Family Day Care

Family Day Care is a network of caregivers who provide care and developmental activities in their own homes for other people's children. Family day care schemes support and administer a network of carers and receive an operational subsidy from the government. Since 1 January 2001, other providers, including private providers, may operate a family day care scheme.

The scheme is responsible for the effective operation of all components of family day care, including recruiting, training and supporting carers, monitoring care provision and providing advice, support and information for parents. They also assist parents to select an appropriate carer for their child.

A family day care scheme can provide flexible hours of care including long day care, and part-time or casual care. For families who are on call or work shifts, care may be available overnight or on weekends.

Services may provide respite care and other non work-related child care in line with Priority of Access Guidelines. Care can also be provided for school children before and after school and during school holidays for families who are:

seasonal or sessional workers
in emergency situations

Family day care is aimed primarily at children from birth to five years but can assist primary school children and may assist older children in special or emergency situations.

Schemes must be open to the general community. Parents do not have to be Australian residents to use a scheme. Child Care Benefit (CCB), however, is usually only paid for children whose parents are Australian residents.

Family Day Care Activity Report and Carer Spreadsheet

All Family day care (FDC) services are required to complete the Activity Report and Carer Spreadsheet to satisfy their contractual obligations with the Australian Government Department Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). The data from these documents help the department to build a more comprehensive picture of FDC services and how they operate.

All Family Day Care services need to complete the Activity Reports as per the requirements of their Funding Agreement with DEEWR and the Carer Spreadsheet.