Being a single parent isn’t easy. In fact, it is for sure one of the most difficult things you’ll be dealing with in life. It doesn’t matter if you’re on this journey for a while now, or you’ve just started with it, there are numerous obstacles that you’ll be facing.
Even when you have a spouse, you still need some type of support, let alone when you’re a single mom. Luckily, there is a number of sources where you can get help, still, you are probably not sure where to seek help.
Generally speaking, this is a very traumatizing period for mums and everything can be too overwhelming in the beginning. That’s why this article is here. To provide you with some helpful info that just might make things a bit easier.
Learning All About Child Support In Australia
What Are The Rules?
So what does child support represent? It means that even when parents are no longer together, they still have to put a certain amount of money into raising their kids. Just because they are separated, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t obligated to set aside some cash for their child.
So does this refer even to the parent who doesn’t live with their kid? The answer is yes. It means that even if your former partner doesn’t live in the same household as you two, he will still have to help you out in a financial way.
Furthermore, this also means that your main job is to look after your child, the father of your kid is still obligated to help you raise him or her by giving you a certain amount of money every month.
The Purpose Of Child Support
The main purpose of it is to ensure that:
- Your kid has a proper financial support
- Both mother and father are responsible for it
- Child support must be made on time, without any postponing
- Both parents are giving the amount of cash they can afford
Is it something that former partners can decide without involving anybody else? The answer is yes, however, if you are not able to make an agreement with the father of your child, or you’re not sure what are your rights, you can always contact the Brisbane family lawyer to determine your options. Now, when it comes to the amount of child support it mainly depends on these things:
- How much both of you earn
- How many kids you have
- Who mostly cares about your child and how frequently
Is There Anything Else You Need To Know?
How Can You Manage Child Support?
This is something both you and the father of your child have to decide. It’s called self-management. These are the decision, you as parents have to make:
- How much you are able to pay every single month
- When you’re supposed to pay
- How to pay
If you decide to self-manage, then there’s no need for you to inform anyone else but the father of your child when it comes to these steps.
What About Parents Who Have School-Aged Children?
A lot of state governments provide some form of help when it comes to school costs, hence if your child currently goes to school then you should certainly contact the school, or at least the state education web page to see what type of help you can receive.
There are some schools in Australia that help single parents with the expenses regarding the school uniforms, plus there’s Camp, Sports and Excursions Fund that can be of huge help concerning the activities.
There are various contributions for things such as uniforms, school excursions, and many others, however, as we previously mentioned, every school comes with different schemes, which is why you have to contact them before everything else.
Now, if your kid is going into prep, then you should definitely call the school because you will be able to get a free uniform set for one year if you are currently on a healthcare card. Another great way that will help you save some cash is the Saver Plus scheme that was established by the Brotherhood of St. Laurence.
How can you benefit from this scheme? For example, if you are capable of saving up to five hundred dollars for educational costs, they will give you another five hundred dollars on top of that.
What About Child Support Agency?
Now, unfortunately, a lot of single parents have some type of aversion towards these types of agencies. But you shouldn’t be worried at all. Namely, these institutions are here to support mostly single moms by interfering between the father of their child and them.
Why are they so crucial in these types of situations? For instance, if you are not receiving money from your former partner, you can always get in touch with them to see what are your options.
What will they do then? Frequently, they will be the ones who will collect child support instead of you. Once you contact them, they will ask you for all the important details regarding your former partner, such as where he works, and then they will contact his employer to let him or her know that he/she is supposed to take child support from his salary.
Another great option at your disposal is to register with Child Support Agency and then pick private collections. What does it represent? It means that you are letting this agency know that the father of your kid is paying you directly.
Now, in case he fails to do so, then feel free to report his irresponsible actions to Child Support Agency.
Crisis Agencies And Charities
There are many charities in Australia that are here to serve single moms because they know how difficult it is to raise a child on your own. The most popular ones are Anglicare, Salvation Army, Foodbank, and Mission Australia. Do not be afraid to reach out to them.
Even though things may currently seem very dark and gloomy, as you can see there are some spectacular options out there that are letting you know that you are not alone even if you think you are.