Who cares for carers? Exploring the support available.

Key points.

1 in 11 Australians care for a family member or friend.
There are 391,300 young carers (under the age of 25).
NILS^® is a community-based program that gives carers access to fair, safe, and affordable credit for the purchase of essential goods and services.

When we think about carers, we often picture adults looking after elderly parents or children. However, a recent ABS survey highlights that it’s increasingly our young carers, under 25, who are the primary caregivers.

Carers come from all walks of life, and every caring situation is different. Caring can impact your ability to live a normal life — socialising, financial security, education, and other opportunities that were once part of everyday life can be diminished due to the challenges involved with family caring.

The stats.

Starting with the stats, let’s break it down:

1 in 11 Australians care for a family member or friend.
There are 3 million carers, representing 11.9% of all Australians living in households.
12.8% of all females and 11.1% of all males are carers, .
There are 391,300 young carers (under the age of 25).
There are 1.2 million primary carers in Australia, and of these, 43.8% have disability themselves.

Who takes care of the carers? Let’s delve into what supports are available to keep carers healthy and connected.

Support agencies and organisations.

Carer Gateway.

Carer Gateway is a national government agency that provides a range of free services and tailored support for carers. Services can be delivered in person, online, and over the phone Australia-wide —whichever works best for you, the carer. Respite care, counselling, and external activities are all important supports you can access as a carer.

Sometimes the best support is talking to other carers, people who ‘get’ you and understand your day-to-day challenges, which is where the Carer Gateway peer support groups can be so valuable.

Carer Gateway has service providers in each state and territory where you can access:

For more information, call 1800 422 737.

Carers Australia.

Carers Australia serves as the national peak body representing unpaid carers across the country. The organisation plays a crucial advocacy role, working to shape policies and services at a national level in the best interests of carers.

To get in contact with the relevant organisation in your state, please visit the links provided below.

Programs and projects.

The Carer-Inclusive Workplace Initiative was established to acknowledge the valuable contributions of carers and foster a more inclusive, supportive environment for Australians providing unpaid care. This initiative focuses on creating workplaces that understand and support the unique challenges faced by carers in the community.

The Carer Program aims to support carers through consultation, workshops, training, carer retreats, and connection with local communities and other carers.

The Young Carers Network (YCN) is a nationally coordinated resource aimed at raising awareness about young carers, offering essential information and guiding young carers to suitable support pathways.

No interest loans for Queensland Carers.

Caring for a family member or friend can involve unexpected costs.

In partnership with Good Shepherd Microfinance, Carers Queensland offers a No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS®) which provides up to $2,000 for eligible Queensland based carers on low incomes.

This community-based program gives carers access to fair, safe, and affordable credit for the purchase of essential goods and services.

It’s a pretty awesome system known as ‘circular community credit’.

For example:

You borrow $2,000 to buy a computer
You make a repayment
The funds are available for someone else in the community to borrow.

You can apply for NILS if you:

Are a carer
Have a Health Care Card / Pension Card or earn less than $70,000 a year before tax as a single or $100,000 before tax for couples or people with dependents
Have lived at your current or previous address for at least three months
Can show that you have the capacity to repay the loan.

What can a no interest loan be used for?

Household items like fridges, washing machines, TVs, and furniture.
Medical procedures, veterinary bills, and dental services.
Education essentials such as computers, textbooks, uniforms, or power tools.
Driving lessons, car repairs, or registration.
Home repairs, removalist fees, and some other items as requested.

Carer statements.

As a carer, you may be supporting an NDIS application for your loved one.

A Carer Statement or Impact Statement is a letter written by the carer of someone with disability.

It’s not compulsory, but it can strengthen an application by providing a clear picture of everyday living, showing what supports are needed.

While it may be confronting to detail your experience as a carer, it gives the NDIS a more complete overview so they can allocate the appropriate level of funding.

Top tip: When completing the statement, provide honest information including a description of your/their worst day. You’re not complaining or asking for too much — you’re simply letting them know what you and your loved one’s daily life is like.

Things to include.

Their disability and how it impacts their day-to-day functioning
What they need support with and what their carer does to support them
Your own needs and goals as a carer, and how the caring role affects you
Whether you can keep caring for them in the same way into the future
What other informal supports they have, such as family or friends
Any other important information for the NDIA to know when assessing which supports they might require.

For more information on carer impact statements, click here.

Caring takes many forms — it can be simple, it can also be complex. It can happen gradually or even overnight. It’s not always something you can plan for. It takes a significant amount of time and energy to care for someone, and it’s also important to take care of yourself.