Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres are a good starting point when accessing services.

There are a wide range of services to support independent living in the community, but finding out about them or accessing them can be difficult and confusing. Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres (CRCC) provide a point of contact for information on community, aged and disability services and carer support. The Centres can also assist with information about costs for services, assessment processes and eligibility criteria.

The Centres can also help arrange respite for Carers who need to take a break from caring. They do this by organising, purchasing, or managing respite care assistance for Carers. Examples of respite care assistance include in-home respite care; support workers to assist you when you are taking a break away from home; and residential respite care.

Access to 24 hours emergency respite service.  Freecall 1800 052 222 (except from mobiles).

You can contact your nearest Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre by phoning a national telephone number Freecall™ 1800 052 222 (except from mobiles). Anyone can contact a Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre and to date Centres have assisted over 500,000 people.

Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres provide a point of contact for all Indigenous and CALD referrals.

When you contact a Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre, the staff at the Centre will discuss suitable options which may be of benefit to you regarding information on local services. However, if you would like to search for services in your area yourself you can use our online search facility at www.commcarelink.health.gov.au.

The variety of information consists of an extensive range of government, non-government, community-funded and private care services including: