• In Home Carers are self employed. I have recently undertaken my own research for the purposes of reviewing our Base Recommended Fee Schedule and found that carers were earning anywhere between $16-$25/hour depending on qualifications and experience.  This was where accommodation and board was not part of the arrangement.

• As care providers are self-employed they can negotiate their own fees and hours hence we only put out a recommended fee schedule based on a 50 hour week between Monday and Friday, with care between the hours of 7am and 6pm.  For families with 2 children or less we recommend $600/week and for families with 3 or more children $650 a week.  With these fees we recommend an overtime hourly rate for any time in excess of 10 hours per day or over 50 hours/week.  We also set a base overnight care rate of $100 per night and a base weekend rate of $18/hour. 

• Some care providers and families come to an arrangement of a set hourly rate regardless of when the care takes place.  Differences in hourly rate are largely determined by the type of accommodation available and board arrangements put in place.  

• Whatever the agreed fee schedule is we document it as part of the care provision agreement which holds for 1 year (it can be changed sooner if all parties are in agreement.)

 

MORE INFORMATION FROM Far West Family Day Care and In Home Care Service

Who Can Use It? 

In Home care enables parents to access child care when other child care services are unable to meet their needs.

¯          Parents who work outside business hours such as shift workers and roster workers.

¯          Families with a parent or child with a disability or illness may be eligible to access this type of care.

¯          Families who live in rural and remote areas where distance / isolation prevent them accessing child care services.

¯          Families with multiple birth children (more than 2)

¯          Families referred by other approved services (eg. DOCS, Area Health, & GP)

¯          Families who require using more than two child care services to meet their child care needs or where established child care services in the locality are unable to provide hours of care required.

Carers

In Home Care providers are very professional and dedicated childcare workers.

Far West FDC & IHCS Carers are self employed.  They have a contract with the client family to provide child care in the child’s own home.

Carers are recruited using specific criteria.

Carers:

þ          Must be 18 years of age

þ          Enjoy and value working with children.

þ          Have current first aid qualifications. Senior First Aid

þ          Provide stimulating activities for children.

þ          Undergo referee checks.

þ          Willing to obtain public liability insurance.

þ          Willing to obtain an Australian Business Number (ABN)

þ          Are responsible for their own taxation payments and any superannuation they want.

þ          Complete a Prohibited Persons Check.

þ          Working with Children Check.

þ          Statutory Declaration.

þ          Are expected to provide a high standard of childcare and to adhere to the policies and procedures of the service.

 

Part of the Carers’s role is to provide the children with a variety of age appropriate activities that encourage the development of life skills.

In Home Care Carers are NOT expected to perform household duties other than those associated with the care of the children.

 

HINTS AND TIPS for IHC families and carers

 

• Most IHC services let families claim between 40 - 50 hours.

• The In Home Care definition of I place = 35 hours per child ... if you have 2 children that is in care for 40 hours each that is  2 and a 1/4 places taken.

• Parents and Carers can elect to pay holidays as absences; children can have up to 42 absent days in a 12 month period.  All you need to do is fill in timesheets with an A for absent for each child and parent initials next to it on the timesheet.

• If a carer is in at a school function and the children are not in her care then she should claim those days as absent.  The letter A means absent from care.  The carer will be paid as normal.

 

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Working with Children Check  (Blue Card)

 

The WORKING WITH CHILDREN Check is a national check which is carried out by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian.  People approved by this check can then be approved to work with children.  In Queensland they actually issue you a card and the common name for this card is the BLUECARD.  

The following website has a full explanation on the difference between police checks and working with children checks.  Well worth checking out to help understand the checks, also provides links to state sites......... http://www.homebuddies.com.au/background_checks

EACH STATE has there own rules and regulation on how these work and when you can apply.  Please contact the correct state website for more information. 

Most employers and states allow you to apply for this after accepting the job and the employers will assist with application forms.

Queensland : www.bluecard.qld.gov.au

New south Wales : https://check.kids.nsw.gov.au/

Western Australia : http://www.checkwwc.wa.gov.au/default.htm

Victoria : http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/workingwithchildren

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What is VISE and REVISE

 

VISE volunteers provide educational assistance to families and students in rural Australia.

We also provide domestic and personal support in the case of emergencies or when respite is necessary.

 

REVISE in South Australia.

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What is Frontier Services

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Salary

What money should I be looking for ... ?

This is an age old question which I have been asked many times.  There is no right answer. It depends on the number of children your teaching, your experience, what extras will they pay for, and a whole lot of other variables. 

WORKING OUT WHAT I CAN PAY?

Minimum wage for children’s services is $583 according to the Children’s Services Award http://www.fwa.gov.au/awardsandorders/html/PR998020.htm

The national minimum wage is $569.90 per week, calculated on the basis of a week of 38 ordinary hours, or $15 per hour (rounded to the nearest 10 cents).  http://www.fwa.gov.au/alldocuments/PR072010.htm

If you are employing someone as a full time worker then you need to take this into account.

Outback properties often can offer fringe benefits but to survive and pay personal costs (eg car loan, car expenses, phone, internet, save money, public liability and income protection insurance, etc.) they would need to get at least NET $350 to $400 per week.

WHAT TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT?

Accommodation & Electricity:  what is its value? 

-          Caravan or 1 room facility : $20

-          Cottage or House where the bedroom is separate from the living quarters : $50

Food: what is the value? 

This is hard and it does depend if you are cooking for them or they are looking after over half the meals themselves.  If people are cooking for themselves you need to pay enough for them to buy there own food or pay for it for them buy adding to your shopping list or reimbursing their dockets.

-          Pay or Supply Options

o        basic food and cleaning products (Vege, meat, all ingredients to make main meals, house cleaning products)

o        have a meat from the station, vege, milk and bread deal (they pay for everything else)

What else can you supply?

Fuel, internet, phone, etc.  This doesn’t need a money value mention but it does need to say that it is supplied on the contract.

What does their job entail? 

Is it mainly supervision in the schoolroom and preparation work for that OR do you require some care after school hours with bathing, etc.  Does it require gardening, cooking, help on property? 

The more jobs you have outside the 8 hour school day the more fringe benefits you cancel out.  Personally after 14 years of governessing and childcare work I have no problems doing outside work as long as it specified at the start what I am expected to do on a weekly / daily basis. 

I would recommend rather than paying a high salary and having board taken out, lower the salary.  But include it in the Contract / Duty Statement as an extra.

WHAT IS FAIR PAY for In Home Care or Salary?

Governess Australia’s recommendation: “pay peanuts you get monkeys”

You are paying a person to be responsible and a role model for you children.  If you can afford to pay more than the basic go for it.  Get as close to the national minimum wage as possible.

Ø       1 to 2 children - Gross $400 to $600

Ø       3 Children and more - Gross $500 to $700

 

or

Ø       For minimum $12 per hour for an 8 hour school day (8.30 to 3.30 plus prep), this is with no experience. 

HOLIDAY PAY OR NOT for school holidays?

There are no standard recommendations or way of doing this.  Many employers pay up to 5-6 weeks holidays through out the employment period from late January to early December.  Holiday pay can depend on the employer’s financial situation.

Salary

Many employers pay from the start of employment in January to the end of employment in early December.  They don’t usually pay over the Xmas holidays even if the governess is returning as most can go away for that 6 week period and pick up other work.

In Home Care or ABN contractors

Parents and Carers can elect to pay holidays as absences; children can have up to 42 absent days in a 12 month period.  All you need to do is fill in timesheets with an A for absent for each child and parent initials next to it on the timesheet.

 MORE INFORMATION FROM Frontier Service In Home Care

• In Home Carers are self employed. I have recently undertaken my own research for the purposes of reviewing our Base Recommended Fee Schedule and found that carers were earning anywhere between $16-$25/hour depending on qualifications and experience.  This was where accommodation and board was not part of the arrangement.
• As care providers are self-employed they can negotiate their own fees and hours hence we only put out a recommended fee schedule based on a 50 hour week between Monday and Friday, with care between the hours of 7am and 6pm.  For families with 2 children or less we recommend $600/week and for families with 3 or more children $650 a week.  With these fees we recommend an overtime hourly rate for any time in excess of 10 hours per day or over 50 hours/week.  We also set a base overnight care rate of $100 per night and a base weekend rate of $18/hour. 
• Some care providers and families come to an arrangement of a set hourly rate regardless of when the care takes place.  Differences in hourly rate are largely determined by the type of accommodation available and board arrangements put in place.  
• Whatever the agreed fee schedule is we document it as part of the care provision agreement which holds for 1 year (it can be changed sooner if all parties are in agreement.)

Contracts & Job Descriptions

GovAust Contract - Duty Statement - Guidelines for In Home Carer

GovAust Contract - Duty Statement - Guidelines for Salary Governess

 

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