Child care rebate and immunisations

[snifter]

This topic sort of falls between health, money and kids so wasn't sure the best place for it, but think the Education section suits it best.

 

Anyways, about the topic.

 

We recently started using OSCH for after school care and vacation care for our child. All good there and it turns out can get a rebate on the child care costs, a fair chunk in fact, for up to 50 hours of childcare a week.

 

Anyways, this is where that little red book, your childs health record from the UK can come in handy. To gain the rebate our child has to be up to date on the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register with all the immunisations given in Australia. The UK currently doesn't vaccinate for two of the things and so we have had to get our child vaccinated for chicken pox (varicella) and Hep B (which is a 3 part course over a few months). Neither is standard in the UK but standard here. It turns out the varicella is included with the MMR here in Australia so we either had to have another couorse of MMR or buy the varicella vaccine on its own for $59. I opted for the latter. The MMR would have been free. The Hep B was/is also free I should add. Just the single dose varicella cost us.

 

Now the vaccinations are up to date they have been faxed to the register to be updated onto the Aus system and we can then finalise our child care rebate. Without those vaccinations, we had to either go through the immunisation exemption for medical reasons via a GP or fill out the conscientious objection form. Neither of which I wanted to do as I don't object and there is no medical reason to not have them done (for us).

 

Anyways, point of this post is really to say to bring your childs little red book with you from the UK when/if you migrate. And keep them. If you ever then make use of child care in the future after arrving in Aus and can claim a rebate, it can be used to prove what vaccinations your children have had. We'd been here 15 months before I had to dig the red book out but I am very glad I had it to hand as its helped save us a heap of money on childcare. I'd have been a bit miffed if we'd had all those vaccinations done in the UK and I'd lost the proof of them all.

Edited February 24, 2015 by snifter
corrected a few things

[Guest Mrs Bon Jovi]

Two points to add...

1. The immunisation register only applies up to the age of 7. After that they're not interested.

2. We didn't have to pay for the single varicella vaccine

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

Good to see some people happy to immunise their kids, too many dnt and wnt.

 

HG

[Guest Mrs Bon Jovi]

Don't get me started on that HG!

[Guest Husky]

No we didn't have to pay either. Must depend on who you see

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

Me either Grrrr.

 

HG

[snifter]

Two points to add...

1. The immunisation register only applies up to the age of 7. After that they're not interested.

2. We didn't have to pay for the single varicella vaccine

 

Thanks for that.

 

We paid at the GP we went to as they do birth-4 and not the school aged immunisation programme so did not carry the single varicella to have free. It's fine, didn't mind spending. I could probably have tracked down a different GP that had it in stock and used it for kids but didn't want the faff and was short of time. If I'd gone for the MMR with varicella it would have been free there.

[Guest Husky]

As someone who found out the day they were pregnant that a child in my class had german measles...I had to wait 4 weeks for the all clear.Not knowing if I had to terminate the pregnancy. Do not get me started on those selfish waste of spaces!!!

[Blossom]

Cafhs does children's jabs at drop in centres for free too. There was a teenage lad getting something or other done when our little one had her 6 weeks jabs, so I assume they do all?

[flossybeth]

Cafhs does children's jabs at drop in centres for free too. There was a teenage lad getting something or other done when our little one had her 6 weeks jabs, so I assume they do all?

 

He'd have missed his jabs in school probably so was catching up - my eldest missed one day so has had to had have the rest of her course through the health centre; we're Onkaparinga Council and on the back of the letter is a list of where we can go and when to have these missed vaccinations. We're not sure now exactly what she's had but I know one of them is the human papillomavirus - we think the other was the tetanus booster but we think she didn't have to have the varicella because she'd already had chicken pox.

[Guest Husky]

didn't think they did tetanus boosters anymore as reseach showed that one was enough. Ring Onkaparinga council up..they have a department that deals with it. My son is 14 and had chicken pox when he was a babe...but I was told that may have been a different strain of it..so he had it done..wont do any harm and better to be on the safe side!

[richard300]

We forgot to bring the red books for out two children - they are packed away in storage with some things that will ultimately be sent over to Australia. In the interim, i am going to see if the doctors surgery back in the UK, can send some acceptable proof of their immunisations. (have a 4yo and a 6yo and they have both had chicken-pox.

 

Is the 50% rebate, an alternative to, in addition to, or part of the general Centrelink payments that we may be eligible for?

 

 

Many Thanks,

 

 

Richard.

[kelbert]

We have never been asked for proof of immunisations either at school or by centrelink. My kids are 12 & 7. We get family assistance plus child care rebate which I only claim for my son's out of school hours care (oshc).

[monty9110]

You will need to provide proof for Kindy & childcare..

My 2 had chicken pox in uk so didn't need to be immunised for that. The only one they needed when we came here was hep b.

. I wasn't aware they weren't fully immunised until I got a letter from family assistance saying I need to get a immunisation certificate for them to continue paying child care benefit.

[richard300]

So today i enrolled my 4yo Son at O'Sullivans Beach Day Care Centre, for Wednesday/Thursday/Friday's (He goes to Taikurrendi Kindie on Monday and Tuesday).

I needed to do this in preparation for my finding full time employment, but also because i have casual work and i am constantly having to turn down shifts on a Wed/Thu/Fri.

 

Until i find full time work, i will be running at a financial loss, paying the $73 a day. But i needed to go to Centrelink to give them some paperwork relating to our family claim, which we started at the beginning of April and still has not been processed.

The Child Care Centre told me to let centrelink know that he would be starting tomorrow - I did this, several times, but the woman i saw didn't seem to register it or acknowledge it. Is this something that can be done online?

 

Forgive me if some of my questions sound a bit ridiculous, but my wife initially started dealing with this claim, but as she is working full time i am trying to sorted out. It doesn't help, that every time i want to log into centrelink using the passwords my wife set up, it sends a code to her phone that has to inputted into the site - And she is not contactable during the day.

 

My son had his first Hep B jab today, and they also said that because there was no proof he had chicken pox in the Uk, that he needed the jab for that too - which meant he had to have his MMR again..... They told me this was safe?

[snifter]

So today i enrolled my 4yo Son at O'Sullivans Beach Day Care Centre, for Wednesday/Thursday/Friday's (He goes to Taikurrendi Kindie on Monday and Tuesday).

I needed to do this in preparation for my finding full time employment, but also because i have casual work and i am constantly having to turn down shifts on a Wed/Thu/Fri.

 

Until i find full time work, i will be running at a financial loss, paying the $73 a day. But i needed to go to Centrelink to give them some paperwork relating to our family claim, which we started at the beginning of April and still has not been processed.

The Child Care Centre told me to let centrelink know that he would be starting tomorrow - I did this, several times, but the woman i saw didn't seem to register it or acknowledge it. Is this something that can be done online?

 

Forgive me if some of my questions sound a bit ridiculous, but my wife initially started dealing with this claim, but as she is working full time i am trying to sorted out. It doesn't help, that every time i want to log into centrelink using the passwords my wife set up, it sends a code to her phone that has to inputted into the site - And she is not contactable during the day.

 

My son had his first Hep B jab today, and they also said that because there was no proof he had chicken pox in the Uk, that he needed the jab for that too - which meant he had to have his MMR again..... They told me this was safe?

 

All our Centrelink stuff we do online iirc. Hubby has done most of it as he set it up when we first arrived. I filled out all our OSCH paperwork and they found our child in the system fine.

 

With regard to the chicken pox vaccination, they can either give it in an MMR dose, which I am told is not a problem or else you can have a single dose chicken pox vaccine (some places may charge for this, we paid $50 or so rather than have the MMR again). Our nurse said they generally don't vaccinate against chicken pox if kids show clear signs of having some chicken pox scars and are happy to record that the child has had it already so no need to be vaccinated.

 

ETA - Can your wife change the phone number so it goes to you? Or leave you with her phone for the day and take yours?

[NicF]

Two points to add...

1. The immunisation register only applies up to the age of 7. After that they're not interested.

2. We didn't have to pay for the single varicella vaccine

 

Just an update on this. The rules have now changed so that any children up to the age of 20 have to have fully up to date vaccination records in order to receive any child care payments. I had never bothered previously as my kids were over 7 when we got here but I have just had a letter from centrelink saying my child care benefit (and therefore child care rebate) will be cancelled if the register does not show them as being fully vaccinated by 3rd March.

[snifter]

Just an update on this. The rules have now changed so that any children up to the age of 20 have to have fully up to date vaccination records in order to receive any child care payments. I had never bothered previously as my kids were over 7 when we got here but I have just had a letter from centrelink saying my child care benefit (and therefore child care rebate) will be cancelled if the register does not show them as being fully vaccinated by 3rd March.

 

We got a letter saying ours were not up to date and I checked my records and according to us they are. Turns out our GP never notified the immunisation register of the final Hep B dose given a while back. Hopefully it'll get sorted today.

[kelbert]

Just an update on this. The rules have now changed so that any children up to the age of 20 have to have fully up to date vaccination records in order to receive any child care payments. I had never bothered previously as my kids were over 7 when we got here but I have just had a letter from centrelink saying my child care benefit (and therefore child care rebate) will be cancelled if the register does not show them as being fully vaccinated by 3rd March.

I just got the same letter! Do you know if I can just pop into centrelink with proof of vaccinations or do I have to go via GP?

[snifter]

I just got the same letter! Do you know if I can just pop into centrelink with proof of vaccinations or do I have to go via GP?

 

We were told it had to come from the GP, GP called, was told it had to be done via the immunisation register only, not over the phone as in the past. But hopefully you could do it via Centrelink.

 

Our problem for the 3rd part of the Hep B was that son had been 6 when he'd had the first 2, then turned 7 and had the 3rd. The GP had called them to notify them of the 3rd but as he was over 7 they didn't update the record as it only goes till their 7th birthday. Then they changed the rules recently and made it till much older and told us we were not up to date Turns out lots of people are getting the same letter and are in a similar situation to us or now playing catch up having to get the vaccinations up to date.

[Karen S-D]

I have the little red book as well as a printout from the doctors with the stamp from the surgery which I got last week as I forgot the red book on one occasion. My 3 and a half year old is due her Measles and Rubella boosters now and have booked her into an immunisation clinic next month, I have invoices from the immunisation clinic for her first Measles and Rubella from a couple of years ago. As we opted for separate vaccines rather than the MMR and mumps is no longer available in a single vaccine she is not immunised against mumps. I am guessing that unless Australia have somewhere I can go and pay for the single mumps vaccine that I will have to fill out one of those conscientious objection forms for that. She had chicken pox a couple of months ago and so sounds like just need the Hep B and then should be up to date. does anyone know can I get a single mumps vaccine over there?

[NicF]

I just got the same letter! Do you know if I can just pop into centrelink with proof of vaccinations or do I have to go via GP?

 

The nurse at our GP surgery added my son's vaccines to the register. He also had to have the chicken pox and hepatitis B vaccines as he had not had these in the UK (he has had chicken pox but as I have no proof I opted for him to just have the vaccine anyway). Hep B is a three jab vaccine so we have to go back for the other two in a month and then 2 months after that but because we are on the catch up we should be okay.

[snifter]

I have the little red book as well as a printout from the doctors with the stamp from the surgery which I got last week as I forgot the red book on one occasion. My 3 and a half year old is due her Measles and Rubella boosters now and have booked her into an immunisation clinic next month, I have invoices from the immunisation clinic for her first Measles and Rubella from a couple of years ago. As we opted for separate vaccines rather than the MMR and mumps is no longer available in a single vaccine she is not immunised against mumps. I am guessing that unless Australia have somewhere I can go and pay for the single mumps vaccine that I will have to fill out one of those conscientious objection forms for that. She had chicken pox a couple of months ago and so sounds like just need the Hep B and then should be up to date. does anyone know can I get a single mumps vaccine over there?

 

I'm not aware of there being a mumps vaccine. My understanding is its all in the MMR.

 

I opted to not have the MMR again when my son needed to have a chicken pox vaccination. They did the chicken pox on its own so perhaps the mumps one will be.

 

I don't think the objection form gets you anywhere re the rebates and so on these days. I think this has come into effect now.

 

http://www.skeptics.com.au/2015/04/12/vaccination-no-child-care-benefits-for-conscientious-objectors/

[Karen S-D]

Just thought I would post an update on this as I now have an answer as to what I will need to do so that my daughter satisfies the immunisation criteria and we will still be eligible for childcare rebate. I have a niece who is three days younger than my daughter and my sister-in-law asked both the nurse doing my niece's MMR booster and the GP and here is what they have said.

 

They advised that I get my daughter the MMR booster, she has previously had single vaccines for Measles and Rubella, this will mean she is fully immunised for these and she will have one dose of the Mumps vaccine which is deemed satisfactory. She will also need the Hep B course of jabs which is on the list for Australia. My daughter had chicken pox only a few months ago and still has visible marks, if needed I will get the blood test to show that she has had them and this will mean that she won't need to have the Varicella vaccine.

 

I'm happy for her to have the MMR booster now that she is older, relieved that they would not insist on two doses of MMR because of the Mumps issue.

 

Just thought this may be useful info for anyone finding themselves in the same situation.