Support for carers

If you support someone with disability or a mental health condition, this page is for you. Free help exists. So do people who get it. You don’t have to run on empty.

One number worth saving: Carer Gateway

Carer Gateway is the Australian Government’s free service for carers. Call 1800 422 737, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

What it offers, all free:

Counselling. By phone or in person, for when you feel stressed, flat, or worn down. Call the number above and choose the counselling option.

Respite. Planned breaks from your caring role. There is also emergency respite if you suddenly can’t provide care, for example if you get sick.

Peer support. Groups where you meet other carers, in person or online. More on this below.

Practical help. Coaching, skills courses, and tailored support packages.

Start at carergateway.gov.au or just call. You don’t need the person you care for to be in the NDIS.

Money help

Two Centrelink payments exist specifically for carers. Both are means-tested and have care requirements, so check the current rules.

Carer Payment. For people whose caring role stops them from working full time because they provide constant care.

Carer Allowance. A smaller supplementary payment for people who give daily care.

Check eligibility and apply through Services Australia. If a claim is rejected and you think that’s wrong, you can ask for a review, the same way NDIS decisions can be reviewed.

People in the same boat

Caring can be lonely. Talking to someone who actually gets it changes things.

Carer Gateway peer groups. Free, facilitated groups of carers, in person or online. Ask when you call 1800 422 737.

The Carer Gateway online forum. A moderated community you can read and post in any time, including at 3am when no one else is up.

Your state or territory carer organisation. Carers NSW, Carers VIC, Carers QLD, Carers SA, Carers WA, Carers TAS, Carers NT, and Carers ACT run local groups, events, and programs. Find yours through Carers Australia.

Mental health carers. If you support someone with a mental health condition, the SANE forums have a dedicated space for family, friends, and carers. State mental health carer organisations also run peer programs.

Young carers. If you’re under 25 and caring for someone, Carer Gateway has programs for you too, including help to stay in study.

Looking after yourself

This part is not a luxury. Carers who burn out can’t keep caring. Looking after yourself protects both of you.

Watch for the warning signs. Sleeping badly for weeks. Snapping at people you love. Dreading the day before it starts. Dropping every activity that was yours. These are signals, not failures.

Keep one thing that is yours. One walk, one coffee with a friend, one hobby hour. Protect it like an appointment.

Take the small breaks that exist. Respite doesn’t have to mean a week away. A few funded hours can be enough to breathe.

Say the true thing in planning meetings. If your caring load is not sustainable, say so. It is relevant information, not disloyalty. The Carer Impact Log helps you show it clearly.

Talk to someone. Carer Gateway counselling is free and made for exactly this. Your GP can also help, including with a mental health care plan for yourself.

Carers and the NDIS

The NDIS funds the participant, not the carer. But your role still matters in their plan.

Planners ask about informal support: what family and friends already do. Be honest about what you do and about what you can keep doing. Those are two different things.

You can provide a carer statement for a planning meeting. It describes your caring role and how sustainable it is, in your own words. Your Carer Impact Log record is a strong starting point for writing one.

More on official carer supports: NDIS: families and carers.

Where this comes from

Carer Gateway · Carers Australia · Services Australia: carer payments · NDIS: families and carers · SANE Australia