Help in an emergency

Help is available for families and early childhood education and care services in an emergency, like bushfires, cyclones, or floods. Support includes gap fee waivers, extra absences and support for service closures.

On this page:

See regions and timeframes where we’ve declared a CCS period of emergency.

What is a CCS period of emergency?

A Child Care Subsidy (CCS) period of emergency supports families and services during and immediately after an emergency.

A CCS period of emergency applies when an event has occurred that:

  • affects a widespread area
  • has a severe impact on the lives of a significant number of people in that area, and
  • prevents, or may prevent, children from attending a service, or
  • may make attending a service dangerous.

When there is a natural disaster or major weather event underway, we:

  • monitor information provided by emergency agencies
  • determine whether the event is a CCS period of emergency.

Events not considered a CCS period of emergency include:

  • break-ins
  • localised storm damage or minor flooding
  • burst water pipes or plumbing problems
  • mould issues
  • short term power outages.

Your insurance policy should include these types of issues.

How do I know when an event is a CCS period of emergency

We will tell providers and services if a CCS period of emergency has been applied to their area. We do this through our sector newsletter, which you can subscribe to.

You will receive newsletters automatically to the email address listed in the Provider Entry Point or through your third-party software. Keep these details up to date so you get timely notifications.

We publish a list of all CCS periods of emergency, including affected regions and timeframes, on our website.

Support during a CCS period of emergency

A CCS period of emergency applies when a child does not attend a full session of care because:

  • the service was closed during the CCS period of emergency, or
  • the child could not attend as a direct result of the emergency.

Services and families can access support measures during a CCS period of emergency.

Gap fees

Services can waive the gap fee for impacted families during a CCS period of emergency.

A gap fee waiver is a type of provider discount. You must report the type and amount of prescribed discounts in session reports if they have been applied for the session.

Absences

Families in affected regions won’t need to use their annual allocation of allowable absences during a CCS period of emergency.

Children who live in, or attend a service in, an affected region will get extra allowable absences for the duration of the CCS period of emergency.

Family Assistance Law (FAL) provisions will continue to apply during the period of emergency:

  • a child’s enrolment will end if they do not attend care for 14 weeks in a row – this is known as the 14-week rule.
  • to be CCS-payable, absences must occur between a child’s first and last physical attendance at your service, unless it falls within the extended period and an approved reason applies.

The following support is available immediately after a CCS period of emergency ends:

  • families can get additional allowable absences if they’ve exhausted their allocation for the year
    • for 28 days after the end of a CCS period of emergency, if a child is unable to attend
    • for 7 days after the end of a CCS period of emergency, if a family decides the child should not attend.

Centre Based Day Care (CBDC) and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC)

CBDC and OSHC services will have emergency absences applied automatically in the CCS System when we publish a CCS period of emergency.

Family Day Care (FDC) and In Home Care (IHC)

Emergency absences may not be applied automatically for FDC and IHC educators or services.

To apply these emergency absences, FDC and IHC services must submit an application for period of emergency support form.

If you are requesting this support for more than one FDC or IHC educator or child, please provide this information in a spreadsheet when you submit your form.

Information for families about absences is available on the Services Australia website.

Service closures

During a CCS period of emergency, you will continue to receive payments if you close for a full day as a direct result of the emergency. For example, if your service is not safe to enter, or staff are unable to travel to the service because of the emergency.  

If your service remains closed following the CCS period of emergency, you cannot continue to receive payments.

If your service can operate during the CCS period of emergency and you decide to remain closed, you won’t receive payments.

You must tell us if you temporarily close your service, for any reason and for any period. Do this using the PEP or your third-party software.

You also need to tell your state or territory regulatory authority.

Your state and territory government may have rules on when and how communities should protect themselves during an emergency. For guidance on whether to close during an emergency, please contact your state or territory regulatory authority.

Preparing for an emergency

Emergencies can strike without warning. It's important to prepare for all sorts of emergencies and plan for your risk.

Identify the types of disasters you may be exposed to and the likelihood of these occurring, and make sure you:

  • have an appropriate level of insurance cover in place
  • back up and secure your data
  • understand the support provided during a CCS period of emergency
  • update your contact details in the CCS System.

Business.gov.au has more guidance on preparing your business for an emergency.

Recovery after an emergency

Community Child Care Fund

The Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) special circumstances grant helps services stay open when something unexpected happens, such as an emergency. You can apply for a special circumstances grant when an emergency or disaster threatens your ability to stay open.

You should apply after the event and once you have already accessed other available government disaster support. Your application will be considered on a case-by-case basis if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Additional Child Care Subsidy

Families experiencing temporary financial hardship due to an emergency that happened in the last 6 months may be eligible for Additional Child Care Subsidy.

Other government payments

Families recovering from a major disaster may be able to get payments and services from the Australian Government. Find information about payments during an emergency on the Services Australia website.

Mental health support

Emergencies and disasters can have a profound impact on mental health. Knowing how to look after yourself, and others, is important for recovery.

Emerging Minds has resources to support adults and children before, during and after a disaster in its Community Trauma Toolkit.

Find more mental health resources on the Be You website.

Get the latest health advice from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

More information

Providers and services can contact the CCS Provider Helpdesk on 1300 667 276 or ccshelpdesk@education.gov.au

Stay up to date with the latest advice from your state or territory government:

Find more information about emergencies on DisasterAssist.