The new flexible respite support payment will help eligible carers pay for services such as gardening and cleaning, or transport for children.

The move aims to expand the opportunities for South Australian carers to access respite-like help, and ensure they are well supported in the critical role they play caring for children and young people.

Carers will be able to direct the payment towards services that help meet their individual needs.

The changes do not affect traditional respite care, which will still be available to kinship and foster families.

During recent consultation, more than 400 people had their say on how to make respite more accessible for South Australian carers.

This included more than 250 kinship and foster carers, the non-government organisations and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations supporting them, advocacy groups and children and young people.

Carers will receive a $200 payment quarterly from late January, costing a total of about $2.15m per year.

There are more than 980 foster care households with a placement in South Australia, and more than 1720 kinship care households caring for children.

The new flexible respite arrangements follow other recent initiatives to improve supports for carers, such as the new Carer Council, being established to amplify their voices and provide valuable feedback on their experiences.

This year’s state budget also included an extra $50 per fortnight for general foster and kinship carers for each child or young person in their care under 16, plus a 4.8 per cent boost to all carer payments to assist with growing cost of living pressures.

Quotes attributable to Katrine Hildyard

The Malinauskas Government is committed to doing all that it can to help recognise kinship and foster carers’ vital roles; they are the backbone of the child protection and family support system.

Carers generously open their hearts, homes and lives to children and young people who are facing really difficult circumstances and we are indebted to them for all that they do.

We want to help ensure South Australia’s kinship and foster carers can have relief and support in the way that works for them.
They have said that the way they see respite has changed, and this new payment responds to their feedback by providing more flexibility and choice in how they are supported.
I am continuously inspired by the tenacity and commitment carers show in their efforts to strengthen children’s lives and keep them safe and supported to reach their goals.

Quotes attributable to Fiona Endacott, CEO of Connecting Foster & Kinship Carers SA

This flexible respite opportunity is a tremendous win for South Australian foster and kinship carers; a win that we at Connecting Foster & kinship Carers SA have fiercely advocated for since 2018. We are thrilled the current government has listened to the voice of foster and kinship carers and delivered an opportunity for the carer community to decide how respite looks for their families.

Foster and kinship carers have spoken, and the government has listened. Connecting Foster & Kinship Carers SA are delighted to see a flexible respite model offered to SA carer families, a change we at the peak body have lobbied fiercely for over the past five years.

Respite looks different for all carer families across SA. The opportunity for carers to have choice and control over how this will look is a phenomenal achievement. We at the peak are delighted to see our ongoing advocacy has contributed to this meaningful outcome for foster and kinship carers.

More information for carers is available in our Flexible Respite Support Frequently Asked Questions and Flexible Respite Consultation Feedback report.