About Carer Gateway
Free support for family and friend carers
Do you regularly help a family member, friend or chosen family member who lives with disability, a medical condition, mental illness, alcohol or other drug dependency, or frailty due to age? You may be a carer, even if you have never used that word.
Carer Gateway is a free Australian Government program that puts you, the carer, at the centre. This includes helping you look after your wellbeing, taking a break, connecting with people who understand and planning what comes next.
Free for eligible carers of any age or stage. Support is available by phone, online or in person. Getting Carer Gateway support does not affect NDIS, My Aged Care, Centrelink or carer payments.
Carers NSW has supported carers in NSW for over 50 years.
We are the dedicated Carer Gateway provider for the Central Coast, Hunter New England and North Coast regions and we're here for you.
Find your local Carer Gateway Provider
Not in our region? We can still help you find your local provider. When you call Carer Gateway, you will speak to a local service provider that knows what support and services are available in the area.
How can we help?
Read the statements below and choose the one that feels closest to what you need right now. We’ll help you explore the support that could make things easier.
Counselling
"It would be nice to speak with someone who understands."
In-person & online counselling can help you maintain your health and wellbeing whilst caring for a family member or friend. Our counsellors are local, qualified, and trained specifically to support carers; face-to-face or by video, at a time that suits you, including evenings.
Whether you're going through times of stress or overwhelm, sometimes you just need to speak to someone who gets it.
Practical Help
"I’m exhausted. It would be great to get some practical help at home."
Sometimes, what you need most is someone to take the practical, every-day tasks off your plate; having someone help with cooking, cleaning or shopping can make a big difference.
Ask us about this and if you’re eligible, we may be able to arrange short-term support at home. Help looks different for every carer, and we’re happy to talk through what would support you.
Respite Care
"It would be nice to give myself a proper break"
Every carer deserves time to breathe. We can help arrange someone to step in and look after the person you care for; whether it's a few hours, a day, or longer.
If something unexpected happens and you suddenly can't continue caring, call us any time, day or night.
Support Groups
"I’d like to expand my support system... meet other carers who get it"
Caring can be isolating; Connecting with people who don’t need you to explain what its like and a similar can make a big difference. We run regular family and friend carer support groups across our region, face to face and online.
Work or Study Planning
“I want to get back into work or study”
Caring often means putting work or study on the back-burner. When you're ready to take the next step, whether that's returning to work, changing direction, or picking up study, we can help you plan it and support you to support you get there. We can also help with practical things like course fees or equipment.
Urgent Support
“I need help right now. It's urgent”
If you need urgent support with your caring role, you can call Carer Gateway 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You don’t need to be registered to call.
Our team will talk with you about what’s happening, assess your immediate needs and work with you to identify the most appropriate support available. The support we can arrange will depend on your circumstances and the availability and eligibility requirements of local services.
Information and Advice
“I'm not sure where to start”
You don’t need to know what support you need before you call. Tell us what’s happening and we can help you work out your next steps. We can provide information and advice, help you navigate services, connect you with Carer Gateway supports, or point you towards other services that may be able to help.....have this card as first card option as this is probably the main first step people take.
Coaching
“I have a goal I want to work towards”
Sometimes you know what you want to change but aren’t sure how to get there. Coaching gives you one-on-one support to identify what matters to you, set your own goals and work out practical steps to achieve them. Your goal could be anything from eating healthier or building confidence, to speaking up in meetings or making more time for yourself.
How to access Carer Gateway
We believe support should come to you, not the other way around. There are many ways to connect with us, so explore the options below and choose one that best works for you.
Call us
Phone 1800 422 737. Our team answers 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Emergency cover is available 24/7, calls are answered around the clock.
Request a call back online
Register now or request a callback at any time of day or night. Tell us when suits you, morning, afternoon or evening, and we’ll call you back. Registration takes about 15 minutes. You don’t need to explain everything upfront.
Request a call backPrefer not to call? You can start your Carer Gateway registration online.
Complete the online form and a member of our team will contact you to confirm your eligibility. We’ll then book a time to unpack what’s happening for you, what matters to you and what supports may be beneficial.
Register onlineMessage us on social media
Send us a direct message on social media. Our team monitors social channels and will get back to you.
Visit one of our offices
Drop into any of our offices across the region:
- Newcastle
- Tamworth
- Coffs Harbour
- Wyong (Central Coast)
Please check our website for current opening hours at each location.
Find us in your community
Our team is in community locations every day, Aboriginal Medical Services, hospitals, libraries, pharmacies, and community centres. We also travel with Service NSW and Service Australia to remote communities throughout our region. You don’t need to come to us.
Find an event near youMobile workers, we come to you
Can’t make it to an office? Our mobile workers can meet you wherever you’re comfortable, your home, a local café, or any location that works for you.
Walk-and-talk sessions
For carers in the Coffs Harbour area, our counsellors offer walk-and-talk sessions outdoors, a relaxed, informal way to access support on the move.
Caring for someone is one of the most important things you can do. It can also be one of the hardest. When you're a carer, your own needs can sometimes come last. Carer Gateway puts your needs as a carer at the centre.
What to expect when you contact us
From the moment you get in touch, here is how it works.
Choose how to get in touch
Register online with Carers NSW, request a callback or email, or call us on 1800 422 737. You can share as much as you feel comfortable sharing at the first contact. If you call, a real person who is there to listen will pick up within 30 seconds on average.
We'll get to know your situation
We'll take the time to understand your caring situation, what's happening now and whether Carer Gateway is the right service for you. If another service is better placed to help, we'll explain your options and help point you in the right direction.
We have two pathways depending on your situation:
- If you need support urgently (for example, you’ve become unwell and can’t continue caring today), we’ll take your details and prioritise your situation immediately. Our team will work to get support in place as quickly as possible.
- If things aren’t at crisis point (and we’d love to hear from you before they become urgent), we’ll take your details and book you in for a detailed conversation, usually within ten days of your first call.
We'll help build a plan around your needs
A team member will explore your wellbeing, priorities and goals with you. Together, you will identify the supports that may help and discuss eligibility, availability and likely timing.
Support begins
Different supports have different timelines, and we’ll always be upfront with you about what to expect.
- Counselling, Carer Coaching, Vocational Pathways and Peer Support can often start soon after your support plan is agreed. We’ll work with you to arrange sessions at times that suit you. Practical support may also be available through Tailored Supports. There are two types: One-off Practical Support: a single item, qualification or other practical support (for example, towards study) that helps you in your caring role.
Practical support may be available through Tailored Supports. There are two types of Tailored Supports:
- One-off Practical Support: a single item, qualification or other practical support (for example, towards study) to help you in your caring role.
- Tailored Support Package: short-term practical services and supports based on your individual needs, such as planned respite, cleaning or gardening.
We’ll talk with you about whether Tailored Supports may be appropriate for your circumstances. These supports are based on individual need and available funding, with priority given to carers with the greatest level of need..
Local Support
Find support near you
Local support should reflect local lives. Every day, our teams are visiting local communities, attending events, and meeting carers where they are, including rural and remote communities.
Meet us at a local event and connect with a mobile worker. To find upcoming locations and events near you, Click on the button below.
Supporting regional, rural and remote communities
Our region is one of the largest and most geographically diverse Carer Gateway regions in Australia; stretching from the Central Coast through the Hunter and New England to the North Coast, and into some of the most remote communities in NSW.
We employ people who live and work in the communities they support, bringing local knowledge, trusted community connections and, for many, their own lived experience of caring.
Support that recognises your experience
Every carer’s experience is different. Your culture, identity, age, community, language and life experiences can all shape your caring role and the support that works for you. We want Carer Gateway to feel welcoming, accessible and relevant to you, wherever you live and whatever your circumstances.
Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) carers
We work closely with multicultural and refugee communities and the organisations that know and support them, including Settlement Services International (SSI) and local community groups. We listen to communities and work alongside them to develop information and resources that reflect their experiences, strengths and needs.
This goes beyond translating existing information. We develop resources with communities in formats that work for them, including written and audio resources where written information may not be the most accessible option. We also work with trusted community organisations to help carers understand and connect with Carer Gateway.
We can arrange language and communication support so you can access Carer Gateway in a way that works for you. Options include:
Bilingual staff within our team
Interpreting support, including Auslan interpreters and interpreters in your preferred spoken language
There are also other culturally specific and accessible services and supports available across NSW.
First Nations carers
We have dedicated First Nations staff who support carers from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across our region, including through our regular presence at Aboriginal Medical Services and Service NSW outreach to remote communities.
For culturally safe information, resources and support programs available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers, visit this page.
LGBTQIA+ carers
We want you to feel comfortable being yourself and talking openly about your caring role and what matters to you. Our team is committed to providing respectful, inclusive support, with trained LGBTQIA+ Champions across our service helping us strengthen inclusive practice and create welcoming spaces for everyone.
We understand that LGBTQIA+ carers may have different experiences of caring and accessing services, and we'll work with you to make sure the support you receive respects your identity, relationships and individual circumstances.
For Carers NSW LGBTQIA+ resources and other dedicated LGBTQIA+ carer supports, visit this page.
Older carers
Caring is a common part of life as we get older, particularly between partners. You might be supporting a partner who is ageing or living with a health condition, or you may have been caring for an adult child or another family member for many years.
Our team includes aged care specialists who can help you think about your own needs as a carer, plan for the future and navigate services that may support you and the person you care for. This includes helping you understand and navigate My Aged Care and other longer-term supports where relevant.
For more information, practical guidance and Carers NSW resources for older carers, visit our Aged Care Hub.
Veteran carers
Supporting a veteran or current Australian Defence Force member can bring experiences that are unique to military and veteran families. You may be supporting someone with a physical injury or mental health needs, adjusting to life after service, or navigating DVA and other services.
Our team understands the veteran and family support landscape and can help you navigate services while also focusing on your own needs and wellbeing as a carer.
You don’t have to navigate the different support systems on your own. We work closely with veteran and ex-service organisations, including Legacy and RSLs, and have a regular presence in Veteran and Family Wellbeing Centres across our region. We can help you understand what support is available, connect you with the right services and make sure your needs as a carer aren’t lost along the way.
Whether you’ve been caring for many years or are only beginning to recognise yourself as a carer, Carer Gateway is here to support you too.
Young carers
If you’re under 25 and help look after someone in your family or someone close to you, there’s support here for you too. You might help out a lot at home, worry about the person you care for, or find that caring sometimes gets in the way of school, study, work, seeing friends or simply having time for yourself.
Our dedicated Young Carer team is here to listen and help you work out what would make life a little easier. That might mean having someone to talk to, meeting other young people who get it, working towards your own goals, or getting support with school, study or work. We can arrange times around your life, including after school and in the evenings.
If you’re studying or thinking about returning to study, you may also be eligible for financial assistance through the Young Carer Bursary Program, managed by Carers Australia. We can help you find out more.
For information, resources and support created for young carers, visit our Young Carer Hub.
Carers living with a disability
Your caring role is only one part of your life. You may also be managing your own support needs, navigating services and appointments, or trying to make sure there’s enough time and energy for you too.
We’ll take the time to understand what matters to you, what caring looks like in your life and what would genuinely help. We won’t make assumptions about what you need or what support should look like.
We can adapt how you access and participate in support around what works for you, and help you navigate Carer Gateway, the NDIS and other services where relevant. You know what works for you. We’ll listen and work alongside you.
For further information for parents, partners, siblings, relatives and friends caring for a person with disability, visit this page.
Register for Carer Gateway
Carer Gateway provides free support and services for people who care for a family member or friend.
Complete this form to register your interest in Carer Gateway. Once you submit the form, a member of the Carers NSW team will contact you to talk about your caring role, your needs and the supports that may be available to you.
Prefer to speak to someone now? You can call Carer Gateway directly on 1800 422 737.
Your personal information
We will ask for some personal information so we can contact you, understand your circumstances and meet our legal and reporting responsibilities.
By submitting this form, you consent to Carers NSW collecting and storing the information you provide for these purposes. Information used for statistical reporting is de-identified.
Where Carers NSW delivers Carer Gateway
Carers NSW delivers Carer Gateway services in the Central Coast, Hunter New England and North Coast regions of NSW.
Live elsewhere in NSW? You can still contact us. Carers NSW supports carers across NSW and can help connect you with the Carer Gateway provider for your local area.
You do not have to work it all out alone
Start with one conversation. Tell us what is happening, what matters to you and how you would like to be contacted. Choose the contact option that works for you:
Call 1800 422 737
Or register with Carers NSW.
Need help right now? Call Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737, 24 hours, 7 days a week. For emergency respite (if you suddenly can’t continue caring) help is available at any hour.