- Cook Labor Government announces new $14.5 million Foster and Grand Carer Gold Card as part of record $46.3 million State Budget package for households assisting WA's most vulnerable children
- Gold Card will unlock support to foster, family and grandcarers, including energy bill relief of $337 this year
- Registration for first round commences 1 July through the ServiceWA app
- Part of the Cook Labor Government's priority to build safe and inclusive communities
The Cook Labor Government has announced a new $14.5 million Foster and Grand Carer Gold Card as part of a record $46.3 million State Budget package, delivering meaningful cost-of-living relief and support to households assisting the State's most vulnerable children.
Gold Card holders will benefit from $377 in energy bill relief this year, with additional benefits and discounts to help with everyday expenses to be rolled out in future.
A further Grandcarer Cost of Living Payment, in addition to the existing Grandcarers Support Scheme, will provide $500 for the first grandchild and $250 per grandchild thereafter.
The $46.3 million funding package includes $23.7 million to deliver a 10 per cent subsidy uplift for all foster and family carers and a further $6.9 million to expand existing support services for family carers State-wide.
This demonstrates the Cook Labor Government's continued commitment to safe and inclusive communities by ensuring foster and family carers receive the support they need while providing a stable home for vulnerable children.
Under the new subsidy rates, a family caring for a 7-12-year-old child in the metro area will receive close to $1,500 extra each year to support their essential services to the community.
To empower foster and family carers to make the most of the subsidy uplift, the Cook Government recently developed Who Pays in WA?, a digital resource which guides foster family households on the financial supports they can access.
Recruitment funding will also continue to grow the number of foster and family carers in Western Australia, with 125 new foster and family carers having joined through the Cook Labor Government's State-wide recruitment campaign, Become a foster carer - Make a difference to a child's life, since it launched in 2023.
The campaign has run across social media, radio, digital billboards, and podcasts, driving enquiries from just 90 per year pre-campaign to more than 700 in the past year.
The State Budget package builds on the Adventure Passes the government announced in March, which are saving foster families more than $300 on ticket prices to Western Australia's greatest attractions including Perth Zoo, all WA museums and national parks, and Rottnest Island.
Registrations open from 1 July through the ServiceWA app.
As stated by Treasurer Rita Saffioti:
"Foster and family carers open their homes and their lives to care for some of the most vulnerable children in our community
"They provide help children who need it most, and this package is about making sure they are better supported in that role.
"Our Budget delivers practical cost-of-living relief for carers, including energy bill support, a new annual payment for grandcarers, and a 10 per cent uplift in subsidies for foster and family carers."
Comments attributed to Child Protection Minister Jessica Stojkovski:
"This Budget is providing real, tangible financial assistance and cost-of-living support for WA's foster and family carer households.
"This is part of our government's commitment to building safe and inclusive communities by giving our valuable carers the helping hand they give others.
"Having grown up in a foster family myself, I know firsthand the difference these families make. They are incredibly valuable and change young lives every day."
As stated by Community Services Minister Matthew Swinbourn:
"There are more than 1,800 grandcarers in Western Australia who provide primary care for their grandchildren.
"The Gold Card ensures every eligible grandcarer in WA will receive direct financial and in-kind assistance to help support household expenses."
