All students are charged a fortnightly fee for "board" plus a resource fee set by the Department for Child Protection. The service is supported financially by the Department but students must still contribute.
The resource fee covers social outings for all of the students as a group and helps provide some of the equipment used by students at the house.
Students can only be taken into a house after the Department knows these fees can be paid.
The Department reserves the right to set fees in accordance with the needs of students and the service.
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The board payment covers day to day care, food, basic toiletries and cleaning of the house. It does not cover cosmetics, medications, razors, bus fares, telephone money etc. or any outings the student may wish to go on themselves.
Board is charged for the period during each term while students live at the house or have a bed held for them. Students do not pay board over holidays. However they do pay board for the times they may be away for camps or funerals.
Board is paid as soon as students start living at their house. If a student returns late from holidays they must still pay board from the start of the term. If a student does not return from holidays or does not give a fortnight's notice when they want to leave, they will be charged a fortnight's board in lieu of notice.
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Finance is available for some students from Centrelink in the form of ABSTUDY payments.
ABSTUDY is a payment made to eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to help with their education. After applying for the ABSTUDY Living Away From Home allowance, students agree to allow their entitlements to be paid to the Department for Child Protection. The Department will use that money to pay board, resource fees and help students make personal purchases, for example, clothes, school needs, etc.
Students and caregivers can apply for ABSTUDY from their local Centrelink office. We recommend parents and caregivers apply for ABSTUDY straight away. If students receive the full living away from home allowance this will cover their board and resource fees and meet most of their personal needs.
If students are not eligible for full ABSTUDY payments, parents and caregivers can pay the difference themselves. Payments must be made in advance every term.
More information is available about ABSTUDY through Centrelink offices around the state.
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