Recruiting an aged care workforce for the future

SSI was one of six organisations chosen by the federal government to grow, upskill and support Australia’s home care workers to ensure senior Australians can access the care they need to remain independent at home.

The Department of Health and Aged Care (DOHAC) has notified us that the Home Care Workforce Support Program (HCWSP) will end across all States and Territories on 30 June 2024. A revised program will launch in late 2024 with a focus on regional, rural and remote areas.

SSI is proud of what this program has achieved across New South Wales and the ACT and deeply values the relationships built with our industry providers and partners. We are focused on sustaining the program’s impact and are working closely with the industry and government in this process.

We remain committed to working in the aged care sector to meet the needs of Australia’s seniors, both today and into the future.

Our Home Care Staffing Support initiative helps eligible Home Care Providers in NSW and the ACT boost their team in an easier, faster and more affordable way.

We have joined forces with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) registered platform Hireup to connect Home Care Providers with Hireup’s thousands of trained and verified support workers.

Eligible Home Care Providers will receive a subsidy from SSI to cover 50 per cent of the wages of casual workers hired through this initiative.

The Home Care Staffing Support rebate will be available for eligible home care providers until 28 June 2024 for hiring workers via Hireup who are registered participants of HCWSP. This means the 50% wage subsidy only applies to staff who registered for HCWSP before 31 March 2024.

As part of delivering the HCWSP, we have developed an industry-first initiative that intends to bring a standardisation tool to the care sector – the Care Career Passport.

The document provides tangible evidence of a candidate’s career milestones consolidated in one place.

Throughout the duration of the program, we sent out over 4000 Care Career Passports to workers in the industry.

During our initial engagements with communities, it became clear there were no tangible resources to assist and develop those seeking a career in home care.  We saw this gap and worked closely with industry professionals to create the Care Career Roadmap. The roadmap provides a clear pathway for career progression and highlights complementary roles and their requirements.

There are many jobs that a career in home care can open up to, such as:

• Nursing
• Occupational therapy
• Allied health
• Speech pathology
• Paramedic roles
• Medical officer roles
• Counselling roles
• Geriatrics.

The cultural diversity of Australian seniors and personal care workers continues to grow.

The feedback we received from the industry was that there was a need for practical training directly addressing the real-world cultural challenges faced by workers. We created the Culturally Responsive Support e-module to meet this need. This training program aimed to unlock the proven benefits of a person-centred approach for Australia’s ageing population by significantly raising the skill level of direct care workers in interacting with culturally diverse seniors. In doing so, reducing the barriers for seniors accessing healthcare increases customer satisfaction and business performance for aged care providers, and improves retention of direct care workers within the short-staffed industry.

The Culturally Responsive Support Module contains 7 short modules that can be completed anywhere on a laptop or mobile device.

• Caring for people from culturally diverse backgrounds
• Culturally responsive support
• What is culture?
• Communication
• Getting to know your client
• Understanding trauma
• Looking after yourself

Our team supported participants throughout their home care career journey with a carefully curated range of training opportunities.

Created by SSI Training and Education our new worker essentials modules covered a range of topics including:

• Maintaining a Healthy Body
• Culturally Responsive Support
• Skills Needed in Aged Care
• Collaborating with a Client
• Aged Care Code of Conduct

In addition, we partnered with EQUIP to deliver the EQUIP Aged Care Learning Packages. Developed by the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre these entry-level modules have been carefully curated to give the foundational knowledge to lay the path for a successful career in homecare and boost employability.

Topics included:

• Aged Care Code of Conduct
• Person-centred care
• Exploring the role of nurses, personal care workers and allied health professionals working in aged care
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness.

Through partnerships with Registered Training Organisations across NSW and ACT, we were also able to offer accredited training for career advancement. Courses we assisted with included:

• Certificate 3 in Individual Support (Ageing)
• Certificate 4 in Ageing Support
• Certificates 3 and 4 in Allied Health Assistance
• Certificate 3 in Health Services Assistance
• Diploma of Nursing
• First Aid

Our case studies show firsthand perspectives of the impact and benefits of the HCWSP. Ranging from care workers to case managers, each person’s story offers a unique insight into the aged care sector.

Support for Aged Care Providers – Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (DOHAC)

Resources for Providers (Aged Care Commission)

Aged Care Business and Workforce Advisory Service

The Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA)