If you care for a family member or friend with disability, a mental health condition, a chronic illness or age-related frailty, you're a carer, even if you've never used that word for yourself. Many people don't. They just see themselves as a partner, parent, grandparent, son, daughter or neighbour doing what needs to be done. But caring can be tiring, isolating and expensive, and there's more free support available than most carers realise. This guide covers where to start in Victoria, with a focus on local help for carers in Melbourne's west.
National Carers Week 2026: 11 to 17 October
National Carers Week runs from 11 to 17 October 2026. It's a week to recognise the millions of Australians who provide unpaid care, and this year's theme is "Care for a carer: Making carers visible". Carers Victoria and community groups across the state are holding events during the week, and you can find ones near you on the National Carers Week website.
If you're a carer, let this week be your nudge to check what support you're entitled to. It's not selfish, and you don't need to be at breaking point to ask. If you know a carer, a phone call, a meal, an hour of your time or simply asking "how are you going?" can mean a lot.
Start with Carer Gateway
Carer Gateway is a free, Australian Government-funded service for unpaid carers. You can call 1800 422 737 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm) or register online. Depending on your situation, Carer Gateway can offer counselling, coaching, peer support groups, practical help, online skills courses and planned or emergency respite. You don't need to be receiving a Centrelink payment to use it, and using it doesn't affect any payment you already get.
If you only make one call after reading this, make it that one.
Carers Victoria: free advice from people who understand
Carers Victoria is the statewide organisation for family carers. Its free Statewide Carer Advisory Service gives carers clear information and advice and helps link them to assistance, whoever they're caring for. Call 1800 514 845, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Carers Victoria also keeps a list of carer support groups around the state, so you can meet other carers who get what you're going through.
Victorian Government support for carers
On top of Carer Gateway, the Victorian Government funds its own supports:
- Support for Carers Program. Local organisations across Victoria offer carers information and advice, one-to-one and group support, counselling, flexible respite, and sometimes funds for a one-off purchase to meet a pressing need. You can contact a local provider directly without going through Carer Gateway first. To find the provider for your area, call 1800 514 845 or see the Support for Carers Program page.
- Victorian Carer Card. The Victorian Carer Card is for unpaid primary carers, and foster, kinship, respite and permanent carers. It gives discounts on public transport and at thousands of businesses. The website explains who's eligible and how to apply.
Local help for carers in Melbourne's west
If you live in Wyndham, Hobsons Bay, Brimbank, Melton or Maribyrnong, all of the services above are available to you. A few practical tips for getting local help:
- Ask Carer Gateway or the Support for Carers Program line which providers cover your suburb. Both can connect you with services close to home, including respite.
- Search Carers Victoria's support group list for a group near you. Meeting other local carers is often where the best practical tips come from.
- Your local council, such as Wyndham City, can tell you about community programs, libraries and activities in your area that can help you and the person you care for stay connected.
- If the person you care for is an NDIS participant or receives aged care services, ask their support coordinator or provider what supports in their plan or package could also give you a break.
Respite: taking a break is part of caring well
Respite means someone else provides care for a while so you can rest, work, see a doctor or just have time to yourself. It can be a few hours, a day, or longer. Carer Gateway can help arrange respite, including emergency respite if you suddenly can't provide care, for example if you become unwell. The Support for Carers Program can also offer flexible respite, such as in-home support, a day activity or an overnight stay.
Kinship carers: grandparents, relatives and family friends
Kinship care is when a relative or family friend cares for a child who can't live with their parents. Many kinship carers are grandparents who stepped in without warning, and they're carers too. The Victorian Government funds kinship care services across the state, including Aboriginal kinship services in every region. Kinship Carers Victoria, the peak body for kinship carers, offers advice, resources and support groups, and kinship carers can apply for the Victorian Carer Card. Our guide to kinship care in Australia explains the different types of kinship care and the payments and support you may be able to get.
Money: payments you may be missing
Centrelink has two main carer payments. Carer Payment is an income support payment for people whose caring role means they can't work full time. Carer Allowance is a smaller supplementary payment that many working carers can also get. A lot of carers qualify for one or both and never claim. Our guide to Carer Payment and Carer Allowance explains the difference and how to apply. Rates and limits change regularly, so always check the current figures with Services Australia.
Your rights at work
If you're an employee, the National Employment Standards give carers some important protections. Full-time and part-time employees can use their paid personal/carer's leave to care for an immediate family or household member who is sick, injured or facing an emergency. Casual employees are entitled to unpaid carer's leave of up to two days per occasion. Many employees who are carers can also make a formal request for flexible working arrangements, like changed hours or working from home, and employers can only refuse on reasonable business grounds. The Fair Work Ombudsman has the details and can help if you're unsure of your rights.
Looking after your own wellbeing
Carers often put their own health last. Burnout can creep up slowly, as poor sleep, constant worry, irritability, or feeling cut off from friends. None of that means you're failing. It usually means you need more support. Your GP is a good starting point and can talk to you about a Mental Health Treatment Plan if you need one. Carer Gateway's counselling is free. And if you're struggling right now, Lifeline is available 24/7 on 13 11 14.
Young carers
Some carers are children or young people looking after a parent, sibling or grandparent. Young carers can find it hard to keep up with school, friendships and their own plans. Carer Gateway supports young carers too, and schools can often be more flexible once they know what's happening at home. If you're a young carer, or you think a young person in your life might be one, it's okay to ask for help.
Carers from culturally diverse and First Nations communities
In many families, caring is simply expected and rarely discussed outside the home. That can make it harder to reach out. Services like Carer Gateway can arrange interpreters, and the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) is free on 131 450. Nhanya Foundation works with culturally and linguistically diverse families and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in a culturally respectful way.
How Nhanya Foundation can help
The support system for carers is spread across Centrelink, the NDIS, aged care, health services and community organisations, and it's easy to get lost. Nhanya Foundation's advocacy and service navigation support is open to families and carers in Melbourne's west. We can help you work out what you may be entitled to, connect with services like Carer Gateway and the Support for Carers Program, and follow up when things stall. Our article on service navigation in Melbourne explains how it works. We can't make decisions on behalf of government agencies, but we can help you understand your options and make sure your voice is heard.
Feeling stretched as a carer? Talk to Nhanya Foundation on 03 8595 9012, or make a referral and our team will be in touch.