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Authorised professionals complete Section 4 of the Victorian Carer Card application form. Some authorised professionals may be able to complete a statutory declaration instead.
As an authorised professional, you will confirm someone’s eligibility as an unpaid primary carer.
Authorised professionals
General authorised professionals
These authorised professionals can confirm the unpaid primary carer status of a carer on the application form:
- registered medical practitioners, nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists
- Australian Psychological Society-registered psychologists
- social workers eligible for registration with Australian Association of Social Workers
- Aboriginal health workers
- mental health carer consultants.
Authorised professionals for young carers
Young carers can also have the following authorised professionals confirm their carer status.
These professionals must have known the young carer for more than 3 months:
- school teachers
- school nurses
- other school health and wellbeing staff (such as school counsellors)
- school assistant principals or principals
- registered youth workers and registered youth counsellors.
Primary carers
A primary carer is someone caring for a family member, partner or friend most of the time.
They may be the sole primary carer or share the role with another family member.
Primary carers come from all ages and backgrounds. They also include young carers aged under 25 years.
To be a primary carer, the carer must give substantial support and help on a frequent basis with activities like:
- personal care – like dressing, feeding or bathing
- everyday household tasks
- transport – public or private
- mobility
- making and attending appointments
- monitoring medication
- communication – like making telephone calls
- monitoring or supervision
- emotional support.
Eligible carers
To be eligible for a Victorian Carer Card, carers must live in Victoria and be an unpaid primary carer.
You should sign a Victorian Carer Card application if you are satisfied that the person is:
- a unpaid primary unpaid carer of:
- a person with disability
- someone with a severe or chronic medical condition
- someone with mental illness
- an aged person with care needs
- a person with a terminal illness, or
- someone caring for a child who cannot live with their parents:
- a state-registered foster carer
- a kinship carer (formal or informal)
- respite or permanent carer.
- If primary care is shared by 2 carers, both carers may be eligible for a Victorian Carer Card. For example:
- 2 carers sharing primary care of a person with care support needs. This includes young carers caring for another family member.
- 2 foster, kinship or permanent carers sharing primary care of a child who cannot live with their parents.
Paid carers
Paid carers are not eligible for a Victorian Carer Card. Paid carers include:
- aged care workers
- disability support workers
- home care workers
- personal care workers.
Get help
If you are not sure if someone is eligible or have any questions, contact us.