Victorian Government website (Victoria - the Place to Be)

Children

Knowing where to start in getting the services and supports you and your child or children need, can be difficult.

The following resources may provide useful support and information for children and families.

Information on this page:

General information

The Australian Bureau of Statistics' 2003 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers reported that approximately 319,900 Australian children (aged 0-14 years) had a reported disability. Of these children, 69% (around 221,700 children) had a reported disability that limits their ability to perform tasks such as schooling, self-care, communication or mobility.

There are around 200 articles concerning children in the Health information section of Disability Online. There are almost 50 articles about parents and parenting.

The Early Childhood Intervention Service (ECIS) website provides an integrated point to access accurate information on universal and specialist support provided by the Department of Human Services.

The Disability Services Division of the Department of Human Services funds a range of organisations to publish specialist disability information. You can search the Information Services websites using the Disability Online search.

Services and support organisations

The Association for Children with a Disability is an information, support and advocacy organisation for children with a disability and their families. The Association covers all types of disability and is a non-profit organisation.

More information about support organisations in your local area is available from Services and supports.

Payments and benefits

The Carer Allowance (Child) helps parents or carers to care for children with a disability at home. For more information contact Centrelink.

For more information about the financial assistance that may be available visit the Payments and benefits area of this site.

Support for families

The Australian Government website www.families.gov.au provides a single point of access to Government and non-Government information and services for families.

The Family Assistance Office has been set up by the Australian Government to give Australian families access to payments from just one place.