Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) New funding and delivery arrangements relating to child care

Background

The AMEP offers free English language training to migrants after they arrive in Australia.AMEP providers are contracted to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) to provide English classes and to arrange free child care for under school age children while the client is attending AMEP classes.

Child care used between 1 July 2000 and 30 June 2003.

During the above dates, free child care for AMEP clients was paid in the following ways:

If the child care service was not Child Care Benefit (CCB) approved, the AMEP provider paid the full child care fee.
• If the child care service was CCB approved, the AMEP client received CCB as reduced child care fees and the AMEP provider paid the gap fee (that is the full fee less the CCB amount).
• Services reported usage as normal to FAO (acquittals etc).

Child care used from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2008

From 1 July 2003 DIMIA (through the AMEP service providers) will pay the full amount of AMEP-related child care.

Under this arrangement:

• DIMIA now has the sole responsibility of funding the child care costs associated with AMEP services.
• CCB will not be payable for AMEP-related child care.
• The full amount of the AMEP-related child care is paid for by the AMEP service provider and should be directly billed to them.
• The AMEP service providers are paid on a price per tuition hour's basis and this price incorporates the full cost of child care for AMEP clients.
• CCB will be payable for any child care that is not AMEP-related, normal assessment and calculation should be applied.

Operational implications to note:

• Any absences or hours used under AMEP do not affect a customer's allowable absences or eligible hours for CCB.
• If sessional fees are paid in respect of a child by an AMEP service provider, the service cannot deny access to the child for any part of that session.For example, if a service is charging for a 12 hour session, the child must be allowed to attend all or any part of that session.
• Child care services should not submit information to the Family Assistance Office (FAO) on AMEP-related child care.
• Child care services are to report AMEP child care to their contracted AMEP Service Provider.

For further information on AMEP, including a list of AMEP providers, please visit the AMEP website at: www.immi.gov.au/amep/