A gateway to support.

There are more than 2.65 million unpaid carers in Australia, and 1 in 12 are under 25 years old. If you are an unpaid carer, we're here to support you.

What is Carer Gateway?

Support for unpaid carers.

Your care situation is as unique as you are. 

Carer Gateway is a national initiative program funded by the Australian Government that offers a free and diverse range of short-term services to help you manage your caring role and improve your wellbeing.

Uniting is one of the seven providers that delivers the Carer Gateway Program across Victoria. Uniting’s delivery of this program is in partnership with the lead provider – Merri Health.

Living in Victoria?

Uniting supports carers in:

Who can access Carer Gateway?

You can access Carer Gateway if you provide unpaid care to people with:

All caring situations are different. Some carers look after another person 24 hours a day, while other carers help with specific tasks, such as housework, transport or shopping. 

Carers can be of any age.

To make life easier, services are provided in ways that suit your situation. You can choose from in-person, online or over-the-phone support.

What short-term services are covered?

You can access:

*We cannot guarantee funding approval for the Tailored Support Packages or Respite service. Funding and availability are allocated depending on the individual assessment. There may be wait times to access certain types of supports, please call to find out more. 

Since 2020, Carer Gateway has:
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8,000 +

Carers registered with the program.

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95%

of carers scored their wellbeing as improving or remaining steady after our support was provided.

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3,300 +

tailored support packages provided.

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310,000 +

hours of free planned respite for carers.

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5,200 +

sessions of Carer Counselling provided.

3 simple steps to accessing carer support

View services

To access Uniting's carer Gateway services, visit the central Carer Gateway website or call the team on 1800 422 737 (Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm.) 

Register

Express your interest online or via phone. You can also request for a call-back online.

If you’re referring on behalf of the carer, please fill out the e-referral.

Access support

A member of the Gateway team will be in touch to discuss your needs and help you access support. 

If you need an interpreter, please call 131 450.

Frequently asked questions

If you have any other questions, please get in touch with us – no question is a silly question.

What if I receive other payments?

Using Carer Gateway services will not affect services delivered through My Aged Care, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Centrelink, Carers Payment or Youth Allowance.

What is 'respite'?

'Respite’ or ‘respite care’ is when someone else takes care of the person you care for, so that you can have a break or so that you can do an activity/something you enjoy away from your caring role. When you are a carer, it’s important to regularly take time for yourself to rest and recharge.

Hear the real story

Young Carer art competition.

To celebrate Carers Week this year, the Young Carer Team within Carer Gateway hosted a fun and heart-warming engagement activity for the young carers (aged 5-25) in their program.

"What inspires me? Nature! I’ve made a wreath out of vines and decorated it with colourful flowers. The beauty of nature makes me feel so happy, free and inspired."

This week, 15th – 21st October, marks the beginning of Carers Week. An annual campaign to raise awareness of, offer support to and bring to light the challenges faced by the 2.65 million Australians who provide care to family members or friends.

“My message to other young carers out there is despite the daily challenges and obstacles of life, never give up and trust the ones you love."

Prior to migrating to Australia, Jun worked for 20 years in the massage industry. Sadly, his qualifications were not recognised here, so he made the decision to begin the journey of re-training. With the support of the Uniting CESP Program, Jun commenced study in an Advanced Diploma with the Melbourne …
Josephine* and Steve* will be the first to tell you that life as a full-time carer is hard work. When they made the decision to grow their family back in 2000, neither could anticipate how drastically their lives as they knew it would change.

Media release

As part of Carers Week, Uniting Vic.Tas is celebrating the invaluable contributions carers make to the lives of millions of people across Victoria and Tasmania.

“When the autism diagnosis was made, I suddenly realised – ‘this is it, this is for life’ – so that’s when I called up Carer Gateway and it’s when things really changed, and I got the support I needed."

Get in touch

Let us become part of your support circle.

Get in touch with the team to find out if Carer Gateway can support you. Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm or request a call back. 

Call us on
1800 422 737