Agreeing to a Home Care Package

Personal goals are an important part of your care plan. They set out what you would like to achieve through your package and can help guide your selection of care and services. A goal can be something like achieving independence in mobility. Your goals should be linked to your assessment. Your service provider must help you identify your goals and design a care plan to help you reach them.

This is the area of your life where you’ve been assessed as needing extra care and support. Your provider will already have some information about your care needs from your assessment. But you will both review these care needs regularly, discuss your preferences, and make changes as necessary.

Services are subsidised support to help you to stay independent at home for as long as possible. 

The support is provided through a Home Care Package – a coordinated mix of services that can include nursing, personal care, light gardening, cleaning, minor home modifications and allied health services. Find out more about Home Care Packages. 

Your care plan includes the exact care and services that will be provided to meet your goals and needs. It will also cover who will provide the services, when they will be delivered and how often.

You should discuss the possible list of care and services with your provider. If there is a type of service that you feel would best meet your assessed care needs, the provider must do what they can to help you access it if the service is included under the program. This may include sub-contracting services from other organisations. Your provider will still be responsible for your package if this happens.

As it may increase the costs charged to your Home Care Package, any extra costs should be made clear to you before you agree to a subcontracted service.

From 1 January 2023, your provider must not charge a separate amount for third-party services, even if you chose the third-party to provide those services. Your provider must agree on an all-inclusive price with you before starting services or purchasing any goods. You should look at service costs, care management and package management charges when considering the prices listed by your provider.

Your care plan should outline your provider’s approach to care management. Some providers offer the option for you to be involved in the management of your Home Care Package. Your provider will discuss these options with you and the care plan will outline the level of involvement you’ve chosen to have.

Care management is a service providers must deliver to you even if you choose to self-manage. Self-management means you are more actively involved in your care planning. This will look different for everyone. Your provider may decrease their care management charges depending on how involved you are in your care planning. This must be negotiated with your provider.

Your provider is still responsible for meeting the requirements of the program even if you choose to self-manage. This includes checking the quality of care workers.

To provide care management, your provider must:

• regularly assess your needs, goals and preferences 
• review your home care agreement and care plan
• ensure your care and services align with other supports
• partner with you and your family or carers about your care
• ensure your care and services are culturally safe
• identify and address risks to your safety, health and well-being. 

From 1 January 2023, your provider must not charge more than 20% of the package level for care management. 

For more information on care management see our Connecting with service providers page.

Package management is the range of administrative organisational activities associated with ensuring the quality, smooth delivery and management of a Home Care Package such as:

• establishing and managing home care budgets
• coordinating and scheduling services and workers
• preparing invoices and monthly statements
• fulfilling compliance, regulatory and assurance activities.

From 1 January 2023, your provider must not charge more than 15% of the package level for package management.

You are encouraged to work with your provider to make the best use of your package by fully using the package budget to meet your assessed care needs and goals. Any funds not used in a month are known as unspent funds. Unspent funds are generally held in your Home Care Account set up by Services Australia.

You may choose to set aside a small part of your package funds for a planned future event, such as the cost of respite when your carer goes away or purchasing equipment.

Your monthly statement of available funds should include funds from the previous month that have not been spent. These unspent funds must be held by your provider or Services Australia and can be used as part of your package over time, including if your care needs change.

If you change providers, your existing provider has 70 days to finalise invoices and submit claims to Services Australia before any unspent funds are transferred to your new provider. In the meantime, your new provider can use your existing monthly subsidy to cover the costs of your care and services.

If you leave care, you must return within 70 days. Otherwise, your unspent funds will be returned to the Australian Government.

Your package budget can’t change without your knowledge. Your provider can review the budget and make changes with your agreement if: 

• changes are made to your care plan
• the provider’s costs change
• you request a review of your package budget.

Staff travel is a common charge. It covers some of a provider’s costs for a staff member who travels between your home, their office and/or home to provide care and services. This can include things like care management, nursing and garden maintenance.

Staff travel is different from transport or social services costs. In these situations a staff member travels with you to appointments or events.

Providers must:

• publish staff travel prices on their listing in the Find a provider tool
• include any staff travel costs in your home care agreement, monthly statements and pricing schedules.