Compliance
Policy
Provider
Clarification around CCS and Christmas closures: Are you across the rules?
FDC-Friendly
Freya Lucas
Oct 31, 2024
Save
The Department of Education has issued a clarifying document, outlining important aspects about reporting and claiming Child Care Subsidy (CCS) during the 2024–25 Christmas–New Year period.
Important points for early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers to note include:
- The CCS Provider Helpdesk will close over the Christmas–New Year period.
The helpdesk will close at 12.30 pm AEDT Tuesday 24 December 2024 and reopen at 9 am AEDT Thursday 2 January 2025.
- Families are only eligible for CCS when an ECEC service is open and providing care, unless it is a public holiday or during a period of emergency.
- If an ECEC service elects to close for any period during the Christmas/New Year break (aside from public holidays) the service must notify the Department within 14 days. Failure to do so may result in a breach of Family Assistance Law.
- If an ECEC service elects to change its operating hours (for example, closing early on Christmas Eve) the service must notify the Department within 14 days. Failure to do so may result in a breach of Family Assistance Law.
- In each of the circumstances outlined above, the service must also notify the relevant state or territory regulatory authority.
Service providers typically make the relevant notifications via the Provider Entry Point (PEP) or via their third-party software.
Absences
Many families elect to travel, or to reduce their hours of care during the Christmas/New Year period.
It is important to communicate to families that they have 42 allowable absences per child, per financial year. Families who have used their allowable absences can access additional absences if one of the additional absence reasons applies. A public holiday is not an additional absence reason.
Service providers cannot claim absences when their service is closed, except on a public holiday or during a period of emergency.
On a public holiday, services may only claim absences for children who would have otherwise attended care on that day.
Service providers must continue to collect the gap fee from families when claiming absences over the holiday period.
Session reports
Session reports will continue to be processed throughout the Christmas–New Year period.
Session reports submitted on public holidays may experience short delays in processing or payment.
Service providers are reminded that families are only entitled to CCS when the service is open. Services must not submit session reports if the service was closed, unless the closure was for a public holiday which the service charges for, or during a period of emergency.
The Department has provided a series of tables to help providers to understand the need to submit, or not submit, session reports.
Access the tables, and other relevant information, here.
Don’t miss a thing
Related Articles
