Kinship Care South Australia: Requirements, Payments, and What to Expect

You probably did not plan to become a carer. A phone call from the Department for Child Protection, a conversation with a family member in crisis, or an urgent request from a social worker changed the equation overnight. Now a child who is related to you — or who you have known for years — needs somewhere safe to live, and you are the person they are asking.

Kinship care in South Australia is the most common form of out-of-home care in the state, which reflects the legislative priority under the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 to keep children within their family and community networks wherever it is safe to do so. But common does not mean simple. Kinship carers often receive less preparation than general foster carers precisely because they enter the system in an emergency — and this lack of preparation creates serious problems down the track.

What is kinship care?

Kinship care is the placement of a child with a member of their extended family or a person with whom they have a significant pre-existing relationship. In South Australian policy this second category is referred to as "significant other" care. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, adult siblings, family friends of long standing, and community elders all qualify.

The DCP has a legal preference for kinship placements over general foster care placements. When a child is removed from their parents, the DCP is required under Section 12 of the Safety Act to prioritise placement within the child's family or community before placing them with an unrelated foster family. For Aboriginal children, this principle is even more stringent — the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle creates a hierarchical preference starting with family members, then community members, then members of the same language group.

How kinship care differs from general foster care

The most significant practical difference is how you enter the system. General foster carers self-select, attend an information session, choose an agency, and proceed through a structured timeline. Kinship carers typically enter in response to a crisis — a child who has just been removed and needs a placement immediately, sometimes within hours.

This emergency context means kinship carers often start caring before they have been formally assessed or authorised. The DCP can approve an "interim" or "provisional" placement with a family member while the formal assessment proceeds. This arrangement provides immediate safety for the child but leaves the kinship carer in a legally unclear position, often without the financial support or agency backing they would receive as a fully authorised carer.

The assessment process for kinship carers follows the same structure as general foster care — home study visits, DHS screening for all adults in the household, and mandatory preparation training — but it may be accelerated or sequenced differently to account for the fact that a child is already in the placement.

Requirements for kinship carers in SA

Kinship carers must meet the same core safety and legal requirements as general foster carers:

• All adults in the household must hold a valid DHS Child-Related Employment Screening clearance (the Working with Children Check). This is free for foster and kinship carers in SA.
• The home must provide the child with appropriate accommodation, including a spare bedroom.
• Carers must be in good physical and mental health, supported by a GP medical assessment.
• Carers must complete the mandatory preparation training, including the Safe Environments for Children and Young People one-day course.
• The household must meet the standards set under Chapter 8 of the Safety Act — the "Safe Environment" framework.

There is no minimum age specified in legislation specifically for kinship carers, though practical assessments will consider whether a grandparent, for example, has the physical capacity to manage the demands of caring for a young child or adolescent with complex needs.

Payments for kinship carers

Authorised kinship carers receive the same fortnightly base payments as general foster carers. Effective 1 July 2025, the rates are:

The critical word is "authorised." Kinship carers who are caring for a child under a provisional or informal arrangement — prior to full authorisation — may not receive payments, or may receive a reduced "emergency" payment. Getting the formal authorisation process completed as quickly as possible is both a legal safeguard and a financial necessity.

Special needs loadings apply to kinship placements on the same basis as general foster placements. If the child you are caring for has assessed physical, intellectual, or behavioural needs above the standard baseline, you can request a loading assessment through your DCP caseworker. At the 50% loading level, a carer of a child aged 5–12 receives approximately $727.70 per fortnight; at the 200% loading, approximately $1,242.80.

All kinship care payments, like general foster care payments, are non-assessable income under ATO Taxation Determination TD2006/62. They are not taxable and do not reduce your Centrelink eligibility.

The unique challenges of kinship care

Navigating family dynamics

Kinship carers care for a child while maintaining a relationship — sometimes a fraught one — with the child's parents. You may be the child's grandparent and simultaneously managing a son or daughter who is struggling with addiction, mental illness, or domestic violence. The DCP expects you to facilitate contact between the child and their birth parents while also maintaining boundaries around the child's safety.

This "dual role" is one of the most emotionally taxing aspects of kinship care. Agency support workers who specialise in kinship placements understand this dynamic, but not every agency in SA has the same level of kinship-specific support. When choosing an agency, it is worth asking specifically about their kinship care casework model.

Fewer support structures at the start

Because kinship carers often enter the system in emergency circumstances, they sometimes miss the information sessions, peer networks, and gradual onboarding that general foster carers experience. By the time they attend any kind of preparation training, they have often already been managing a child in crisis for weeks or months without the context of what to expect.

Connecting Foster and Kinship Carers SA (the independent peak body, formerly the Foster Care Association of SA) provides peer support groups and advocacy specifically for kinship carers. These networks are a significant practical resource — particularly for grandparents who are caring for grandchildren and who may feel socially isolated from carers of other ages.

Long-term guardianship options

For kinship carers who have had a child in their care for at least two years, Section 89 of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 allows an application to the Youth Court for a Long-Term Guardianship (Specified Person) order. If granted, this order transfers full legal guardianship to you until the child turns 18, removing the DCP from daily decision-making. You gain the authority to sign school enrolment forms, consent to medical procedures, and manage the child's day-to-day life as their legal guardian.

This pathway is particularly relevant for grandparents and other extended family members who are effectively raising a child as their own and want the legal security to match.

Getting agency support as a kinship carer

If you are currently caring for a relative's child under an informal or provisional arrangement, contact one of the DCP-authorised agencies in your area as soon as possible. You do not need to wait until you feel settled or until the DCP has formally assessed your situation. The sooner you are connected with an agency, the sooner you receive:

• A dedicated Carer Support Worker who visits your home regularly
• Access to 24-hour crisis phone support
• Formal DHS screening for all adults in the household
• Connection to the financial payment system
• Referrals to specialist services for the child

The SA system is designed to support kinship placements — but it requires you to engage with the formal pathway to access that support.

The South Australia Foster Care Guide covers both kinship and general foster care pathways, including how to navigate the DCP assessment process when a child is already in your care.

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