Home Care Workforce Support program

The Home Care Workforce Support program will provide funding over two years from 2021-22 for targeted support to assist the aged care sector to increase the size of the personal care workforce.  

Through a consortium arrangement, the Human Services Skills Organisation will support the rollout of the program in Victoria and Tasmania. Funding is allocated proportionality based on forecast demand within states and territories.   

Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) will lead the consortium.  The HSSO is joined by PowerHouse Hub and MEGT. 

Locations 

The consortium will provide the Home Care Workforce Support program in the following locations: 

• Victoria 
• Tasmania  

For information about the provision of the Home Care Workforce Support program in other states and territories, please visit the Australian Government website.  

If you are a home care provider in Victoria or Tasmania, visit the Home Care Careers site for more information.  

Our role in the consortium

We will lead a team of sourcing and training specialists in Victoria and Tasmania to find new workers suited to the industry, build their capability, and enhance the skills of existing workers.  

We will be working in close partnership with home care providers to access talent from employment services and education and training providers. 

The consortium approach

Together, the consortium will work together to deliver the four main components of the program—attract, support, retain, and capability.  

Attract

Making sure we attract the right people to the right jobs, right now will be critical to making sure we have a workforce capable of supporting our needs in the future. We will: 

• Leverage existing government-funded marketing campaigns and develop new, complementary material at a state, regional and local level to extend the length of time messaging about the sector is in market  
• Engage with Home Care Providers through field and sourcing staff, to understand talent requirements  
• Use our networks with registered training organisations and group training organisations to access graduates looking for work in the sector 
• Engage with schools, universities, employment services, and other stakeholders to promote opportunities, source talent 
• Direct candidates and employers to the Talent Community ecosystem and make connections 

Support 

To provide support to the personal care workforce we will: 

• Facilitate the ability to post and respond to jobs through the Talent Community ecosystem 
• Provide a point-of-contact for providers and individuals to contact with enquiries 
• Use technology to undertake initial screening of compliance, suitability, and behavioural assessments, with a referral program for individuals that require additional training or support 
• Develop a mandatory general industry induction that prepares individuals for employment 
• Enable direct engagement between employers and individuals 

Retain 

Retention is a major workforce concern for the sector.  Through the program, we will support retention in the sector by: 

• Building resources to support home care providers improve their reputation as an employer of choice 
• Using data insights to improve the application, matching, and onboarding process 
• Developing an incentive for new entrant retention and a leadership scholarship program for new leaders 
• Supporting the onboarding of new talent, ensuring the work is evidence-based by engaging a university delivery partner to undertake research 
• Offering a selection of specialised accredited and non-accredited training options to support continuing professional development  
• Developing an employer mentoring program to mentor/support successful onboarding of new entrants 

Capability 

Ongoing capability in the sector is a core requirement.  To support individuals and home care employers build their capability we will: 

• Support providers to use contemporary sourcing strategies on an ongoing basis to create a sustainable pipeline of candidates 
• Support providers develop a culture of continuing professional development 
• Establish standards for job-ready employees and pathways for their development 
• Provide access to recognition of prior learning (RPL) options and facilitate connections to government funding 
• Explore and establish a home care vocational education and training (VET) in schools program, and a mature age traineeship program 
• Provide live data reporting capability to the sector to make evidence-based decisions  

The Home Care Workforce Support Program is a $91.8 million initiative of the Australian Government aimed at strengthening the personal care workforce, and helping older people live at home for longer. For more information about the initiative visit the Department of Health website.   

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When will the program commence? 

We will commence activity this financial year. For updates make sure you sign-up to our project updates. 

Is the program available in other states and territories? 

Yes.  There are a number of providers delivering the Australian Government’s Home Care Workforce Support program.  The HSSO will work as part of a consortium to deliver the program in Victoria and Tasmania.  If you are interested in who is delivering in another state or territory you can visit the Australian Government website.  

How much money has been allocated to the program?  

Funding is allocated proportionality based on forecast demand within states and territories.  The program will see $21 million injected in the sector in Victoria and $2 million in Tasmania.  

I’m a home care provider in Tasmania or Victoria, how do I get involved? 

Sign-up to our project updates so we can keep you informed as the project rolls-out. 

I would like to get involved in the project as an employee, will you be advertising? 

Great, we’d love to hear from you.  As the project rolls out, we will be advertising positions on SEEK and through or partner newsletters.  

Who is Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) and what is their role in the consortium? 

ACCPA is the peak body for the aged care and community services sector.  ACCPA exists to support an equitable and just aged care sector that Australians can trust to offer quality of life, choice, and accessibility. ACCPA will lead the consortium activity, lead the development of attraction activities including marketing campaigns, and support home care providers with engagement and retention. Visit accpa.asn.au for more information. 

Who is PowerHouse Hub and what is their role in the consortium? 

PowerHouse Hub is a leading workforce management software company. Powerhouse Workforce builds customised online Talent Communities with targeted Talent Pools to find, profile, select, develop, and retain suitable talent. PowerHouse Hub is committed to enabling career pathways for people, with digital IDs that validate their job skills, compliance, and experience.  PowerHouse Hub will provide the technology solution that will connect individuals and employers.  The solution will provide automatic compliance checking and matching and more that will make it easier for home care providers. Visit https://www.powerhouseworkforce.com/ for more information. 

Who is MEGT and what is their role in the consortium? 

MEGT is a not-for-profit organisation which has been supporting employers, apprentices, trainees, job seekers and students for almost 40 years. Visit www.megt.com.au for more information.