It was announced on 20 August that the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) grant funding will be kept as a separate entity and extended for another 2 years to 30 June 2029.

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing will begin consultation this year on a long-term design for a block-funded, entry-level program that:

• is sustainable and better integrated with Support at Home
• ensures fair and equitable contributions to home care costs
• supports early intervention services to reduce system pressures.

Read the open letter HERE about the extension to CHSP from Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler and Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae.

'Module 3: Embedding rights in practice' has been updated to help providers and workers apply the Aged Care Act 2024 in their everyday work.

Complete or revisit Module 3 via:

• eLearning webpage for providers
• eLearning webpage for workers
• the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission's online learning platform.

Updated resources are also available, including:

• supported decision-making materials
• cultural safety guidance
• tools to help you apply rights-based, person-centred care.

We encourage you to share the resources with your staff.

View the training and education catalogue HERE for more learning modules and resources.

New volunteer training resources are available to help providers and volunteer managers deliver flexible training for aged care volunteers.

The resources provide guidance for nationally consistent training and are aligned to the new Aged Care Act.

Explore the resources and share them with your staff.

See the new resources below:

• Supporting Older People: Volunteer Learning Guide
• eLearning modules and other resources on our website and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission's website.

To help strengthen workforce understanding of safeguarding responsibilities, a new Elder Abuse, Safeguarding and Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) in CHSP awareness resource has been developed for workers, volunteers, contractors and associated providers.

This resource provides practical guidance on:

• Recognising different forms of elder abuse, including physical, psychological, financial, sexual abuse, neglect, social and cultural abuse, and coercive control
• Understanding the difference between a concern, an incident, a near miss, and a reportable incident
• Applying a simple worker response framework: Recognise >Respond > Report > Record > Escalate
• Understanding when incidents may require SIRS assessment and notification
• Promoting a trauma aware response: early reporting, effective safeguarding actions and escalation pathways
• Accessing official resources and guidance from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

Access the resource HERE.

Resource developed by Catherine Witney, Senior Advisor Diversity and Inclusion. Reviewed and piloted within Clinical Quality and Governance Teams.

Personal care services for eligible Support at Home participants will be fully funded from 1 October.

This means older people approved for personal care services under Support at Home will no longer pay an out-of-pocket cost for these services.

To prepare for this change, make sure to review your:

• technology systems
• business processes
• participants' care plans, budgets, service agreements and other documents.

We would recommend you consider how this is communicated with clients, as there has been mixed messages regarding "free" personal care services. Whilst there is no client contribution and personal care will be fully funded by government, clients can expect to see charges for these services on their package invoices.

The Department have resources to help you get ready, including a checklist, playbook and stakeholder kit.

Learn more about the personal care contribution change.

From 1 October, Support at Home subsidy rates and some supplements will increase for older people who:

• receive ongoing Support at Home services
• transitioned from a Home Care Package to Support at Home
• receive services under the End-of-Life Pathway and Restorative Care Pathway.

Participants will keep the same classification, but the budget and some supplements will increase.

This will help Support at Home providers with the award wage increase for aged care nurses from 1 August as part of the Fair Work Commission's Aged Care Work Value Case.

To help providers from the start of the latest award wage increase to the next quarterly budget cycle, a slightly higher subsidy amount will be provided from 1 October.

Providers must continue to set reasonable and transparent prices and meet legislative requirements.

Find out more about Funding for Support at Home aged care nurses' award wage increase.

Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland has new resources to help providers deliver inclusive, person-centred care for older people from diverse backgrounds, including:

• Inclusive Activities Guide - meaningful activities that encourage connection, participation and a sense of belonging
• Care in Your Language: A Guide to Interpreting and Translation in Aged Care - guidance on accessing interpreting and translation services to support clear communication, informed decision-making and culturally safe care.

Download the resources HERE.

Trauma-aware care helps aged care workers provide safer, respectful and inclusive support. This 35-minute session, developed by Val’s LGBTI Ageing & Aged Care and Bolton Clarke, explores how past experiences of trauma, discrimination and exclusion can shape the way older people experience care today, with a particular focus on older LGBTI+ people.

The resource has been specifically developed for services and staff working in the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), although anyone working in the aged care sector or supporting older people may benefit from the information.

In this session, you will learn:

• What trauma-aware care means in everyday aged care practice

• How to recognise the impact of past trauma, discrimination and exclusion

• Why trauma awareness matters for older LGBTI+ people and other diverse communities

• How respectful communication, choice, permission and cultural safety can support better care

• How trauma-aware practice aligns with person-centred care, rights-based practice and the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.

Access the resource HERE.

A new toolkit with resources is available to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people access aged care services and support.

The toolkit includes:

• fact sheets
• an aged care checklist
• an aged care journey map
• a community poster
• social media tiles
• stories from community.

Use the toolkit to share aged care information with community members at your service, at events and through your social media accounts, website or newsletter.

Download the toolkit and resources HERE.

Our next Service Provider Network Meeting is scheduled for 3 September 2026: 11am-1pm via Zoom. Please register HERE.

Please refer to agenda HERE.

The Grampians Sector Development team invites you to express your interest to attend a Registration Renewal Readiness Workshop taking place in Ballarat on 10 December 2026 (venue to be advised).

This workshop is for staff involved in leading the registration renewal and audit preparation within their organisation. To ensure you are getting the most out of this session we would suggest ensuring all key staff involved in this process are in attendance. We did send an original invitation to an online session being held on 2 September which is now full however depending on at what stage you are at with your audit you may be interested in attending this session.

The workshop will be delivered by Jennene Buckley and Tash Ewards from Enkindle Consulting.

This workshop will help you understand what’s required, identify the work your organisation needs to complete and develop an action plan you can start using straight away.

The workshop will step you through:

• the renewal application process, timelines, fees and the REN-001 base form
• what commitment, capability and capacity should look like in a response, using the relevant category forms from REN-005 to REN-009
• audit readiness requirements for Category 4 and 5 providers
• how to build a practical registration renewal and audit readiness action plan for your organisation.

Expressions of interest close on 14 September and you will be contacted by our team to confirm registration by the end of September. Please register your interest HERE.

For further information please contact sectordevelopment@bchc.org.au