Questions and Answers for Service Providers and Celebrants
What is the Stronger Relationships Trial?
The Stronger Relationships trialaims to help couples build and maintain healthy, mutually satisfying relationships by providing them with a $200 subsidy for relationship education and counselling.
Up to 100,000 couples in a committed relationship, including engaged, married,de-facto and same-sex couples, can participate in the trial.
Why is the Australian Government funding relationship education and counselling?
By strengthening relationships at the outset, and curbing family breakdown, the Government aims to help couples to achieve a greater degree of stability and thereby a better environment for their children.
Relationship and family breakdown also place significant economic burden on the nationwith direct government service costs estimated at around $3 billion each year.
The Government is committed to early intervention responses, such as those under the Stronger Relationshipstrial, to prevent future personal, social and economic costs of relationship and family breakdown.
When does the trial start?
The Stronger Relationships trialruns for 12 months from 1 July 2014.
How can service providers participate in the trial?
It’s easy for service providers to participate in the Stronger Relationshipstrial. They just need to check that they meet the eligibility criteria and, if they do, apply online at
To be eligible, providers must be either:
- an existing Family and Relationship Services Provider under the former Family Support Program, or
- a not-for-profit provider who already provides education and/or counselling to at least 100 couples per year.
Applications from not-for-profit providers open from 19 June.
In addition, all educators and counsellors of not-for-profit providers must possess current membership to a recognised professional association. Details of the recognised professional associations are available in the Stronger RelationshipOperationalGuidelines, at
Once approved, service providers will be listed on the Stronger Relationships Panel, published at
When can service providers apply to participate in the Stronger Relationships trial?
Service providers can apply to participate in the trial at any time until 31 March 2015 via
What is the Stronger Relationships Panel?
The Stronger Relationships Panel is the list of approved providers that are participating in the Stronger Relationships trial.
Only those listed on the panel can provide relationship education and counselling to couples who have registered for the trial and receive a $200 reimbursement per couple for the services they have delivered.
What information is published on the Stronger Relationships Panel?
The Stronger Relationships Panel contains basic information about each approved providerto enable couples to decide which one they wish to make an appointment with. The information includes location, contact details and types of services available.
What happens after a service provider is listed on the Stronger Relationships Panel?
Once listed on the Stronger Relationships Panel, the approved provider can accept appointments with couples who have registered for the trial and seek a $200 rebate per couple for the services they have provided.
Can a service provider help couples to register?
Service providers may offer assistance to couples to complete the eligibility assessment, register and receive a valid reference number on the Stronger Relationships trial website.
How many hours of relationship education or counselling does the $200 subsidy cover?
Approvedproviders will be expected to deliver a minimum number of contact hours in exchange for the $200 rebate from the Government. For additional information on minimum hours, refer to the Stronger Relationships trial Operational Guidelines.
The approved provider will need to make an assessment as to which service is most appropriate for the couple and some couples may require a mix of services.
How much should service providers charge?
Approved providers should charge according to the fee structurethey listed on the Panel application form.
The $200 subsidy is intended to be a contribution towards the services and couples are expected to pay any difference. Approved providers should discuss fees with the couple on first contact.
When can the $200 government reimbursement be claimed?
Approvedproviders can claim a $200 reimbursement when the couple’seducation and/or counselling program has been completed.
Only one claim can be made per couple and all claims must be submitted within a month of delivering the service and by 30 June 2015.
How is the $200 government reimbursement claimed?
Approvedproviders canclaim the $200 reimbursement from the Department of Social Services for each registered couple at the end of each month through the Department’s simple online financial management system (FOFMS).Providers will be sent via email information on how to access FOFMS.
How many $200 subsidies can an approved provider claim?
There is no limit as to how many subsidies each approved provider can claim, however only one subsidy can be claimed per couple.
The Department of Social Services may check with the couple and also contact approved providersto verify the services were provided.
What information do approved providers need to provide when making a claim?
Approved providers need to provide the couple’s subsidy reference number, basic information about the couple, a description of the services provided and the total value of the services provided.
What information is available to support service providers during the trial?
All approvedproviders listed on the Stronger Relationships Panel will be provided with a free information kit to assist them in their role. The kit will include information materials they can distribute to couples, promotional materials for inclusion on their website or newsletters, and instructions about how to claim the $200 reimbursement.
Providers on the Stronger Relationships Panel will also be communicated with regularly during the trial period, so they can help with managing service expectations.
Where can service providers and celebrants find out more about the trial?
For more information about the Stronger Relationships trial, or to register, please go to