The Commonwealth Government holds responsibility for both Disability and Aged Care. Local Government, like other providers, has delivered Aged and Disability Services through service contracts with the Commonwealth.
Through a series of recent reforms, the Commonwealth is creating a more consistent national system that provides ‘integrated care’ from entry-level home support through to residential aged care.
The new program, ‘Support at Home’, will replace the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), Home Care Packages (HCP) Program and Short Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme, from July 2023.
A Support at Home Overview Paper is available at yoursay.mildura.vic.gov.au/ADS-update, which provides an overview of the proposed design for the new Program. Preliminary information indicates agencies will register as providers of ‘Support at Home’ in a similar way agencies can register as National Disability Insurance Scheme providers.
Customers can then choose to receive services from the agency of their choice. Council has decided that it cannot provide services under the Support at Home model, for similar reasons it was determined Council could not provide services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
This is a shift being seen across many other local government areas in Victoria where Councils are considering the balance between providing high quality care and value for money for ratepayers and clients. This certainly isn’t a decision that has been taken lightly, but rather in the best interests of both our ratepayers and the valuable Aged and Disability clients we have proudly served over the years.