CCMS is a national child care computer system that provides details of child care benefit entitlements, and child care supply and usage, to families, services and the Government.
CCMS will bring all approved child care services online to standardise and simplify the administration of Child Care Benefit (CCB). CCMS will also enable parents to access an online statement from the Family Assistance Office to obtain details of the CCB payments made to child care services on their behalf.
To move to CCMS, child care services agree a transition date with DEEWR, confirm bank account details and contacts, and receive passwords and logon details. Services must also select a CCMS registered software product (see list on this webpage).
Child care services will move to CCMS from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2009.
All existing services on COS are required to transition to the CCMS. The regional-based CCMS transition of child care services has commenced. If your service has not yet transitioned or been scheduled for a transition, you will receive a letter of transition in the coming weeks. A guide for the regions and dates for transition is provided below:
Regional Area Transition
|
Queensland |
October/November 08
|
|
Northern Territory/Top End |
November 08 |
|
Perth Area |
November 08 |
|
Outback’ Australia (WA, SA & VIC) |
December 08 |
|
Adelaide/South Australia |
December 08 |
|
South East Victoria and Tasmania |
December 08 |
|
Melbourne suburbs |
January 09
|
|
Regional Victoria |
January 09 |
|
Sydney suburbs |
February 09 |
|
Central/North Coast NSW |
March 09 |
|
ACT and Regional NSW
|
March 09 |
Services should receive their CCMS Information Packs and first transition letter approximately eight weeks prior to the proposed transition date.
When you receive the first transition letter:
- Complete and return the Confirmation Details Form (CDF) to DEEWR
- Verify if your designated transition date is suitable.
- Once you have confirmed your transition date, procure CCMS-registered software (see list on this webpage) and organise training in its use. This software needs to be fully installed and ready to go prior to your transition.
It is important that you return the information requested as this could affect your transition date and ongoing payment of CCB to your service.
Enquiries about the proposed transition timetable can be sent to ccms.implementation@deewr.gov.au.
How do I transition Fact Sheet PDF 
(77.0 KB) RTF 
(44.6 KB)
Critical transition information PDF (50.0 KB) RTF (1.9 MB)
Selecting a CCMS software product – some questions to consider asking PDF (26.4 KB) RTF (1.2 MB)
Upcoming system changes mean that the option to add services to the Centrelink Child Care Operator System (COS) will stop from 7 December 2008. This change affects:
- Newly approved services with exceptional circumstances
All new approvals must be registered and start operations in CCMS regardless of any exceptional circumstances that may exist.
- Newly approved services acquired by a multi service Operator
All new services acquired by a multi service Operator must be registered and start operations in CCMS regardless of whether the Operator's other services have transitioned to CCMS.
Please contact the CCMS Mailbox if you have any questions about what this means for your service.
Child Care Services approved after 30 March 2008 (including sales and services that have a change of legal entity) are required to start in CCMS. Previously some exemptions have been given where exceptional circumstances occurred and some new services were placed on the COS rather than immediately on CCMS.
All eligible services are receiving a one off payment to contribute to the cost of their transition to CCMS. Long Day Care (LDC) and Family Day Care (FDC) operators should by now have received this funding. Funding offers to other service types are currently underway.
Approved Operators of Long Day Care and Family Day Care services can apply for Additional Assistance funding from 21 January 2008. Payments will be made to successful applicants from February 2008 and up to six months after transition to CCMS.
Approved Operators of OSHC, IHC and OCC services can apply for Additional Assistance funding from 1 June 2008. Payments will be made to successful applicants from 1 July 2008 and up to six months after transition to CCMS.
Application Guidelines and information on how to apply for Additional Assistance
Questions and answers are updated regularly and are added to the document below.
- CCMS Child Care Providers Frequently Asked Questions – Last updated 1 July 2008 - PDF (191.4 KB) | RTF (822.3 KB)
New CCB Approvals (including newly established services that have not previously operated or been CCB Approved, sales/purchases and change of entity) processed on or after 31 March 2008 will commence operating directly in CCMS.
Newly approved services will need to procure CCMS registered software (see list of registered software providers) and be trained by the software provider in its use. For further information, please contact the DEEWR State and Territory Office in your state or territory on 1300 363 079, or phone the CCMS Helpdesk on 1300 667 276.
The following information may assist child care services and registered software providers as they prepare for operating under CCMS:
- Last updated 29 September 2008 PDF (11.5 KB) RTF (21.4 KB)
Details about the registration process and associated documents, a list of registered CCMS software and a list of software providers who are developing CCMS solutions are below.
The CCMS Helpdesk is now operational and will help answer any questions services have about CCB payments and policy once your service transfers to CCMS, including information about your mandatory reporting requirements under CCMS.
Helpdesk staff will also assist you to resolve any specific issues related to CCMS, however, cannot assist you with matters that are best addressed to your software provider such as assistance with how to use your software package.
The Helpdesk telephone number is 1300 667 276.
The Helpdesk facsimile number is 1300 663 429.
Currently Helpdesk operators are available from 8.00am - 8.30pm AEST Monday to Friday.
A Helpdesk mailbox for enquiries or non-urgent issues is available at ccmshelpdesk@deewr.gov.au.
Further Information
General questions on the CCMS can be directed to the following addresses at any time:
By email to ccms@deewr.gov.au or ccmshelpdesk@deewr.gov.au, or by mail to:
Child Care Management System
Child Care Policy & Payments
Location code – 1 HWBB
GPO Box 9880
CANBERRA ACT 2601