News
Cover medicine costs for foster kids, urges college
With Victoria’s carer allowance the nation’s lowest, the RACGP says carers must be reimbursed for the out-of-pocket cost of medicines.
Foster and kinship carers in Victoria can be left to cover the cost of essential medicines for children in their care, adding to financial strain.
The RACGP has joined two key carer groups in calling for all Victorian political parties to commit to reimbursing foster and kinship carers for the cost of medications for children in their care.
Ahead of the November State Election, the college, Kinship Carers Victoria (KCV) and the Foster Care Association of Victoria (FCAV) are urging the next Victorian Government to reimburse carers for the out-of-pocket cost of medicines prescribed by a GP or paediatrician, including Schedule 4 and 8 medicines.
The move aims to stem the decline in foster carers and kinship carers from the Victorian system, with the number of those exiting outpacing those being recruited.
At present, foster and kinship carers can be left to cover the cost of essential medicines, adding to the financial strain of looking after children unable to live with their birth families.
Fuelling the Victorian crisis is the nation’s lowest carer allowance. At just $236 a week to cover the household, education, clothing, recreation and care expenses of a child aged 0–7 years, Victoria’s base allowance for carers is the lowest of any Australian state or territory.
In comparison, carers in New South Wales receive $357 a week for children aged 0–4 and $403 a week for children aged 5–13.
RACGP Victoria Co-Deputy Chair Dr Aadhil Aziz said Victorian carers are ‘leaving the system in droves’ due to the lack of financial support to care for some of the state’s most vulnerable young people.
‘Every Victorian child should be able to access the medicines they need to stay healthy, regardless of whether they live with their birth parents or are being cared for by a foster or kinship carer,’ he said.
‘Carers should not have to choose between the cost of essential medicines and meeting the many other everyday costs associated with supporting a child and family.
‘We’re calling on the next Victorian Government to do the right thing – ensure carers are fairly supported and the child protection system is sustainable.’
Children in out-of-home care experience disproportionately high rates of physical and mental health needs, including chronic conditions, infections and acute health episodes requiring ongoing treatment.
For couple carer households, the cost of raising a child in out-of-home care is estimated to be up to 18% higher than raising a child who is not in out-of-home care.
For kinship carers, the financial pressure can be even greater; despite being eligible for the same payments as foster carers, they receive less financial assistance and have fewer of their costs covered.
KCV Director Anne McLeish said increasing the financial assistance available to Victorian kinship carers is ‘critical’.
‘Without such financial support, many kinship care families struggle to cover the costs of medicines that are critical to the wellbeing of children and young people with complex physical and mental health needs,’ she said.
FCAV Chief Executive Samantha Hauge said reimbursing Victorian carers for prescription medicine is a practical measure ‘within the wide-ranging issue of inadequate financial support’.
‘The FCAV supports the RACGP’s measures that ensure carers are not left out of pocket for the costs of meeting children’s health needs,’ she said.
The RACGP’s call for carer reimbursement is among a raft of advocacy priorities published by RACGP Victoria ahead of the November State Election.
Log in below to join the conversation.
care allowance foster care Foster Care Week Global Kinship Care Week kinship care out-of-home care Victorian election
newsGP weekly poll
Have you ever found out that a patient has previously failed to disclose their use of GLP-1 medicines to you as their usual GP?