In 2023, HSSO was invited to take part in the $8m, three-year Elder Care Support (ECS) Program (formerly known as Trusted Indigenous Facilitators), launched by the Australian Government under the management of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
The Elder Care Support program was designed to build a workforce that helps older First Nations people, their families, and carers access aged care services to meet their physical and cultural needs.
The program created new roles, such as Elder Care Support Coordinators and Connectors, who work within communities to provide support, assistance, and advocacy services. The initial target is to recruit 250 staff nationally, and in June 2024, NACCHO reported that demand to participate in ECS remains strong and applications far exceeded the 250 FTE positions available. In addition, DHAC data reveals that, at the end of June 2024, around 350 eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were being supported by the new ECS workforce and connected to services via My Aged Care.
The HSSO were engaged as NACCHO’s partner to develop a training framework and training and assessment resources that will help take the skills, knowledge and experience that the ECS Coordinators and Connectors will develop during their employment and ensure that they have these skills recognised through the issuance of nationally recognised statements of attainment.
Building on the resources developed for the Aboriginal Health Worker and Practitioner resource project, the HSSO identified and took the relevant units of competency from these qualifications and contextualised them to the Elder Care Support context and developed a training and assessment resources suite (Student, Assessor, Mapping Guides and T&A Strategy) for 7 units of competency for delivery by ACCHRTO’s.
About NACCHO
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) is the national leadership body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in Australia. The organisation provides advice and guidance to the Australian Government on policy and budget matters while advocating for community-developed health solutions that contribute to the quality of life and improved health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Today, NACCHO represents 146 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) that operate in over 300 clinics across Australia, delivering holistic, comprehensive and culturally competent primary health care services. These ACCHOs are initiated and operated by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The sector is the largest employer of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia, with well over half of its 6,000 staff being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.