Support at Home
The Australian Government is reforming in-home aged care by introducing Support at Home.
Support at Home will bring together current in-home aged care programs to ensure a simpler and more equitable system for older people that helps them stay at home for longer.
Support at Home will ensure improved access to services, equipment and home modifications to help older people remain healthy, active, and socially connected to their community.
From 1 July 2025, the new Support at Home program will replace Home Care Packages.
Current Home Care Packages will transition to Support at Home at their current service levels.
From no earlier than 1 July 2027, the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) will transition to Support at Home.
The Australian Government has developed resources, including letters to older Australians impacted, outlining the changes here.
From 1 July 2025, each participant will have a single Support at Home service provider, who will be responsible for ensuring the participant receives the services that meet their needs.
Support at Home will have a defined service list, which outlines the services that participants can access under Support at Home.
Support at Home will continue to utilise the Single Assessment System. When an older person is assessed into Support at Home, they will receive a notice of decision with an individual support plan to share with their provider. This contains:
- A summary of their aged care needs and goals
- A classification with an associated ongoing quarterly budget; and/or
- An approval for short term supports, which may include a budget for assistive technology, home modifications, restorative care pathway, or end-of-life pathway.
Support at Home will have 8 classifications for ongoing services, with each classification having a budget for participants to access services. More details of the indicative budgets for each classification level is available here.
Participants for Support at Home will make contributions to their care needs, in line with the recommendations made by the Aged Care Taskforce.
Participant contributions will be set at a rate per hour at a set percentage for each service type. The rate will be determined based on the type of service received as well as the participant's age pension status. More details of participant contributions can be found here.
CatholicCare & Support at Home
Since the changes to the Aged Care Act and Aged Care Standards were announced, CatholicCare has been working diligently to ensure that we are ready for the changes when they are enforced from 1 July 2025.
Your Support Facilitator will be in contact with you to discuss what these changes mean for you. They will:
- Create a new quarterly budget for your funding based on the updated pricing
- Complete a new Service Agreement in line with the updated Aged Care Act
- Review and update your Care Plan to ensure all supports are captured
- Place any necessary referrals to our Clinical Team to ensure we continue to provide you with the services you need to remain at home
We understand that change can be challenging, but please know that we are here to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us on 02 4211 6103 or via the form below.