More childcare money for at-risk kids

A new childcare package with special assistance for disadvantaged children will be paid for by cutting off parental payments to families with kids over six years old.

Savings earmarked under last year's budget, which tighten access to the family tax benefit, will be used to fund a childcare package widely expected to be unveiled on Mother's Day, this Sunday.

After revealing a nannies subsidy, the federal government announced another part of the package on Friday, targeting disadvantaged children.

The early childhood safety net will include extra subsidies for families and communities to set up childcare facilities, and funding to attract staff to work with special needs children.

Social Services Minister Scott Morrison said it will ensure disadvantaged families have the same choices as those who are better off.

"The programs ... will be doing more lifting to support those children in absolutely deplorable conditions and circumstances," he said.

The family day care sector peak body was relieved the government didn't follow Productivity Commission advice and scrap additional benefits for at-risk children.

But Family Day Care Australia wanted more details about who will be eligible to receive such funding and how they will be able to access it.

Labor cautiously gave its backing but was critical of the decision to tie the funding to family tax benefit cuts, vowing to continue opposing the unlegislated measures in the Senate.

"(This) shouldn't put one group of disadvantaged children against another for funding," families spokeswoman Jenny Macklin said.

But Mr Morrison defended the move, saying he wasn't going to slug taxpayers more to pay for the package.

"We want to use the money that taxpayers have given us better," he said.

Meanwhile, new figures showed a rise in the number of children needing protection.

An extra 8000 children received child protection services between 2013-14 compared to the year before, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found.

One in 37 children were either investigated, under a care and protection order and/or placed in out-of-home care.

Almost three-quarters of all children involved in the child protection system were repeat clients.

WHAT IS IN THE SAFETY NET?

* $409 million for 11,300 child care services to boost staff for special needs children

* $156 million in additional child care subsidy for children at risk of abuse or neglect; short-term funds for families in temporary financial hardship

* $304 million community child care fund for new buildings in areas of high child care demand, disadvantaged communities such as indigenous or rural areas.

WHAT WILL PAY FOR IT:

* Freeze indexation of the maximum rate of Family Tax Benefit Part B (FTB-B) for two years

* Cut FTB end of year supplements to 2004 values and cut indexation

* Cut off families with children over six years of age from FTB-B