Care Finder - Central and Eastern Sydney

This is a free service offering support to those who need assistance to access aged care services through My Aged Care.

You can use this service if you:

• are eligible for government-funded aged care
• were placed, by the Government, in NSW children’s homes, orphanages or similar institutions or foster homes before 1990,
  are a parent impacted by forced adoptions
  or
  belong to other special needs groups, as identified in the Aged Care Act
• are now living within the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network (CESPHN) area
  and
• don’t currently have trusted or reliable support

In addition, you should have one or more of the following reasons for needing intensive support:

• you’re reluctant to engage with aged care or government

• you’re in an unsafe situation if you do not receive services

• you have difficulty communicating because of language or literacy problems

• you find it difficult to understand information and make decisions.

Our Care Finder is the only Care Finder in NSW that specialises in assisting the group known as “Care Leavers”, one of the special needs groups under the Aged Care Act.

Our Care Finder will also draw on experience from the Forced Adoption Support Service, to assist eligible parents of children removed through a forced adoption.

Additionally, our Care Finder is able to help anyone who meets the criteria listed above.

Out-of-home care experiences and forced adoptions were often traumatic and left lifelong mental, physical and social impacts, increasing the barriers to accessing My Aged Care. This could be because the person has become isolated, is distrustful of engaging with Government services, or doesn’t have capacity to seek help or find their way through the online process.

Wattle Place has specialised staff who support people with childhood experiences of institutional and foster care and forced adoptions. Our empathetic team understands the ongoing impacts of those experiences and can support you to get the appropriate aged care services to suit your specific needs. That can include aged care services in the home.

How to contact Care Finder

Phone         (02) 8025 2120
Email           carefinder@ransw.org.au
Online         Enquire online

See below for the ways we can help you.

If you do not live in the CESPHN area

Forgotten Australians, Stolen Generations and Former Child Migrants placed in out-of-home care before 1990, or mothers impacted by forced adoptions, living outside the CESPHN area can still contact Wattle Place and we can work with Care Finders in other Primary Health Network areas to support you with your aged care needs.

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This service is delivered in person, but can also be offered over the phone or online if you prefer.

Relationships Australia NSW Care Finder is funded by the Australian Government via the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network.