on hold and hand-off to Integrated Care skilled staff:
• When there is an existing work item (for example claim activity), place the work
item on hold for 14 days, allowing extra time for mail delivery and add the
keyword s47E(d) and s47E(d)
)
• When there is no activity, in
Customer First, s47E(d)
on the
s47E(d)
screen and complete the fields as follows (this
includes where evidence has been requested when actioning FA012s):
s47E(d)
• The review will mature on the
Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload
Management will allocate the review for manual action
• When actioning a FA012, the scanned document work item will need to be
completed, see Viewing Centrelink customers' digital images
•
s47E(d)
Make sure all details including the due date are provided within
s47E(d)
on
all parties' records
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 79 of 122
• Create a
DOA DOC s47E(d)
• Once evidence is returned or the activity/claim becomes DUE, this will be
allocated to a Child Support Service Officer for action
• If the written care arrangement has not been previously coded on the system, it
will need to be provided as part of the evidence requested
Note: the work item does not need to be re-categorised, as by adding the keyword, it
will automatically flow to Integrated Care skilled staff.
For customers who are experiencing financial hardship or are a family in
crisis and s47E(d)
:
s47E(d)
Centrelink staff:
• If contact is received
regarding a disputed care change being managed by
Integrated Care (INC) skilled staff, go to Step 3
• If a
work item is received relating to a disputed care change being managed by
Integrated Care skilled staff, go to Step 4
• If contact is received
during the maximum interim period of an existing
disputed care decision, go to Step 5
3
Contact regarding a disputed care change being managed by Integrated Care skilled
staff + Read more ...
Where contact is received (either in person or via the phone) from a parent/carer who
has a disputed care assessment already being managed by Integrated Care skilled staff
as per the s47E(d)
DOA DOC, tell the parent/carer, their care
assessment will be applied to both their Child Support and Centrelink records once
complete.
Procedure ends here.
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 80 of 122
4
Work item received relating to a disputed care change being managed by Integrated
Care skilled staff + Read more ...
If a work item is received related to a care change already being managed by Integrated
Care skilled staff (as per the s47E(d)
DOA DOC), hand-off the work
item by adding the keyword s47E(d) and reallocating the work item back to the pool.
Note: the work item does not need to be re-categorised, by adding the keyword, it will
automatically be allocated to Integrated Care skilled staff.
Procedure ends here.
5
Contact received during the maximum interim period of an existing disputed care
decision + Read more ...
If a contact is received during the maximum interim period as outlined in the s47E(d)
DOA DOC, where there is a change to the care arrangements for the
relevant children or a change to reasonable action being taken, a hand-off to Integrated
Care skilled staff is required.
If there is a relevant work item on the record, add the keyword s47E(d) and
reallocate the work item back to the pool
If there is no existing work item, an
ACTDOC will need to be created using s47E(d)
s47E(d)
Note: the keyword s47E(d) does not need to be added to the s47E(d) , it is built in
to the auto text template.
Procedure ends here.
6
Customer seeking to enforce order/plan/agreement + Read more ...
Integrated Care (INC) skilled staff only.
An 'interim' decision must be coded for between 4 weeks and 52 weeks from the date
the care arrangements changed.
The discretion to base care on actual care in special circumstances is only to be
exercised in certain cases, for example, s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 81 of 122
The decision to apply discretion in special circumstances is
only made by the Integrated
Care team within Services Australia.
All special circumstances disputed care and left care without consent decisions must be
referred to an Integrated Care skilled team s47E(d)
for
completion.
Do special circumstances need to be considered in this arrangement?
s47E(d)
•
No, go to Step 7
7
Record interim care decision + Read more ...
Integrated Care skilled staff:
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 82 of 122
• s47E(d)
• Finalise the update
• Make a principal carer determination if required
• Complete the s47E(d)
with details of the disputed care and interim
care decision, and
DOC the record using s47E(d)
• When a disputed care assessment is finalised, to indicate the maximum interim
period where referrals to CSSC are still required:
s47E(d)
If a new written care arrangement is made
during the interim period (for example, new
court orders are lodged) the interim period will be reduced, ending on the day before
the written care arrangement starts.
Actual care decision
An 'actual care' decision is to be made based on evidence provided at the end of the
allowed time if attempts have been made to comply with the care arrangements or
action for a new arrangement is unsuccessful. See Table 4, Step 1 on the Customer First
tab.
For care periods that commence
on or after 1 July 2012, if there are special
circumstances, discretion can be applied s47E(d)
From 10 June 2019, FTB top-ups, supplements, lump sum claim amounts and instalment
arrears can be used to recover any family assistance, social security, student assistance
and Paid Parental Leave scheme payment debts. This will occur even if the customer has
a current payment arrangement. Previously, FTB amounts could only be used to recover
FTB, Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) debts.
Making a decision on a shared care arrangement
Table 4: this table contains information for Service Officers to follow to determine shared care
percentages.
Step
Action
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 83 of 122
1
Check records to make sure that all carers were given equal opportunity to provide
evidence and were advised of their obligations + Read more ...
Has a request for evidence been sent to all carers?
•
Yes, and if all carers have been given adequate time to respond, check both
records for any documents and scans that have been provided as evidence of
the pattern of care, go to Step 2
•
No, if a request for evidence has not been sent to all carers, see Table 2, Step
2 on the Customer First tab for help. Resubmit the work item until the relevant
due date
2
Evidence received + Read more ...
Has acceptable evidence been received from both carers within the expected
timeframe?
•
Yes, all carers have:
o agreed on percentage/s of care, there is no need to calculate the
percentage based on the agreed pattern of care or the available
evidence. See Table 5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
o agreed on nights or hours of care, work out the percentage of care. Go
to Step 3
o provided evidence, but care is
not agreed. Go to Step 6
•
No:
o only one carer has responded, go to Step 10
o no response from either carer, go to Step 11
3
Working out the percentage of care + Read more ...
Where customers have responded with nights or weeks in care rather than a
percentage, determine the percentage of shared cared used for family assistance
payments.
Actual care percentage = number of nights in care / days in the assessment period x 100
or use the s47E(d)
available from the Resources page.
Determine the assessment period. For
post 1 July 2010 calculations, the assessment
period is 12 months from the start of the care arrangement.
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 84 of 122
• Add up the number of nights the child is in the customer's care during the
assessment period
• If the number of nights does not accurately reflect the time in care, the number
of hours can be used:
o Add up the number of hours for each part day the child is in care and
divide by 24 to get the number of days
o Add this to the number of whole days in care to get the total number of
days in care during the assessment period
• Divide the number of nights in care in the assessment period by the number of
days in the assessment period
• Multiply the result by 100 to get the actual care percentage
• The percentage recorded must be a whole number - rounding rules for actual
care percentage
The Resources page contains care calculator which can assist with calculating the
percentage of care and examples of calculating care. The Family Assistance Guide links
under the References tab also contain extra information and examples.
Are there Multiple carers (3 or more)?
•
Yes, go to Step 4
•
No, go to Step 5
4
Multiple carers - care percentage and apportioning + Read more ...
If a child is being cared for by 3 or more people and:
• none of the carers has at least 35% actual care, no customer will be paid FTB for
the child
• only one customer has at least 35% actual care, they will be entitled to 100% of
the family assistance for the child
• 2 customers have at least 35% actual care, family assistance may be
apportioned and disbursed between them
Note: if the change is a reduction that has not been confirmed with the other carer,
code s47E(d)
and once evidence is supplied and the care change is
finalised the s47E(d)
The Apportioning formula for shared care is used to disburse any unclaimed FTB
percentage where there are multiple carers of three or more.
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 85 of 122
The Resources page contains examples of
Coding and assessing more than 2 carers.
Is the actual care percentage at least 35% in the assessment period?
•
Yes, confirm customer meets FTB eligibility requirements, go to Step 5
•
No, the customer is not entitled to FTB for the child. They may, however, be
entitled to ancillary benefits and/or a higher rate of payment if they have at
least 14% care of a dependent child See 'With child' rate of benefit for non-
principal carers with shared care
5
Shared care percentage and date of change + Read more ...
Is the shared care percentage and date of change agreed?
•
Yes, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
•
No, care is disagreed:
o Centrelink staff, go to Step 6
o Integrated Care skilled staff, go to Step 7
6
Shared care arrangement not agreed + Read more ...
All disagreed care assessments and updates are completed by Integrated Care skilled
staff.
Put work item on hold and hand-off to Integrated Care skilled staff:
• When there is an existing work item (for example, claim activity), place the work
item on hold for 14 days, allowing extra time for mail delivery and add the
keyword s47E(d) and s47E(d)
• When there is no activity, in
Customer First, s47E(d)
on the
s47E(d)
screen and complete the fields as follows (this
includes where evidence has been requested when actioning FA012s):
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 86 of 122
s47E(d)
• The review will mature on the
Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload
Management will allocate the review for manual action
• When actioning a FA012, the scanned document work item will need to be
completed, see Viewing Centrelink customers' digital images
• Make sure all details including the due date are provided within s47E(d)
s47E(d)
on
all parties' records
• Create a
DOA DOC using the s47E(d)
on
all parties' records, with
an expiry date of 28 days
• Once evidence is returned or the activity/claim becomes
DUE, this will be
allocated to a Child Support Service Officer for action
Note: the work item does not need to be re-categorised, as by adding the keyword, it
will automatically flow to Integrated Care skilled staff.
For customers who are experiencing financial hardship or are a family in
crisis and s47E(d)
s47E(d)
Procedure ends here for Centrelink staff.
7
Making a care determination where the care change is disagreed + Read more ...
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 87 of 122
This step should only be undertaken by Child Support staff trained in Integrated Care:
Compare available evidence and identify areas of disagreement. Phone each carer to
discuss the discrepancies and give them the opportunity to respond.
Is care agreed after discussion?
•
Yes, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
•
No:
o If more information will not be provided, or all parties cannot be
contacted, go to Step 8
o If a carer indicates they can provide additional supporting evidence,
request it be provided within 7 days
o Let customers know about
online lodgement of documents
o Place work item on hold for 15 days (22 days for remote or overseas
customers) to allow mailing time
o Document the discussion, care information, and when more evidence is
due
o Once the work item becomes due, make a care determination based on
available evidence. If care percentage and apportioning needs to be
considered, return to Steps 3 and 4. Then go to Step 8
8
Has sufficient evidence been provided to make a care decision? + Read more ...
•
Yes, see Table 5, Step 1 on the Customer First tab
•
No, if a care decision cannot be made as the evidence is inconclusive, reject the
care decision. Go to Step 9
9
Reject the care decision + Read more ...
• Document the records with the reason for this decision. Make sure
the
DOC covers:
o the reasons for the assessment outcomes,
o how the information was received, and
o if a manual advice was sent and other relevant information.
Note: if the
other party does not have a record, do not create a record for the
purpose of a
DOC
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 88 of 122
• Issue a Q999 letter to the customer and/or other carer, including reason for
outcome and the review and appeal rights. The Resources page contains
approved text for the Q999 letter
• Cancel any associated review activities
• Assess any claim pending as '
NEF' (not effective), as not all required information
has been provided. For:
o
CCS pending claims, see Table 3, Step 9 in the Process page of
Processing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims
o
All other claims, see Not effective, rejection, or withdrawal of claim for
Family Tax Benefit or Stillborn Baby Payment
• If either carer is in receipt of an income support payment, their entitlement may
be affected by the change in care. Consider if cancellation or suspension is
appropriate. See Principal carer of a dependent child
• If the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately
trained carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility. Use
the s47E(d)
to send a request for the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance
eligibility to be checked by appropriately trained staff
• Procedure ends here
10
Only one carer has responded + Read more ...
If only one carer responds within the allowable timeframe, this evidence may be used
to assess the care percentage if it is considered to be sufficient.
Determine whether the evidence is acceptable and supports the pattern of care and
date of the change being claimed. Weigh the evidence.
The Resources page contains a care calculator which can assist with calculating the
percentage of care and examples of calculating care. The References page contains links
to the Family Assistance Guide with extra information and examples of verifying care
arrangements and establishing a pattern of care.
Do not change the care percentages until there is enough evidence to support such a
decision.
For assistance in calculating the percentage of care, refer to the Care Calculator on
the Resources page before continuing.
Tell the customer that the other person caring for the child may apply for a
formal Review of care decision.
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 89 of 122
• If the care percentage is determined and supported by evidence, see Table 5,
Step 1 on the Customer First tab
• If the evidence provided is not sufficient to update the care decision, the care
assessment is rejected. Issue Free Text (Q999) to customer and/or other carer,
including reason for outcome and the review and appeal rights.
The Resources page contains example text for the Q999. Document the decision
in a s47E(d)
• If the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately
trained carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility. Use
the s47E(d)
to send a request for the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance
eligibility to be checked by appropriately trained staff. Procedure ends here
11
No response from either carer + Read more ...
If no response is received from either carer within the expected time frame:
• Cancel FTB where entitlement is potentially reduced or eligibility lost (to avoid
possible overpayments), using:
s47E(d)
• Assess any claim pending as '
NEF' (not effective), as not all required information
has been provided. For:
o a
CCS pending claim, see Table 3, Step 9 in the Process page of
Processing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) claims
o
all other claims, see Not effective, rejection, or withdrawal of claim for
Family Tax Benefit or Stillborn Baby Payment
• Where the entitlement was potentially increasing, consider any pending care
changes not effective
• Issue a Q999 letter to the customer and/or other carer, including reason for
outcome and the review and appeal rights. The Resources page contains
approved text for the Q999 letter for carers already in receipt of
FTB.
Note: there is no requirement to issue a letter to a non-FTB customer
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 90 of 122
•
DOC the record of both parties.
Note: if the other party does not have a record,
do not create one for the purpose of a
DOC.
DOC the outcome:
o including the reasons for the assessment outcome (for example,
claim/care change Not Effective (NEF)
o how the information was received
o if a manual advice was sent, and
o other relevant information
• When the s47E(d) screen is coded as commenced, the system will automatically
update to lapsed after 21 days, no update is required
• If the customer is CCS current, this is to reduce to zero rate. Policy allows a zero
rate to be applied to customers in this circumstance
s47E(d)
If either carer is in receipt of an income support payment, their entitlement may be
affected by the change in care. See Principal carer of a dependent child.
If the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately trained
carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility. Use the s47E(d)
s47E(d)
, to
send a request for the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance eligibility to be checked
by appropriately trained staff.
Coding shared care arrangements
Table 5: this table describes the steps for coding, finalising and advising customers of care
arrangement decisions.
Step
Action
1
Checks before coding shared care details for FTB + Read more ...
The details for the customer with the
reduction in care percentage must be coded first,
followed by the customer with the increase in care percentage.
Notes:
• A child can only be linked to a person (carer's) record if:
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 91 of 122
o both carers have participated in the making of a new care decision
either verbally or written (FA012)
o a subsequent care decision is being made and the 'E004WA Mandatory
value not entered on screen' error is experienced due to a care decision
displaying on the s47E(d)
screen for a non-linked carer.
This can occur when Child Support have made a previous care decision
and it has been received via the data exchange
o the customer has made a claim in relation to the child (includes an
income support payment claim that attracts the 'with child' rate)
o the claimant is a step parent and the P24845 - Step-parent workaround
needs to be applied
• Staff
must not link a child to the record, unless one of the above criteria is met.
See the Resources page in Linking a child to a customer's record for examples
s47E(d)
When assessing a new claim, use the following steps instead of the s47E(d)
guided procedure within the claim activity.
Has the child been linked to all relevant carers who have made a claim?
Check the s47E(d)
screen in all relevant records.
• If the customer (or partner) has claimed for the child, if not already listed, the
s47E(d)
child can be linked on the
screen. See Linking a child to a customer's record
s47E(d)
• If there has
never been a claim
do not link the child/ren on the
screen
Child's Customer Reference Number (CRN)
s47E(d)
Check the same CRN is being used on all carer records for the child. The
screen may
display only one carer line due to multiple child CRNs. If CRN is not the same on each
record, check for multiple or duplicate CRNs.
Child and customer environment
Check the customer and child environment, and transfer to the correct environment
where appropriate. For help with transferring, see:
• s47E(d)
transfer of a child record
• s47E(d)
transfer of a customer record
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 92 of 122
If the customer is in a different environment to the child, and an inter-environment
transfer is not appropriate, code the care change in the record of the carer who is in the
same environment as the child.
The child's home environment can be determined by conducting an index search for the
child via the s47E(d)
screen. The s47E(d)
screen will
then indicate which environment the child's record is located in. Child changes recorded
on one customer's record will 'ripple' to other customers linked to the child.
2
Determine if the claimant is a step-parent + Read more ...
Where FTB is transferred out to partner (47E(d) is coded on the s47E(d)
screen - from parent to step-parent) for
any level of care and the parent is a
Centrelink and Child Support mutual customer, the record needs to be referred for
investigation as the P24845 system issue may impact.
Is the claimant a step-parent?
•
Yes, an issue has been identified where care may not apply correctly when FTB
is being paid to a step-parent. A workaround referral process must be applied
every time care is reassessed on these records, see Table 6 on the Customer
First tab
•
No, go to Step 3
3
Does the child have their own PER record? + Read more ...
•
Yes, go to Step 4
•
No, go to Step 6
4
Child has their own PER record + Read more ...
Code the updates in the child's PER record before returning to the respective customers'
records.
Use the correct date of receipt (DOR) when coding this activity. Code child changes as if
in carer's record. The care decrease must be coded before the care increase.
If no related activity is on the respective customers' records, create one via the s47E(d
screen. Use the appropriate:
)
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 93 of 122
• the correct DOR
Make note of the s47E(d), as it is required to merge data on the s47E(d)
screen.
• s47E(d)
•
• When updating care status on s47E(d) screen, code number corresponding to
relevant carer in s47E(d) field:
o For child leaving care coding, update s47E(d)and s47E(d) before coding s47E(d)
o For increase in care coding, code the child in care on the s47E(d) screen if
not previously coded
•
s47E(d)
Update
screen for family assistance
s47E(d)
• Update the
screen for income support payments with the care percentage
and s47E(d)
for
all ISP current customers. A new Principal carer
determination may be required
• s47E(d)
•
•
•
• If ABSTUDY (ABY) or ABSTUDY Schooling A (ABT) is paid for the child (with a
status of CUR, SUS or ASS), record the details of the losing carer, gaining carer
and DOV of the care change on an open s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 94 of 122
s47E(d)
• Return to the respective customers' record. Go to Step 5
5
Complete ripple activities and record s47E(d)
on all carers' records + Read more ...
Return to each carer's record to complete coding the claim/ reassessment activity. The
child updates made on the child's record will display on the carers' records, select the
ripple activity and:
Update other child screens if necessary:
• s47E(d)
screen:
o If the customer is in receipt of an Income Support Payment (ISP), coding
may be required on the s47E(d)screen to assess 'with child' rate of the
ISP or change in qualification for PP. See s47E(d)
screen
o For PPS if the customer is no longer the principal carer of a child, coding
may be required on the s47E(d) screen.
Note: the child may continue to
be assessed for the purpose of the additional income free area if the
customer retains entitlement to PPS for another child, or other
child/ren. If this is an update to the last remaining PP child, PPS should
cancel. If PPS does not cancel see s47E(d)
screen for extra coding requirements
o If the E630PN or E559NM edits present, see E630PN or E559NM Child is
the dependant of another principal carer
• Update the s47E(d)
screen from the date the
child entered care. s47E(d)
•
s47E(d)
•
s47E(d)
Check the outcome is correct before finalising the activity on the
screen.
Note: if the customer is in
hardship, check the s47E(d) section on the
scr
s47E(d)
een has a
tick in the s47E(d)
in the started activity before finalising. This will ensure
immediate arrears will issue. Otherwise, the payment will be issued with the next
available payday.
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 95 of 122
From 10 June 2019, FTB top-ups, supplements, lump sum claim amounts and instalment
arrears can be
used to recover any family assistance, social security, student assistance
and Paid Parental Leave scheme payment debts. This will occur even if the customer has
a current payment arrangement. Previously, FTB amounts could only be used to recover
FTB, Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) debts.
Automatic letters must not be inhibited to ensure the customer receives advice of their
new rate of payment.
Record details on all records using s47E(d)
once all coding completed.
A Q807 SSA Shared Care Principal Carer Determination letter
must be sent to all carers
in a shared care arrangement, where at least one carer is claiming/receiving an income
support payment.
s47E(d)
Any disclosure of personal/protected information must comply with the confidentiality
provisions in sections 201-208 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 and
Australian Privacy Principle (APP) 6 of the Privacy Act 1988. See the References page for
links. If a Service Officer feels it necessary, the name of the other carer should be
replaced with the term 'other carer'. The reasons for this must be documented.
Note: if the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately
trained carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility. Use the s47E(d)
s47E(d)
, to
send a request for the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance eligibility to be checked
by appropriately trained staff.
Procedure ends here.
6
Child is not a customer - code the decrease in care first + Read more ...
Use the correct date of receipt (DOR) when coding activities.
Once completed, code the increase in care on the other carer.
If no related activity is on the respective customers' records, create one via the s47E(d)
. Use the appropriate:
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 96 of 122
s47E(d)
Make note of the
as
s47E(d)
it is needed to merge data on the s47E(d)
) screen.
• s47E(d)
•
• Update the
s47E(d)
) screen for family assistance
•
s47E(d)
Update the
screen for income support payments with the care percentage
and s47E(d)
for all ISP current customers. A new Principal carer
determination may be required
• s47E(d)
screen:
o If the customer is in receipt of an Income Support Payment (ISP), coding
may be required on the s47E(d)
screen to assess 'with child' rate of the
ISP or change in qualification for PP. See s47E(d)
screen
o For PPS if the customer is no longer the principal carer of a child, coding
may be required on the s47E(d) screen.
Note: the child may continue to
be assessed for the purpose of the additional income free area if the
customer retains entitlement to PPS for another child, or other
child/ren. If this is an update to the last remaining PP child, PPS should
cancel. If PPS does not cancel, see s47E(d)
screen for extra coding requirements
o If the E630PN or E559NM edits present, see E630PN or E559NM Child is
the dependant of another principal carer
•
s47E(d)
7
Update other child screens if necessary + Read more ...
• s47E(d)
screen
o If the carer is in receipt of an income support payment, coding may also
be required on the s47E(d) screen to assess 'with child' rate of income
support payment or change in qualification for PP, see s47E(d)
screen
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 97 of 122
o For PPS if the customer is no longer the principal carer of a child, coding
may be required on the s47E(d) screen.
Note: the child may continue to
be assessed for the purpose of the additional income free area if the
customer retains entitlement to PPS for another child, or other
child/ren. If this is an update to the last remaining PP child, PPS should
cancel. If PPS does not cancel, see s47E(d)
screen for extra coding requirements
o If the E630PN or E559NM edits present, see E630PN or E559NM Child is
the dependant of another principal care
• s47E(d)
•
•
•
•
8
Finalise activity and document the customer's record + Read more ...
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 98 of 122
For ABSTUDY customers, check continuing entitlement after ABSTUDY customer leaves
parental home.
Note: if the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately
trained carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility.
Use the s47E(d)
to send a request for the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance eligibility to
be checked by appropriately trained staff.
9
Code the increase in care + Read more ...
Go to the record where the
increase in care is to be coded. Child will need to be linked
if not appearing on s47E(d) and carer has claimed for the child. See Linking a child.
Use the correct date of receipt (DOR) when coding activities.
• If customer is not yet FTB current, and the new care level entitles the customer
to FTB, a claim will need to be lodged. See Initial contact by customers claiming
payments for families
• s47E(d)
•
•
• Update s47E(d)
screen for family assistance
• Update the s47E(d)
screen with the care percentage and s47E(d)
r for
all current ISP customers. A new Principal carer
determination may be required, see Shared care for income support payments
and principal carer determination
• Update the s47E(d)
screen where there is no existing s47E(d)
• If the customer is in receipt of an income support payment (ISP), coding may
also be required on the s47E(d)screen to assess 'with child' rate of ISP or change
in qualification for PP, see Shared care for social security payments. If the
E630PN or E559NM edits present, see E630PN or E559NM Child is the
dependant of another principal carer
• s47E(d)
): Check and update the s47E(d)
field
to '
Finalised' by '
s'electing the provisional lines and updating the status for that
child. If the s47E(d)
field has been previously recorded, update
to '
No'
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 99 of 122
Update other child screens if necessary:
s47E(d)
If maintenance group requires update, see How to group children on a customer's
Family Tax Benefit record.
s47E(d)
Check the outcome is correct before finalising the activity on the
screen.
• If the customer is in
hardship and
immediate arrears are required, check the
s47E(d)
Actions section on the
screen has a tick in the s47E(d) box in the started
activity before finalising. This will ensure immediate arrears will issue. If not, the
payment will be issued with the next available payday. Uses47E(d)
s47E(d)
to
document the care decision.
• If the child is attracting Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance, appropriately
trained carer staff will still need to complete a reassessment of eligibility. Use
the s47E(d)
to send a request for the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance
eligibility to be checked by appropriately trained staff.
Note: from 10 June 2019, FTB top-ups, supplements, lump sum claim amounts and
instalment arrears can be used to recover any family assistance, social security, student
assistance and Paid Parental Leave scheme payment debts. This will occur even if the
customer has a current payment arrangement. Previously, FTB amounts could only be
used to recover FTB, Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) debts.
Is at least one carer claiming/receiving an income support payment?
•
Yes, go to Step 10
•
No, procedure ends here
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 100 of 122
10
Advise customer and other carer(s) of decision + Read more ...
Issue Q805 Shared Care Grant (Agreed full %) or Q806 Shared Care Grant - No third
party response as appropriate.
s47E(d)
Run the s47E(d)
script to create the appropriate letter.
Q807 SSA Shared Care Principal Carer Determination letter
must be sent to all carers in
a shared care arrangement, where at least one carer is claiming/receiving an income
support payment.
Run the s47E(d)
script to create the Q807 SSA Shared Care
Principal Carer Letter.
Automatic letters must be sent so that customer receives advice of their new rate of
payment.
Any disclosure of personal/protected information must comply with the confidentiality
provisions in sections 201-208 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 and
Australian Privacy Principle (APP) 6 of the Privacy Act 1988. See the References page for
links. If a Service Officer feels it necessary, the name of the other carer should be
replaced with the term 'other carer'. The reasons for this must be documented.
11
Finalise the Assessment of Care Arrangements Referral s47E(d)
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 101 of 122
A
DOC must be recorded in all cases, as this is used by income support payment, LIC,
CSHC or FST processing staff to progress the claim. This includes when a care
assessment is not being made as the information provided by the customer is the same
as what is already coded on the customer's record.
P24845 - Step-parent workaround
Table 6: this table describes the process to follow prior to referring to record for investigation and to
correctly action the workaround for the P24845 - Claimant is a step-parent issue.
Step
Action
1
Claimant is a step-parent or P24845 workaround is present on child record + Read
more ...
The record needs to be referred for investigation as the P24845 system issue may
impact:
• when FTB is transferred out to partner ( s47E(d)' is coded on the s47E(d)
) screen - from parent to step-parent) and the parent is a
Centrelink and Child Support mutual customer
• if the P24845 workaround is present on a
record for a child - the workaround
will need to be applied with each subsequent care change until the child ceases
to be an FTB child
If the workaround has previously been applied the s47E(d)
screen will
show 3 or more carers with shared care.
The Resources page contains examples of when the P24845 system issue may affect a
record.
2
Coding required before referring for investigation + Read more ...
s47E(d)
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s47E(d)
•
The care decision must be documented on each carer's record. Use either:
s47E(d)
•
If the biological parent and step parent have now separated, required updates
s47E(d)
to the
creen for the child/ren must be escalated via standard escalation
protocols as a workaround is required
3
Document the records + Read more ...
s47E(d)
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s47E(d)
Care is shared between the biological parents. A biological parent has elected for their
partner (step-parent) to receive FTB for their level of care. P24845 coding has been
s47E(d)
applied on the
screen to make sure each party is paid the correct percentage of
FTB.
s47E(d)
Once the
DOA DOC's are recorded, go to Step 4
4
Referral process for workaround coding + Read more ...
Following the coding, to make sure the correct rate applies to the Step-parent record, a
s47E(d)
workaround must be applied to the
screen.
s47E(d)
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 104 of 122
s47E(d)
References
Policy
Family Assistance Guide, 2.1.1.20, Shared care & change of care summary
Family Assistance Guide, 2.1.1.25, Shared care of an FTB child
Family Assistance Guide, 2.1.1.30, Verification of shared care arrangements
Family Assistance Guide, 2.1.1.45, Establishing a pattern of care
Family Assistance Guide, 2.1.1.50, Determining a percentage of care
Family Assistance Guide, 2.1.1.70, Disputed care arrangements
Family Assistance Guide, 1.1.R.21, Regular care child
Child Support Guide 2.4.5: Care cost & child support percentages
Child Support Guide 2.2.2: Care determinations & changes in care
Child Support Guide 2.2.4: Disputed care arrangements
Legislation
Links to the Federal Register of Legislation site go to a 'Series' page. Select the 'Latest' version.
For definitions of 'care arrangement', 'care period', 'change of care day' and 'percentage of care',
see A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999, section 3, Definitions
Eligibility
A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999
• section 25, Effect of FTB child being in individual's care for less than 35% of a period
• section 26, Only 1 member of a couple eligible for family tax benefit
• section 29, Eligibility for family tax benefit of separated members of a couple for period
before separation
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• section 22, When an individual is an FTB child of another individual
Percentage of care
A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999
• section 59, Shared care percentages where individual is FTB child of more than 1 person who
are not members of the same couple
• Part 3, Subdivision D, Determination of percentage of care
• Part 3, Subdivision E, Revocation of determination of percentage of care
• Part 3, Subdivision F, Percentages of care determined under the child support law
• section 35Q, Secretary may revoke a determination of an individual's percentage of care
• section 35P, Determination must be revoked if there is a change to the individual's shared
care percentage etc.
Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989
• section 54F, Determination must be revoked if there is a change to the responsible person's
cost percentage
• section 54G, Determination must be revoked if there is less than regular care etc.
• section 54H, Registrar may revoke a determination of a responsible person's percentage of
care
Notification and reviews
A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999
• section 25, Obligation to notify changes in circumstances
• Part 5, Division 6, Date of effect of reviews under the child support law
Privacy and confidentiality
A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999
• A new Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 - section 162 protection of
personal information
• A new Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 - section 161 confidentiality
Amendments from 1 July 2010
For details of the changes now incorporated into the relevant Acts, see Child Support and Family
Assistance Legislation Amendment (Budget and Other Measures) Act 2010
Disclosure of personal/protected information
LEX 80969 - ADMINISTRATIVE RELEASE - Page 106 of 122
Social Security (Administration) Act 1999, Part 5, Division 3, Confidentiality
Privacy Act 1988,
• Schedule 1, Principle 6 - Breach of an Australian Privacy Principle
• Schedule 1, Principle 8 - Acts and practices of, and disclosure of information to, staff of
agency, organisation etc.
• Schedule 1, Principle 10 - Agencies that are taken to hold a record
• Schedule 1, Principle 11 - security of personal information
Resources
Services Australia website
Payments for families
Parent's guide to child support
Child support assessment
Letters
Q888 CCS ACCS RFI
Forms
Details of your child's care arrangements (FA012)
Level 2 Policy Helpdesk
Level 2 Policy Helpdesk
Shared care resources
Care estimator
For contact protocols, see Transfer of information between Centrelink and Child Support.
Child Support Objections
Services Australia website, Objections to Child Support decisions
Shared care assessment and reassessment between parents examples
Table 1: this table provides examples of shared care assessments and reassessments between
parents.
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Item
Description
1
Reassessment of shared care arrangement
Oliver and Mary have been sharing the care of their child Sienna for the last 18 months.
Mary has care of Sienna 6 nights per week and Oliver has care of Sienna 1 night per
week. The assessment percentage is currently 86% for Mary and 14% for Gary.
On 25 July 2020, Oliver advises the shared care arrangements have now changed. They
have gone from a weekly arrangement to a fortnightly arrangement. Mary cares for
Sienna 12 nights per fortnight and Oliver cares for Sienna 2 nights every second
weekend.
The number of nights in the assessment period has not changed. Originally, it was 1 in
7, now it is 2 in 14, but over the assessment period the same number of nights apply. As
the days in actual care and the percentage is the same, the care percentage does not
change.
Mary will receive 100% FTB.
Although Oliver is not entitled to any FTB as care for Sienna is less than 35%, Oliver is
entitled to ancillary benefits for Sienna as the level of shared care of 14% means Sienna
is considered a Regular Care Child.
2
Agreed percentage of care
Sally and Michael share the care of their child Luke and agree the percentage of care is
60% for Sally and 40% for Michael. This arrangement has been in place since 1 July
2019.
Based on the actual care percentages of 60/40, the shared care percentage used for
family assistance are 60% for Sally and 40% for Michael.
In August, Sally advises that a new agreement has been reached and from 1 November
2019 they will share the care of Luke 50/50.
The 60/40 assessment continues until 1 November 2019 as a change to the care
arrangements has not yet occurred.
A new 50/50 assessment will commence from 1 November 2019.
3
Agreed pattern of care - parents share care weekly
Sally and Michael share the care of their child Luke. Sally lodges a 'Details of your child's
care arrangements' (FA012) which has been signed by Michael.
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From 1 July 2019 until 31 January 2020, Sally will have the care of Luke for 4 nights per
week and Michael will have the care of Luke for 3 nights per week. The assessment
period is 215 days.
Sally will have the care of Luke for 123 nights. The actual care percentage is
123 / 215 x 100 = 57.2%, rounded to 58%.
The shared care percentage used for family assistance assessment is 61%.
Michael will have the care of Luke for 92 days. The actual care percentage is
92 / 215 x 100 = 42.8%, rounded to 42%.
The care percentage used for family assistance assessment is 39%
Only one care arrangement is recoded when the care change is not in the past.
On 1 February 2020, Sally contacts to advise the new care arrangements from that day,
Michael will only care for Luke for 2 nights each week The assessment period will be
ongoing and is calculated based on 365 days a year.
Michael will have the care of Luke for 104 nights during the assessment period.
The actual care percentage is
104 / 365 x 100 = 28% (rounded down)
As this is less than 35% actual care, Michael will not be entitled to receive FTB for Luke
from 1 February 2020. However, Michael can still receive ancillary benefits as Luke is
considered a Regular Care Child.
Sally has more than 65% actual care and, receives 100% of the FTB payment for Luke
from 1 February 2020.
This care arrangement will continue, until there are any more changes.
4
Agreed pattern of care - one parent has care of child on weekends and school holidays
Mary and Paul share the care of their child Kate. Mary lodges a Details of your child's
care arrangements (FA012) on 6 July 2019, signed by both parents.
The shared care arrangement began on 1 July and will continue indefinitely.
The assessment period is the full 2019-20 financial year, 365 days.
Mary has care of Kate 5 nights per week (Sunday - Thursday) during school terms. Based
on school holiday periods for 2019-20 in NSW, Mary will have care for Kate for a total of
204 nights in the assessment period. Actual care percentage is
204 / 365 x 100 = 56% (rounded up).
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The shared care percentage used for family assistance assessment is 57%.
Paul has care of Kate on Friday and Saturday nights during school terms. Paul also has
care of Kate during all school holiday periods. Paul will have care for Kate for a total of
161 nights in the assessment period.
Actual care percentage is
161 / 365 x 100 = 44% (rounded down).
The shared care percentage used for family assistance assessment is 43%.
5
Shared care - disagreement over 10% care
Natasha and Boris are separated and have 3 children. Neither Natasha nor Boris has
been receiving FTB as they had decided to claim FTB after the end of the financial year.
Natasha lodges a claim for FTB instalments claiming 70% actual care of the children
during the assessment period together with a completed a 'Details of your child's care
arrangements' (FA012) and signed only by Natasha.
A Service Officer calls Boris to confirm the care arrangements. Boris states Natasha's
percentage is not as high, claiming care for the children as 40% of the assessment
period.
As an agreement has not been reached, the Service Officer asks Boris to provide
evidence of Boris' level of care, such as a third party statements confirming pattern
care, statements from medical and education institutions.
The Service Officer calls Natasha and requests evidence to support the level of care.
Natasha is also asked to indicate on a calendar the nights the children are cared for in
the assessment periods to support the claim.
Natasha claims 70% actual care. Boris claims 40% actual care.
Assessment:
Integrated Care skilled staff manage all disagreed care situations.
The decision about the disagreed 10% care depends on what evidence is provided.
There are 4 possible scenarios:
•
Evidence received from both customers supports a decision that Natasha has
70% actual care and Boris 30%. Natasha's FTB is reassessed from the date of the
claim to 70% actual care (100% FTB). Boris is no longer entitled to receive FTB
but can be assessed for entitlement to ancillary benefits.
Note: if evidence is
supplied by both parties, it could also result in a determination that Boris has
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the extra 10% actual care, or that the extra 10% actual care is to be shared
between Boris and Natasha
• Evidence is received from Natasha only, which supports a decision to increase
the actual care percentage to 70% (100% FTB). Natasha is advised that Boris
may apply for a formal review of the decision
• Evidence is received from Boris only, which supports a decision to increase the
actual care percentage to 40% (35% FTB). Boris' entitlement will be reassessed
to increase the percentage of actual care. Boris is also advised that Natasha may
apply for a formal review of the decision
• No evidence is received (or evidence is inconclusive). In this case, as the existing
statements indicate that the care is fairly evenly shared, a decision is made to
share the 10% so that Natasha has 65% actual care (75% FTB) and Boris 35%
(25% FTB). A reassessment occurs for both parties
The Service Officer advises Natasha and Boris of the decision and records details of the
assessment on both records.
6
Apportioning: 3 or more carers have at least 35% actual care
Karen, Karen's ex-partner Ben, and Karen's parent Edith share the care of Tom.
Based on the agreed pattern of care and the number of nights Tom spends in each
person's care during the assessment period, the actual care percentages are assessed
as:
• Karen has 40% actual care of Tom
• Ben has 36% actual care of Tom
• Edith has 24% actual care of Tom
Edith has less than 35% actual care of Tom, and is not entitled to FTB for Tom. However,
as Edith has more than 14% care, Tom is considered a Regular Care Child.
As Karen and Ben each have more than 35% actual care, they are each entitled to FTB
for Tom.
To apportion and disburse the unclaimed 24%:
Karen has 40% actual care of Tom.
Ben has 36% actual care of Tom.
The total combined care of Tom is 76%.
Karen's percentage of care =
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• 40 / 76 x 100 = 53% (rounded up)
• The shared care percentage to be used for family assistance is 51%
Ben's percentage of care =
• 36 / 76 x 100 = 47% (rounded down)
• The care percentage to be used for family assistance is 49%
As the care percentages have now been fully investigated and the Service Officer is
certain that all carers have claimed, the s47E(d)
: field on the s47E(d)
screen can be updated to '
Y' to allow shared care apportioning to occur.
7
Determining care percentage when number of nights in care does not accurately
reflect the amount of time in care
Michael works night shift and cares for 3 year old Erin for 6 hours per day Monday to
Thursday and 7 hours on Fridays. The rest of the time, Erin lives with Claire.
Michael’s percentage of care =
• 31 hours x 52 weeks = 1612 hours per year
• 1612 hours / 24 hours = 67 Days
• 67 / 365 x 100 = 18% (rounded down)
Michael’s care percentage for Erin is 18%
As this is less than 35%, Michael is not entitled to Family Tax Benefit, however may be
entitled to ancillary benefits.
Change of care where there is no effect on family assistance and child support - Scenarios
Table 2: this table contains scenarios for changes in care where there is no effect on Family
Assistance and Child Support
Item
Scenario
1
Level 1 S54H CS Act & S35Q FA Act
Customer contacts to advise their care has increased from 20 nights to 40 nights per
year.
The % increases from 5% to 10%. There is no effect on child support or family assistance
as this is still Below Regular Care.
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2
Level 2 S54H CS Act & S35Q FA Act
Customer contacts to advise their care has increased from 1 night per week to 2 nights
per week.
The % increases from 14% to 28%. The percentage remains within the regular care
category for both child support and family assistance. There is no effect, as the cost
percentage for the child support assessment does not change, remaining at 24% and for
family assistance the customer still has a Regular Care Child (RCC) and may qualify for,
or continue to be entitled to, ancillary benefits.
3
Level 3 S54H CS Act & S35Q FA Act
Customer contacts to advise an agreement has been reached where the children will
have Easter break each year with their father. They currently have 50/50 care.
The % increases from 51% (183 days) to 52% (187 days). There is no effect on child
support or family assistance - both the FTB % and child support cost
percentage/assessment remain at 50%.
4
Level 4 S54H CS Act & S35Q FA Act
Customer contacts to advise their care has increased from 280 days to 300 days per
year.
This increases the actual care from 77% (280 days) to 83% (300 days). The percentage
remains within the primary care category for both child support and family assistance.
Therefore, there is no effect, as the cost percentage for child support does not change,
remaining at 76% and the FTB percentage remains at 100%.
5
Level 5 S54H CS Act & S35Q FA Act
Customer contacts to advise that they have come to an agreement with the children's
other parent which will allow them to spend 6 weeks throughout the year (2 week
blocks during school holidays except for Christmas) due to the children's other parent
travelling to Australia from overseas (from a reciprocal country).
There is no effect, as the actual care % decreases from 100% to 89%. There is no effect
on child support or family assistance as the care remains within the above primary care
category.
Scenarios where care assessment is required where there is no effect on Family Assistance and
child support
Table 3: this table contains a scenario where a care assessment is required but there is no effect on
family assistance and child support.
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Item
Scenario
1
A customer contacts to advise that they have come to an agreement with the children's
other parent which will allow them to spend 6 weeks throughout the year (2 week
blocks during school holidays except for Christmas) due to the children's other parent
travelling to Australia from overseas (from a reciprocal country). The customer has
provided an updated written care document.
There is no effect, as the actual care % decreases from 100% to 89% and the care
remains within the Above Primary Care category.
However, as the customer has provided conclusive evidence of a change in care
arrangements that are not yet recorded, an assessment and update to care percentages
is required, regardless of whether it effects FTB entitlement/rate and child support
assessment.
Talking points
Provide the following information to the notifying carer:
• 'If we were to make a new care determination, the reported care change will not vary the
rate of your FTB entitlement (or assessed child support rate). This is because the new care
percentage falls within a particular 'care percentage range' that does not alter the assessed
amounts
• 'As we will not be changing the care percentages on record (and for the purposes of a child
support assessment), no decision has been made which means objection/review and appeal
rights do not apply
• 'Furthermore, it won't be necessary for us to contact the other party to discuss this reported
care change
• Your current care percentage determination will continue to apply to your FTB entitlement
(and child support assessment). Although we have not made a decision relating to this
particular reported care change, it is important that you continue to notify us of all future
changes so that we can determine whether or not a new care determination needs to be
made'
Change of care between parents with no formal care arrangement
Table 4: this table provides an example of a change of care between parents with no formal care
arrangement.
Item
Description
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1
Disagreement over care arrangements - change of care between parents - no formal
care arrangement exists
Matt claims FTB for child Brett, aged 13, stating Brett has left the home of the other
parent, Alice. Matt claims care of Brett and states there is no family law order,
registered parenting plan or parenting plan in place for Brett. The parents did have an
informal agreement that Brett stayed with Alice during the week and with Matt on
weekends. Alice has been receiving FTB for Brett based on care. However, Matt is
unhappy with the living arrangements at Alice's place and is refusing to take Brett back.
The Service Officer contacts Alice to check if there has been a change of care. Alice
confirms only a verbal agreement for care of Brett exists. Alice is trying to get Brett back.
The Service Officer explains FTB for Brett will cease, as no formal care arrangement is in
place stating Brett should be in Alice's care. Alice is reminded to contact if the situation
changes.
Matt's claim for FTB is granted from the date of the claim.
Disputed care and failure to comply with parenting plans examples
Table 5: this table provides examples of failures to comply with parenting plans for disputed care.
Item
Description
1
Disputed care - failure to comply with parenting plan
Beverley advises a court registered parenting plan is in place stating the child is to spend
alternate weeks with the parents. However, child Tim aged 4 should have been returned
on the weekend by the other parent Jim. Services Australia has a copy of the parenting
plan as this was used to calculate the care percentage for their FTB rate. Beverley is
seeking legal advice to have the care set out under the parenting plan enforced.
In this case, Jim has failed to comply with the parenting plan. Beverley is taking
reasonable action to have the parenting plan enforced. Therefore, Beverley continues to
be paid FTB for Tim for an interim period while Tim is out of Beverley's care. The FTB
rates of both parents will continue, based on the current care assessment (50% each)
during the interim period.
At the end of the interim period, if Tim is still in Jim's care, Beverley's FTB for Tim will
stop and Jim's FTB rate will be reassessed.
Coding and assessing more than 2 carers examples
Table 6: this table provides examples of coding and assessing More than 2 Carers (MT2C).
Item
Description
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1
Parent and current partner of other parent sharing care - care confirmed
Alison has 60% care, John is confirmed as having 40% care, but has transferred this care
to a new partner (step-parent).
The s47E(d)
field is coded as '
Y' because the care details being transferred
to Child Support relate to carers other than the 2 parties for whom the child has a child
support assessment.
The s47E(d)
screen would need to be updated on John's record
with s47E(d)' (transfer out to partner) due to the transfer of care to the new partner (step-
parent).
2
Parent and/or non-parent sharing care
Fiona has 45% care. Chris (other third party carer e.g. grandparent or foster carer) has
55% care. The other parent, David, has never had any care:
The s47E(d)
field is coded as '
Y' as Child Support needs to know that David
is not necessarily the other person who has the remaining 55% care.
If '
N' is coded in this example, Child Support would incorrectly assume David has 55%
care and this will affect David's maintenance obligations.
3
Care is not confirmed with other party to the care arrangement
Sally advises of a reduction in care from 100% to 75% and states Zac (the other parent)
has the balance of care. If Zac does not confirm this care arrangement and there is no
current shared care assessment on the file, the care cannot be coded on Zac's record. In
this example code the s47E(d)
field as '
N' as both carers are the parents. In
all cases the advising carer must be asked who the carer is, for staff to be able to
attempt to contact them.
s47E(d)
4
Care is confirmed with other party to the care arrangement
If Tanya has advised the other parent, Robert is the other carer and Robert does have a
current shared care assessment on file or is successfully contacted to confirm the care
arrangement, code the s47E(d)
field as '
N' as Robert is known to be the
other party to the care arrangement. Child Support will assess the maintenance
obligation accordingly.
5
Third party has sole care (not a parent or current partner of a parent)
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If a grandparent had sole care, code '
Y' as they are a third party carer and therefore
cannot be a party to the child support case.
Actual care in special circumstance resources
This attachment may not be printed, broadcast or released externally. For contact details and more
information, see Information Publication Scheme.
Actual Care in Special Circumstances (ACSC) Referral and Decision Template
Actual care in special circumstances information package
Actual care in special circumstances example
Table 7: this table provides an example of actual care in special circumstances. All special
circumstances disputed care decisions are assessed by the Integrated Care team. Actual Care in
Special Circumstances (ACSC) Officers will assess these decisions.
Item
Description
1
Actual care in Special Circumstances
47E(d)
Calendars
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Note: final school term end dates may differ and not all regional holidays have been included in the
calendars. For more information on term dates, public holidays, and regional holidays relevant to
individual states and territories, see External websites below.
These calendars may be issued to customers.
2025 shared care calendar
2024 shared care calendar
2023 shared care calendar
2022 shared care calendar
2021 shared care calendar
2020 shared care calendar
2019 shared care calendar
2018 shared care calendar
2017 shared care calendar
2016 shared care calendar
External websites
See the below websites to find upcoming dates for Australia's state and territory government schools
and/or public holidays.
National Public holidays
Fair Work Ombudsman > Public holidays
State and territory websites for public school dates
NSW
NSW Government > Education > Schooling > Calendars
VIC
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School term dates and holidays in Victoria | (www.vic.gov.au)
SA
Department of Education South Australia > For parents and families > Term dates calendars
WA
Department of Education WA > Learning and support > At school > Term dates
QLD
Queensland Government Education > About us > Calendar
Tas
Tasmanian Government - Department for Education, Children and Young People > Learning > Term
dates and holidays
NT
NT.GOV.AU > Education and learning > Primary and secondary students > School term and holiday
dates in NT
ACT
ACT Government Education > Public School Life >Term dates and public holidays
Care calculator and Care estimator
Care calculator
Care estimator
Letter text for Q999 - care assessment rejected - FTB current customer
s47E(d)
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s47E(d)
Letter template for Q999 - change in shared care, previous carer not in receipt of FTB
Q999 - change in shared care, previous carer not in receipt of FTB
Standard letters
s47E(d)
Table 9: this table describes the standard letters produced by the s47E(d)
, and when it is appropriate to send. See also: Child - Change in Care
Arrangements script
s47E(d)
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s47E(d)
P24845 workaround - scenarios for investigation and examples of coding
Table 10: this table describes examples of when the P24845 system issue may affect a
record. s47E(d)
Item
Description
1
Scenarios for investigation
Where FTB is transferred out to partner (47E(d)' is coded on the s47E(d)
screen - from parent to step-parent) and the parent is a Centrelink and Child
Support mutual customer, the record needs to be referred for investigation as the
P24845 system issue may impact.
Some scenarios where the P24845 system issue may affect a record:
•
If the biological parent transfers their FTB to a step-parent and they later
separate. Care details for the child will not be transferred correctly to Child
Support if a past period care refresh is requested
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• The care may transfer to the step-parent's child support record (with incorrect
child relationship details) causing inaccurate child support assessments and
impacting multiple parties
• If a step-parent is claiming Family Tax Benefit (FTB) that has been transferred to
them from a biological parent, and the other biological parent also becomes
entitled to receive FTB e.g. their percentage of care increases to above 35%, and
they make a claim
The workaround for P24845
must be re-applied to affected records every time care is
reassessed (if the
workaround has previously been applied).
For examples of 47E(d)
coding, see Step
2.
2
Examples of FTB Shared Care (FSC) / Shared Care Assessment (SCA) coding
Example 1
Parent 1, Cara, has 10% care of child Thomas.
Parent 2, George, has 90% care of Thomas. George transfers FTB for Thomas to partner,
Olivia (step-parent). As 90% is deemed as 100% care, only an 47E(d)
line
is coded on Olivia's record, the 47E(d) screen is not coded.
At a later date, the care levels change. The care percentages are updated with Cara and
George having 50/50 care of Thomas. Cara lodges a claim for FTB as Cara is now eligible
for FTB. The care is adjusted in the claim activity.
Cara's FTB claim is rejecting as the system is reading Olivia's care as 100%.
The P24845 workaround is applied with 50% care being recorded on all 3 records (both
parents and step-parent) to enable FTB to be granted for Cara.
Example 2
Parent 1, Owen is claiming FTB for child Frank. Owen has 40% care of Frank as at 1 July
2015.
Parent 2, Sally has 60% care of Frank and has 47E(d) the payment of FTB for Frank to
partner Ben (step-parent) from 1 July 2015.
A care transaction is received from Child Support for Frank to change care to 50% for
both carers from 1 December 2015.
Owen's and Ben's records are updated to reflect this change in care.
Sally and Ben separate, the care details for Frank remain on Ben's record for the period
Ben received FTB.
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At a later date, a 47E(d)
is coded for a past period, including the period that Ben
was receiving FTB for Frank. As the 47E(d) data sources are not on Sally's record, Child
Support are advised that Owen was the only carer for this period. The percentage of
care is not attributed to Sally for the period Ben was in receipt of FTB as it should be.
To prevent this error occurring the P24845 coding is needed and the following coding is
required on 47E(d) for Frank:
1 July 2015 - 40% care to Owen, 60% care to Sally and 60% care to Ben.
1 December 2015 - 50% care is coded for all 3 carers.
Date of separation - 0% care is coded to Ben.
Training & Support
Add the course number to the s47E( field in the s47E(d)
in ESSentials:
• s47E(d)
- Changes in care arrangements for FTB
