Looking after yourself as a carer
If you’re running on empty, that’s not a failing. It’s what caring for someone over a long time can do. This guide covers who to call, what’s free, how to plan a break and which payments to check. Plain English, with a checklist you can print.
- Free, no sign-up needed
- Plain English, printable PDF
- Checked against official sources, October 2026
Support for carers, in order
If you care for someone, you’ve heard ‘look after yourself’ more times than you can count. This guide is about the how: the free services built for carers, how to plan a break before you need one, and the payments worth checking. Every number here was checked on the official government website.
Call Carer Gateway
Carer Gateway is an Australian Government program providing free services and support for carers. Call 1800 422 737, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, to find out what you’re eligible for. Services are available in person, over the phone or online, and include:
- tailored support packages
- counselling for carers
- coaching and online carer skills courses
- peer support groups, where you can talk with other carers
- planned and emergency respite
- help to make an emergency care plan.
There’s an eligibility checker on carergateway.gov.au if you’d like to check before you call.
Talk to someone
If you feel stressed, sad or frustrated, it may help to talk to a counsellor. Carer Gateway offers free counselling for carers in three ways:
- In-person, one-on-one: up to six sessions with a professional counsellor experienced in supporting carers. Call 1800 422 737 and choose option 1.
- In-person group counselling, led by a professional counsellor, if it suits you.
- Phone counselling: call 1800 422 737 and choose option 2. This service is for carers over 18.
If you’re distressed and need help now, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hours). Young people aged 5 to 25 can call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
Plan a break before you need one
Respite is when someone else takes care of the person you care for, so you can have a break. Carer Gateway puts it simply: a break gives you time to do everyday things, relax, deal with stress and look after yourself.
Planned respite: as part of a tailored support package, you may be able to get free planned respite, where a service provider steps in while you take a break.
Emergency respite: if you become sick or injured and can’t keep caring, call Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737 at any time. Your local Carer Gateway service provider will talk through the options and book emergency respite where a suitable service is available.
If the person you care for is older and gets Support at Home through My Aged Care, respite care is one of the services that program can include.
Make an emergency care plan now, while things are calm. Write down the person’s needs, medicines, routines and key contacts, so someone else can step in.
Check what payments you can get
Services Australia has two main payments for carers. You may be able to get both, and you can make one combined claim.
- Carer Payment is for people who give constant care to someone with disability or a medical condition, or an adult who’s frail aged. The person needs care for at least 6 months, or is at the end of their life. The amount depends on your circumstances, including income. It’s usually paid from the date you lodge your claim, so don’t wait.
- Carer Allowance is a fortnightly supplementary payment if you care for someone who needs daily support. The person needs ongoing daily care for at least 12 months, or has a terminal medical condition. In October 2026 it was $162.60 a fortnight.
Both you and the person you care for need to meet the rules. Check the Services Australia pages, or call Carer Gateway, before you claim.
Carer Payment (Services Australia) →Carer Allowance (Services Australia) →Small things that help
None of this replaces real support. It just makes the week a little easier to carry.
- Book your own GP check-up. It’s easy to put yourself last.
- When someone offers help, give them one specific job.
- Keep a one-page summary of the person’s needs and contacts. It doubles as your emergency care plan.
- Write down two people who could step in if you’re sick.
- Try a Carer Gateway peer support group, even once.
- Notice the warning signs: not sleeping, snapping, feeling hopeless. Tell your GP or call Carer Gateway counselling.
Your carer checklist
Tick these off as you go. The same checklist is in the PDF, ready to print.
- Call Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737, or use the online eligibility checker.
- Ask about a tailored support package.
- Book a counselling session if you’d like one.
- Write an emergency care plan.
- Save Carer Gateway’s number for emergency respite.
- Check Carer Payment and Carer Allowance with Services Australia.
- Book your own GP check-up.
- Try a carer peer support group.
- Save Lifeline (13 11 14) in your phone.
- Write down two people who could step in if you’re sick.
How Kinship can help you with this
We understand that caring doesn’t clock off. The appointments, the paperwork, the nights you’re listening for a sound from the next room. Wanting a break doesn’t mean you love them any less.
We support the person you care for, and we keep you in the loop. Here’s how we can take some of the load off you.
Who you’d be working with
- Registered NDIS provider, registration number 4-GWVHCEY. You can check it on the NDIS Commission’s Provider Register
- The same support worker every visit, with carer updates as standard
- Operating in disability and aged care since 2017
- Hundreds of clients and families supported
- Founded by Shazia Begum, who has spent more than 15 years alongside people living with disability
Here’s how we can help
Respite at home or out in the community
A familiar Kinship support worker steps in at home or takes the person you care for out, so you can rest or get to your own appointments. NDIS-funded or booked privately.
Respite care →Daily living and community participation
Personal care, help at home and getting out into the community for the person you care for, from a registered NDIS provider.
NDIS services →Cleaning, reorganising and nursing
Booked privately, with prices listed where they’re set. Final price confirmed in writing before any booking.
Private services →CHSP domestic assistance
If you care for an older person in Northern Sydney or the Southern Highlands, CHSP-funded domestic assistance can help with household tasks. Other aged care services are available via referral or partners.
Aged care at Kinship →Supported Independent Living (SIL)
If you’re starting to think about where the person you care for will live in future, we’re registered to deliver SIL. Call us to talk about current availability.
Supported Independent Living →Come and talk to us
If you’d like us to help with this, call 0437 733 744 and we’ll talk it through. Prefer to write? Send us a message through our website and we’ll get back to you.
Questions people ask
What is Carer Gateway?
Carer Gateway is an Australian Government program providing free services and support for carers, including counselling, coaching, peer support, skills courses, tailored support packages and respite. Call 1800 422 737, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm.
How do I get emergency respite?
If you become sick or injured and can’t keep caring, call Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737 at any time. Your local Carer Gateway service provider will talk through the options and book emergency respite where a suitable service is available.
Can I get free counselling as a carer?
Yes. Carer Gateway offers free in-person one-on-one counselling (up to six sessions), group counselling and phone counselling for carers. Call 1800 422 737. The phone counselling service is for carers over 18.
What’s the difference between Carer Payment and Carer Allowance?
Carer Payment is a payment for people who give constant care, and the amount depends on your circumstances. Carer Allowance is a fortnightly supplementary payment for people who care for someone needing daily support. You may be able to get both.
How much is Carer Allowance?
Services Australia listed Carer Allowance at $162.60 a fortnight in October 2026. Rates change, so check the Services Australia website for the current amount.
What is an emergency care plan?
It’s a written plan so someone else can step in if you can’t provide care: the person’s needs, medicines, routines and key contacts. Carer Gateway has a guide to making one.
How can Kinship help a carer?
Kinship supports the person you care for, with the same support worker every visit and carer updates as standard. That includes in-home and community respite, NDIS daily living and community participation, Supported Independent Living (SIL), CHSP domestic assistance in Northern Sydney and the Southern Highlands, and private cleaning, reorganising and nursing.
Sources
Every rule, phone number and amount in this guide was checked on these official pages in October 2026. Rules and amounts change, so confirm with the source before you act.
- Carer Gateway: home and contact details: www.carergateway.gov.au/
- Carer Gateway: Planned and emergency respite: www.carergateway.gov.au/help-and-support/caring-me/available-support-carers/planned-emergency-respite
- Carer Gateway: Counselling for carers: www.carergateway.gov.au/help-and-support/caring-me/talk-and-connect/counselling-carers
- Services Australia: Carer Payment: www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/carer-payment
- Services Australia: Carer Allowance: www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/carer-allowance
- My Aged Care: Support at Home program: www.myagedcare.gov.au/support-at-home
General information only. This guide is not medical, legal or financial advice. Talk to your GP, health team or the official agency about your own situation.
Questions about your situation?
Call us and we’ll talk it through. If we can’t help, we’ll say so plainly.
Kinship Uniting Services · Registered NDIS provider 4-GWVHCEY · 39 Victory Road, Colebee NSW 2761