Glossary
Approved agency: The state or territory department responsible for child protection or a non‑government organisation or community organisation approved by state or territory department responsible for child protection or DIBP to be an organisation registered for the UGG for the purposes of TILA.
Australian citizen: A person who is a citizen of Australia, either by birth or because they have been granted citizenship.
Australian financial institution: Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions including banks, building societies and credit unions.
Case worker: A case worker employed by an approved agency who works with the young person leaving care or post care to develop and implement their transition plan. Case workers can be registered to submit TILA applications via the UGG.
De-identified data: A collection of data or information that is altered to remove or obscure personal identifiers and personal information. The data does not identify an individual and with respect to which there is no reasonable basis to believe that the information can be used to identify an individual.
DIBP: Department of Immigration and Border Protection (now Department of Home Affairs).
Formal care: A young person must be subject to a current state/territory government court order under the jurisdiction’s statutory care and protection provisions where the responsibility for the young person has been transferred to the Minister or their nominated delegate, or to another person or agency authorised within the jurisdiction.
An Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minor under the guardianship of the Australian Government Minister for Immigration and Border Protection under the Immigration (Guardianship of Children) Act 1946 is in formal care.
Please note that formal care can be referred to as out-of-home care or state care by other government agencies.
See also types of out-of-home care or formal care below as defined by the AIHW.
Guidelines: Means the Transition to Independent Living Allowance Operational Guidelines.
Independent living: When the state/territory government is no longer responsible for the young person’s accommodation.
Informal care: Informal care is defined as where a young person is in the care and custody of someone who is not their parent where there is no court order in place.
Typically, the carer of a young person in informal care is not reimbursed by the state/territory for their care. This does not include where a financial payment/reimbursement has been offered to the carer by the state/territory for their care but has been declined by the carer.
Examples of informal care include, but are not limited to, informal out-of-home care (e.g. refuge, homeless, supported accommodation, staying with friends/relatives not their parents).
Permanent Australian resident: A person who is not an Australian citizen but who has been granted permanent residency status in Australia.
Registered worker: An employee of an approved organisation who has been registered for TILA UGG access. This may be a case worker or an administration officer.
Transition to independence plan: A transition to independence plan for the purposes of TILA is a record of a young person’s goals and the support needed to achieve the goals, based on individual needs after considering the life domains (housing, financial security, health, life skills, education/employment/training, identity and culture, legal matters, social relationships/support networks).
The requirement for a plan could be met through a document that meets the requirements of the National Standards for Out-of-Home Care. Children and young people have a transition from care plan commencing at 15 years old which details support to be provided after leaving care. The plan is to include details of support and is to be reviewed regularly.
The National Standards identify a transition from care plan as a planned and phased approach that identifies the required supports, based on individual needs, in areas such as safe and sustainable housing, education, employment, financial security, social relationships and support networks, health – physical, emotional (including self-esteem and identity), mental and sexual, and life and after care skills.
For young people who re-engage with a service at a later time and do not have a current transition to independence plan, the requirement for a plan could be met through engaging with a case worker to consider each of the life domains, identify goals and recording the support needed to achieve the goals.
A transition to independence plan may also be referred to as a ‘leaving care plan’, a ‘transition from out-of-home care plan’ and ‘transitioning planning for young people leaving care’. It may be part of the case plan, rather than a separate document.
UGG: Unified Government Gateway – the Australian Government Department - Services Australia portal for applying for the TILA payment.
Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minor (UHM): For the purpose of TILA, a ‘UHM’ refers to non-citizen children under the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection’s guardianship under the Immigration (Guardianship of Children) Act 1946.
Young person: Means a person aged 15 to 25 years inclusive.
15-25 years: From the day a young person turns 15 until the day before they turn 26 years of age.
Types of out-of-home care or formal care
Residential care: Where placement is in a residential building whose purpose is to provide placements for children and where there are paid staff.
Family group homes: Homes for children provided by a department or community-sector agency which have live-in, non-salaried carers who are reimbursed and/or subsidised for the provision of care.
Home-based care: Placement in the home of a carer who is reimbursed (or who has been offered but declined reimbursement) for expenses for the care of the child. This is broken down into three subcategories: relative/kinship care, foster care and other home based out-of-home care.
Independent living: Including private board and lead tenant households.
Other: Includes placements that do not fit into the above categories and unknown placement types. This includes boarding schools, hospitals, hotels/motels and the defence forces.
Placements for the purpose of respite are included. Respite care is used to provide short-term accommodation for children and young people where the intention is for the child to return to their prior place of residence. This includes respite from birth family and respite from placement.
National care and protection order types
Finalised guardianship or custody orders: Guardianship orders involve the transfer of legal guardianship to the relevant state or territory department or non-government agency. These orders involve considerable intervention in the child’s life and that of their family, and are sought only as a last resort.
Custody orders generally refer to orders that place children in the custody of the state or territory department responsible for child protection or a non-government agency. These orders usually involve the child protection department being responsible for the daily care and requirements of the child, while the parent retains legal guardianship.
Finalised third-party parental responsibility: Orders transferring all duties, powers, responsibilities and authority parents are entitled to by law, to a nominated person(s) whom the court considers appropriate. The nominated person may be an individual such as a relative or an officer of the state or territory department.
Finalised supervisory orders: Under these orders, the department supervises and/or directs the level and type of care that is to be provided to the child. Children under supervisory orders are generally under the responsibility of their parents and the guardianship or custody of the child is unaffected.
Interim and temporary orders: Orders covering the provisions of a limited period of supervision and/or placement of a child. Parental responsibility under these orders may reside with the parents or with the department responsible for child protection.
Administrative arrangements: Agreements with child protection departments, which have the same effect as a court order of transferring custody or guardianship. These arrangements can also allow a child to be placed in out-of-home care without going through the courts.
The following orders are excluded:
- children on offence orders, unless they are also on a care and protection order (as defined above)
- administrative and voluntary arrangements with the departments responsible for child protection that do not have the effect of transferring custody or guardianship.
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