What happens when your child turns 13 on Family Link?

For many families, this is the age when their child becomes eligible for an Australian Health Care Card (AHC) and can then begin receiving Medicare services. Many families may find themselves faced with a decision - which of their children to enroll in Family Link and which to leave out.

This may be especially tricky for families that already have one or more children who are enrolled in Family Link, but another child who is eligible for Family Link. This decision may also affect how well your family members access and use Medicare benefits. What is Family Link? Family Link is the national, government-administered Medicare service for families with dependent children (children under 18 years of age). It offers parents, grandparents and guardians access to a wide range of health services and subsidised pharmaceuticals at no cost.

If your child is covered under Family Link, you will be issued with a Family Link card which you must present at participating Family Centres (FACS) for free health care consultations and treatment. Medicare does not cover pregnancy related costs. Do I need to sign up for Family Link? Yes, all children aged 12 years and under must be enrolled in Family Link. For children over 12 years, it's usually best to enrol the eldest child first.

How do I enrol my child in Family Link? In most cases, this is easy. When your child turns 13, they will automatically be enrolled in Family Link. The only way they will not be enrolled is if: They already have a Family Link card. Their family is on a different health insurance plan. They live overseas. The parent of a dependent child is over the age of 65 and has private health insurance. In addition, it is not necessary to enrol your children at the same time - you can do it at any time during the year. Remember, you can enrol them at any time during the year. It's best to be sure your child is in the appropriate grade to join Family Link when enrolment is taking place. For example, if your child is enrolled in Grade 10, they should be 16 years and 8 months old (16.8).

If you are unsure of their age, contact your local FACS to confirm. How do I register my child's date of birth?

What is supervision in Family Link?

In Family Link, the supervision process gives families a way to talk about any topics that might worry or embarrass them.

With supervision, a FamilyLink counselor is in a position to help a family member deal with those difficult issues or concerns without having to say too much.

When a parent reports that a child isn't meeting academic or social expectations, for example, it's the job of the supervising counselor to help them come up with a strategy to address the situation and help their child adjust. A supervisor helps you do all this with more confidence.

Supervision and confidentiality. When you talk to a FamilyLink counselor, he or she will try to create an atmosphere of openness, respect, trust, and confidentiality. The counselor will listen carefully, not judge, and keep information about you as private as possible. Because of these standards, there are certain situations where supervising a family member might be inappropriate.

When you need to speak about sensitive family situations, it may better to wait until you're outside of the office, away from others. You can learn more about when and where this is appropriate in "What are the best reasons to talk about family problems in FamilyLink?" When counseling someone under age 18, parents should assume that information the client has shared will remain confidential. If the client turns 18, they can share the information without parental permission. In some situations, like in cases of serious substance abuse or suicide, a counselor may disclose information in order to help. The law protects minors from disclosures to law enforcement or other public agencies unless one of two conditions are met:

Parents are notified by law enforcement before children are interviewed. The parents waive their right to file a report against the child. Supervision for teens. If a teen asks a FamilyLink counselor for help, s/he might need to talk with his/her parents about what is happening. In these situations, when the youth and a parent come together for the first time, FamilyLink counselors work with the family to find out what's troubling their teen, and then recommend a plan that each member of the family can agree to.

This is often called joint supervision. For example, you might agree that your teen is going to come to FamilyLink on a regular basis, at least once a week, for supervision.

Can you see what your child is doing on Family Link?

Your child's information is private and secure.

It is not shared with anyone outside the school and it will not be accessible to you on Family Link. It will be kept for as long as needed to ensure the school is able to process your child's report. You will be notified of any changes to your child's information, such as a new report or a new provider.

Family Links have been developed to enable parents to view their children's information and school reports, but please note that: You can only see reports in which you are the person named in the report. When you use Family Link to view your child's report, your child's privacy settings may be set to 'restricted', which means you can only see reports in which you are the person named in the report. When you are viewing your child's report, you will not be able to make any changes to your child's privacy settings. If your child does not have an account on Family Link, you will be asked to register. The process is simple and will only take a few minutes.

It is important that your child knows how to access and use Family Link. If your child has not registered on Family Link, they can register at Once you've registered, you can create a Family Link for your child and set up your child's Family Link settings.

If your child has already registered on Family Link, you can set up their Family Link settings. If you would like more information about how to use Family Link, visit our Parent Information Page.

I can't see my report. Sometimes it is difficult to see reports that contain sensitive information. You may need to log in again using the email address and password that you used when you created the Family Link.

The link below will allow you to sign in and see your child's report: