Key information
- Responsibility for approving personal documents depends on the type of document.
- It is important to discuss budgeting and money management with the child or young person in your care.
- You and the child or young person in your care can discuss the responsibilities and appropriateness of having a mobile phone.
- Consequences such as removing a mobile phone from a child or young person in Care must be agreed to by the child or young person, the Child Safety Service, and the carer.
- You and the child or young person can decide when and what social media accounts are appropriate to have, as long as this is in line with the Australian Government and the social media platform’s age requirements.
Personal documents
Only the Child Safety Service can organise Birth Certificates and Medicare Cards and provide you with relevant details.
Once a young person is aged 14 years or over, they can create their own MyGov account.
Once a young person is aged 16 or over, they can apply for a Tax File Number without needing guardian permission and can open an online bank account, with financial institutions that allow this without guardian permission. Where needed, you should support the young person to obtain these items.
You can sign forms for children and young people applying for a Health Care Card, claiming benefits from Medicare, opening an online bank account (where the financial institution requires guardian permission), Personal Identification Card, Youth Allowance (or other appropriate Centrelink assistance).
Money
If the child or young person receives pocket money or money from other sources (Youth Allowance, ABSTUDY, Disability Support, etc.), you can support them to understand how to budget and manage their money. This may include the child or young person saving for a particular item, purchasing something for themselves, a day out with family or purchasing gifts for friends or family members.
Mobile devices and phones
You and the child or young person can decide when to purchase a mobile device or phone (if they do not already have one).
You must discuss the responsibilities of using a mobile device or phone with the child or young person. You must consider the child or young person’s developmental age, maturity, views and household circumstances.
You can make decisions in relation to parental controls, screen time, supervision, and ensuring safe and appropriate use.
You can discuss and set household rules (including amount of use and consequences for not following agreed rules). This can include removing a phone, but needs agreement from child or young person, Child Safety Officer and carer. Consequences which do not require the removal of the phone should be prioritised.
Where there is a significant, immediate risk to the safety of the child or young person and a Child Safety Officer is not available, you may temporarily remove a mobile device from a child or young person and contact a child safety officer as soon as possible.
For challenging issues such as managing screen time, serious concerns of online behaviours or questions about costs, you must contact the Child Safety Service or Care Team, if one is in place.
For more detailed information on mobile devices, phones and social media see the Mobile devices, phones and social media in out of home care page on the DECYP website.
Social media
You and the child or young person can decide when and what social media accounts are safe and appropriate to use. This must be in line with the Australian Government and social media platform age requirements and a child or young person’s developmental readiness.
Photos shared on social media (on your account, a family member’s account or the child or young person’s account) must not identify:
- the child or young person
- whether the child or young person is in care
- any other personal details (such as address, family history, or school they are attending).
Helpful online safety resources can be found on: