No court ordered split care arrangement

To help you decide which parent can get Sole Parent Support, in situations where there is no court ordered split care arrangement, use the following steps:

Step 1

If one parent already receives Sole Parent Support you continue to pay it (the other parent cannot receive Sole Parent Support).

Step 2

If both parents apply for a benefit at the same time the parent who was mainly responsible for the day to day care of the children before the parents separated will get Sole Parent Support.

It may be necessary to interview both parents to ensure that they both agree on what is the case. If they do not agree you need to put the case of each to the other and come to a finding on what are the facts.

Step 3

If it is not clear who was mainly responsible for the day to day care before the separation, the parent who is the principal day to day caregiver of the youngest child will get the Sole Parent Support.

If a client with children from a split care situation has a dependent child from another relationship you can pay them Sole Parent Support.

For more information see:

• Court ordered spilt care arrangements
• Split care
• Determining whether a care arrangement is sanctioned by the Family Court
• Privacy Act implications
• Assistance for the parent not qualified for Sole Parent Support
• When to consider Emergency Maintenance Allowance for split care