Registration for the Better Start Program for Children with Disability is now open.

The Better Start Program provides funding for early intervention services for eligible families. To register for the Better Start Program, please contact one of our Registration and Information Service Advisors on 1800 242 636.

Who is eligible?
Families with a child under the age of six with one of the following disabilities are eligible for the Better Start funding:

• Cerebral palsy
• Deafblindness
• Down syndrome, including mosaic Down syndrome
• Fragile X syndrome with full mutation
• Hearing impairment (hearing loss of 40 decibels or greater in the better ear, across four frequencies)
• Sight impairment (vision of less than or equal to 6/18 or equivalent field loss, in the better eye with correction)

What is the funding for?
Children who are registered with Better Start can access up to $12,000 (maximum $6,000 per year) until the child’s 7th birthday to pay for early intervention services. These services include:

• Audiology
• Occupational therapy
• Orthoptics
• Physiotherapy
• Psychology and
• Speech pathology

Families living in outer regional or remote areas may be eligible for an additional one-off payment of $2,000 to assist with extra expenses incurred.

How do you register?
To be registered with Better Start, the child’s eligibility needs to be assessed and confirmed by a Registration and Information Service Advisor. This assessment can be face-to-face or via telephone, webcam, email or video link. The parent or carer will need to provide the following documents to assess eligibility:

• Proof of child’s age, preferably birth certificate or passport
• Written confirmation of diagnosis
• Proof of residential status
• Proof of residential address
• The child’s Centrelink customer reference number (CRN)

For more information and to register
For more information or to register for the Better Start program, please call our Carer Line 1800 242 636 or email Betterstart@carersnsw.asn.au. You can find out more information on the Better Start program at betterstart.net.au