National Carers Week 2026: Supporting Unpaid Carers Australia
Table of Contents
During National Carers Week each October, Australians recognise the people around them who are providing unpaid care to a family member or friend. Around 3 million people in Australia do that work and the week puts that in public view. Someone in your family may be doing it without ever having called themselves a carer.
What is National Carers Week 2026?
National Carers Week 2026 takes place from Sunday 11 to Saturday 17 October with the theme “Care for a Carer”. The aim behind that theme is to raise awareness for carers and to make them publically visible. Around 15% of carers feel recognised and valued as a carer within the health and education systems.
Carer organisations in each state put on their own program for the week. They fund local gatherings with grants of a few hundred to a few thousand dollars and name employers who support carers in business awards, and public buildings are lit blue at some launches. What happens close to you depends on which organisation covers your state.
Who Are Unpaid Carers?
A carer is anyone who provides unpaid care and support to someone living with disability, a chronic condition, a mental health condition, a terminal illness, or alcohol and other drug issues, or to an older person who can no longer manage on their own. The work can cover washing and dressing, giving medication, getting to appointments, managing money, and keeping the house in order.
Young carers under 25 numbered 391,300 in 2022, up from 235,300 in 2018. They attend school, work jobs, and support a parent or sibling at home. You can work beside one of them without ever hearing about it.
Carers report worse wellbeing than the wider population. In 2025, 61.1% reported low wellbeing against 33.6% of Australian adults, and 42.7% felt lonely often or always.
How You Can Celebrate National Carers Week
A carer near you can get something out of National Carers Week that lasts past October. Ask the carer you know how they are going. Offer to take on one task for them. A meal, a lift, or just time taking over for them gives them a break they can count on.
A morning tea is the simplest event to put on at work or in a community group. Invite the carers in the room to describe what their week involves. The National Carers Week website lists events by location, so you can attend one instead of organising your own.
Carer Payments And Services Promoted During The Week
Free supports for carers exist all year and are promoted by carer organisations during National Carers Week. A carer who contacts one can finish October with counselling booked and a planned break ahead.
Carer Gateway is the Australian Government’s free national service for unpaid carers. Through this service, a carer can get counselling by phone or in person, peer support groups, self-guided coaching, online skills courses, tailored support packages, and planned or emergency respite. One call to 1800 422 737 connects a carer to a provider in their region.
Services Australia pays two separate amounts to carers. Carer Payment is income support for someone who provides constant care and cannot work full time. Carer Allowance is a fortnightly supplement for daily care. A carer can receive that while working or studying. Some carers qualify for both payments.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme, known as the NDIS, funds supports for a person with disability. A carer looking for their own counselling, respite, or income support can go to Carer Gateway or Services Australia instead. Carer organisations host information sessions throughout National Carers Week, and a session gives a carer a route through all of this.
Getting a Certificate III In Individual Support
Some people finish National Carers Week wanting to do care work for a living. A Certificate III in Individual Support is the qualification for entry-level support work, and you can come out of it able to support an older person or a person with disability through their whole day.
CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support is nationally recognised across homes, community settings, and residential care. Someone with it can work in aged care, disability support, home care, and NDIS-funded services. The qualification covers personal care, talking with a client and their family, noticing when someone’s health changes, and supporting their independence through ordinary tasks.
We deliver the CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support with both the ageing and disability specialisations. With us you can qualify for work in which an older person keeps their routine, their dignity, and their say in how the day goes.
Enrol to Support Carers Wellbeing
The unpaid work done in a caring role can be a paid job for someone else. The Certificate III in Individual Support qualifies you to support someone through their day without taking their independence off them. Enrol in Certificate III in Individual Support training and put that to work in a home, a community service, or a residential care setting.
FAQs
Do You Have To Live With Someone To Be Their Carer?
No. Unpaid care and support can be provided from a separate address, and a carer who visits daily is still a carer. Payments from Services Australia apply their own rules about where the care happens.
Can Employees Take Leave To Care For A Family Member?
Yes. The National Employment Standards give full-time employees 10 days of paid personal or carer’s leave each year, with a pro rata amount for part-time employees. Casual employees and anyone who has used up their paid leave can take two days of unpaid carer’s leave for each occasion.
Can A Certificate III In Individual Support Lead To Further Study?
Yes. A Certificate IV in Ageing Support or a Certificate IV opens supervisory and coordination roles.
