How Carer Gateway works
What is Carer Gateway
Free support, designed and tested by Carers
Carer Gateway is an Australian Government initiative. It provides a mix of telephone, online and in-person services and advice to support Carer wellbeing, reduce stress and build resilience in the caring role.
Carers SA is the lead Carer Gateway provider in South Australia and delivers the supports directly. We are also the state peak body for unpaid Carers. If you were told to contact Carer Gateway, you are in the right place.
The National Carer Gateway website also offers resources and a number of online self-guided Carer Coaching sessions, online Carer skills courses, an online community forum and phone Counselling.
Who it is for
If you look after someone, this is for you.
Carers who provide unpaid care for a family member or friend living with disability, a medical condition, mental illness, or who is frail due to age.
No diagnosis and no referral are required, and there is no cost. Using Carer Gateway does not affect any other support you receive, including services through My Aged Care or the NDIS.
The supports
What is available through Carer Gateway
How to get started
Four steps, starting with one call
Step 1: Register
Call Freecall 1800 422 737 or (08) 8291 5600, or complete the registration form online. We take a few details and book a time to talk properly. Registering does not commit you to anything.
Step 2: Talk it through
A conversation about who you care for, what you do for them, and what is hardest at the moment. We use the Carer Star™ process, which is a structured way of looking at the whole picture rather than one problem at a time. You can say you would rather not answer something.
Step 3: Agree on a plan
A written plan setting out your goals and the actions you and Carers SA will each take. It is yours, and it can be reviewed and changed as your situation changes.
Step 4: Support begins
Supports are put in place, or you are referred to other organisations who can help.
Support in your language and community
Delivered with partners who know your community.
We deliver Carer Gateway services alongside partners, including NPY Women’s Council, Skylight, Country and Outback Health, Multicultural Communities Council of SA, among others. Interpreters can be arranged for all services at no cost.
For professionals
Referring a Carer to us.
Hospitals, GPs and health services, community service organisations, schools, allied health, aged care providers and disability providers can all refer a Carer to us, with the Carer’s consent, through our secure referral form.
We can talk with you through an interpreter.
Tell us the language you speak and when you are free to talk, and we will book an interpreter and call you back. There is no cost to you.
If you are deaf or find it hard to hear or speak on the phone, you can use the National Relay Service.
Contact us through the National Relay Service and ask for Carers SA on 1800 422 737.