7.3.1 Service Providers

Generally, household services should only be provided by a professional service provider who has:

• appropriate insurance coverage to provide professional indemnity;
• proper systems to ensure accountability for their services;
• professional provision of services and correct mechanisms for payment of taxation and superannuation, where appropriate;
• the necessary accreditation to be able to provide the services, which includes passing a Working with Children or other equivalent state or territory check if the provider will be supplying child care services; and
• necessary back-up in cases of sickness.

Clients may find the links to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission website useful for finding out more about Working with Children or equivalent checks.

Where the person can demonstrate that relatives or friends are professional service providers who are able to meet all of the above criteria, claims for provision of household services may be paid at a rate equivalent to industry standards.

The DVA client should clearly understand that, for the purposes of household services, at all times he or she is responsible for:

• choosing a provider;
• the standard of service provided;
• arranging the times when the provider can undertake the household services and the conduct of the service provider in the person's home; and
• ensuring that before a provider undertakes work in and around their home, the provider has current checks and clearances in place where appropriate including, public liability insurance, police checks and Working with Children checks.  That is, the contract is between the DVA client and the provider.

That is, the contract is between the DVA client and the provider.

The MRCC is only responsible for determining:

• whether household services are reasonably required;
• the amount of compensation that is payable; and
• making payments of compensation for household services.

Reimbursement for household services, other than child care services, may be made to the person on production of receipts, or direct to a supplier on production of an invoice.

Periodically DVA may need to reimburse a client for household service payments made while the client is living overseas. With the production of receipts and confirmation of the approval of the service, DVA can reimburse the client in $AUD to an Australian bank account or to an overseas payment address.

Recent changes to Child Care Benefits administered through the Department of Human Services, require that all child care costs approved by DVA are to be paid on invoice from the service provider, that is directed to DVA indicating DVA is the party liable for the costs.