Newsletter May 2025

To respond to the needs of those working in the industry, CDCS has a range of blog posts on our website and videos that are freely available on our YouTube channel.

You can use any of our YouTube videos for your staff training and feel free to embed the videos in any of your training resources.

New Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner appointed

Liz Hefren-Webb has been appointed as the new Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner.

Prior to joining the Commission, Liz was the Deputy Secretary Social Policy in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C). This role included leading the Aged Care Review Taskforce and working with agencies on aged care reforms.

Liz has led social policy initiatives across the Commonwealth for almost 30 years.

Aged Care Ministerial changes

Key changes have occurred since the recent federal election, with Minister Mark Butler now heading up a broader portfolio of ‘Health and Aged Care and NDIS'.

Victorian MP Sam Rae is the new Minister for ‘Aged Care & Seniors' and will be supported by Assistant Minister Rebecca White.  These roles and the portfolio are now below the main cabinet level, which appears to be a backward step. However, aged care, health and disability are now under one Minister (Mark Butler) so it remains to be seen if this consolidation will lead to better outcomes.

2024-25 ACFR User Guide and Frequently Asked Questions

This guide is designed to help approved providers (providers) of residential aged care, home care, multi-purpose services (MPS), and short-term restorative care (STRC) complete their Aged Care Financial Report (ACFR).

2024–25 ACFR Non-uploadable template

This non-uploadable template will support providers in completing their ACFR 2024-25.

Advocacy support resource for older people

A two page document that outlines advocacy options for older people. This resource may be useful to add to your client intake pack.

Process for management of complaints

This document outlines the proposed process for managing complaints under the new Aged Care Act. It is to help support submissions in response to Stage 4b of the Aged Care Rules.

Elder Care Support Providers list

The Department has released an up to date list of Elder Care Support providers. The Elder Care Support program is building a workforce to help older First Nations people, their families and carers, to access aged care services to meet their physical and cultural needs.

Quality Standards Resource Centre

The ACQSC has established a resource hub. The resource centre provides access to a range of resources, bringing together resources from across the sector to extend understanding of the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.

Registered Supporters

Regular and authorised representatives listed in My Aged Care who are active on 30 June will be known as ‘registered supporters’ from 1 July 2025.

The registered supporter role aims to promote older people’s right to be supported to make their own decisions. Registered supporters help older people to make and communicate their own decisions about aged care. This includes speaking to My Aged Care and making daily decisions about their aged care services and needs. They can also request, access and receive information about the older person they support.

The My Aged Care website outlines the changes to support roles and relationships.

Provider registration and the new regulatory model under the new Aged Care Act

This video from the Department is about provider registration and the new regulatory model. It is the first video in a series that introduces key features of the regulatory model under the New Age Care Act. The video series will help aged care providers prepare for the changes coming to aged care from 1st July 2025.

Becoming a Registered Provider – video

The ACQSC have released a video outlining the process of becoming a registered provider from 1 July 2025, when the new Aged Care Act starts. It also includes what to expect when renewing your registration.

New First Nations Resource Hub

The ACQSC have decided to retire the Storyboards developed in collaboration with CDCS. This isn’t because they were not well received but because the ACQSC have decided to take a new direction and the current storyboards didn’t align with the branding and approach.

We are disappointed as we know many of you used them to educate your staff and clients however we respect the Commission’s decision.

We encourage you to check out the new resource hub for First Nations audiences.

See the department website for any updates.

! Support at Home Provider Training !

The Department has set up a self-paced training page with specific modules that provide clear information and steps to help you and your team operationalise for July 1. Click on ‘Support at Home Training‘ to access the learning packages.

‘Learning Package 1' provides a broad overview of the program with clear summaries—great for staff or governing body education.

Learning Package 2 has modules on:

• Service agreements, care plans & participant budgets
• Care management
• Claiming & payment arrangements
• Helpful resources (and more)

Users can download PDF versions for offline access, and PowerPoint versions can be requested to help with internal presentations or team training.

You can also embed the training modules in your organisation's Learning Management System (LMS). To get access, email the Department.

Support at Home resources

The Department of Health and Aged Care have updated the Support at Home Manual ; and

Released a new Support at Home user guide. This will help in-home care providers submit claims through Services Australia’s Aged Care Provider Portal from 1 July.

To prepare for Support at Home, this guide explains how to:

• Register and access the portal
• View participant budgets
• Submit a claim
• Upload invoices

New FAQs for providers and older people

New FAQ documents have been released for Support at Home:

• for providers; and
• for older people.

New Support at Home Checklists and Booklets for older people

The following information may be helpful to have on hand for home care recipients – the Department is promoting them with the letters they have sent to older people currently on home care packages:

• Checklist for HCP care recipients transitioning to Support at Home.
• Support at Home program booklet for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and carers.
• Support at Home program booklet for older people, families and carers.

! Letters have been sent to HCP care recipients!

Last week the Department commenced mail outs to current HCP recipients. One version was for older people who have had a package approved before 12 September 2024 (grandfathered clients); and one for people who had a HCP approved after this key date.

Providers must initiate their communication strategy with HCP clients if they have not done so already. Relying solely on formal letters and checklists, which many older people may find difficult to understand, is not enough.  Getting on the front foot with clear communication will help reduce complaints and make it a smoother transition for everyone.

If you or your team need help with resources or a communication strategy > contact us here.

Submit a Support at Home claim – Infographic

This is a step-by-step guide on how to complete claims for the Support at Home program using the Services Australia Aged Care Provider Portal (ACPP) from 1 July 2025.

Support at Home monthly statement template

A Support at Home monthly statement template example has also been released. This document is an example of the monthly statement that providers will send to their participants under the Support at Home program.

Providers’ templates may look different but the example gives providers an idea of what information is expected to be provided to participants.

Support at Home Service Price list

With the start of the Support at Home program on 1 July 2025 coming up very fast
providers should have developed an updated pricelist for services that reflect the entire cost of delivering that service, including package management, labour costs, transport, etc.
If you’re still working on this, the Department has resources on their website which may help if you need some guidance.

The new regulatory model – Guidance for CHSP providers

This document provides guidance for Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) providers about the new regulatory model.

Data Exchange toolkit – stage one

The Department has released a DEX provider ‘toolkit’ The toolkit steps out the IT and system changes and requirements needed for 1 July 2025.

Data Exchange Dictionary

The Data Exchange Dictionary (Data Dictionary) assists CHSP service providers to enter data into the Data Exchange (DEX).

Allied health quality indicators – Frequently asked questions and answers

This document details a range of frequently asked questions and answers to support residential aged care providers to understand and meet the requirements of the allied health quality indicators.

Virtual nursing in residential care

The Department of Health and Aged Care are trialling using virtual nursing services in residential care.

The virtual nursing in aged care project will test a new framework for the delivery of virtual nursing services in aged care.

Amplar Health have been funded to deliver virtual nursing services to 30 selected residential aged care homes until 30 June 2027.

The project will focus on supporting residential aged care providers who are:

• experiencing workforce shortages
• located in rural and remote areas
• supporting First Nations or culturally and linguistically diverse older people.

Virtual nursing may support providers with:

• clinical decision-making
• care planning
• protocol management

La Trobe University are being funded to evaluate the project.

Winter Preparedness Letter

The ACQSC is concerned over the low rates of COVID vaccination. Residential providers should have received a letter from the ACQSC relating to preparing their facilities and residents for the upcoming colder weather and flu season.

If you haven't subscribed for Department updates, you can do so by clicking here to subscribe.

If you’re not already signed up, we recommend clicking through and signing up for the Commission’s valuable newsletter.

If you have others in your team who would benefit from our monthly aged care roundup for busy people – they can sign up here.

ACQSC National Aged Care Provider Conference (29-30 July 2025)

Online registration (in person now fully subscribed)

A national event aimed at engaging with aged care providers we navigate the changes to rights and regulation in aged care under the new Aged Care Act.

New Aged Care Regulatory Model – webinar slides

The presentation slides from the New aged care regulatory model – provider obligations and rules webinar held on the 8th of May, 2025 are now available.

Ongoing workshops provided by the ACQ&SC

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission develops a range of educational resources and workshops for aged care providers, in-home services and residential services that assist in understanding what compliance looks like.

You can find these courses listed on the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s website under the Education tab.

For more information on any of these grants, refer to the GrantConnect website.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Assessment Organisation – upcoming opportunity

The Department of Health and Aged Care are finalising plans for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander assessment organisations and will begin a phased rollout from 1 July.

They are encouraging organisations interested in becoming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander assessment organisations to monitor AusTender. A request for tender will open in the coming weeks.

Palliative Care and Advanced Care Planning Processes and Capacity grant

The End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) project is calling for expressions of interest from aged care providers who wish to strengthen their palliative care and advance care planning processes and capacity.

Participating services may be eligible to receive an administrative grant of up to $20,000 to support engagement in program activities.

SDAP – Services Development Assistance Panel

Don’t forget, if you are an aged care provider (residential or community care) operating in rural or remote locations, you may be eligible for support through the Service Development Assistance Panel (SDAP).

CDCS has been a panel member since the inception of this program in 2010 and has supported over 40 aged care services with compliance, business development, training and resource development.

Get an idea of what can be done with SDAP.

Further information is available on the Department’s website, including the application form, or by emailing sdap@health.gov.au.

NOTE: If you have a position that you would like us to promote, please hit ‘reply’ to this email so we can include it in the next newsletter and/or post on our Facebook page: CDCS – Culturally Directed Care Solutions.

Below is a list of the updated policies, procedures, and other helpful resources in the last month. We're committed to helping your organisation meet compliance and deliver quality outcomes.

If you’re looking for comprehensive, industry-specific policies, procedures, and work instructions that have been used successfully by dozens of aged care providers, helping them to pass quality reviews easily and stay compliant, then take a look at the Total Quality Package.

Keep an eye out for exciting updates coming, including a new Standards Matrix and updated suite of policies and procedures to align with the new Quality Standards, Aged Care Act, regulatory framework, and program changes. These will be released in mid-June.

TQP Live Training & Replays

TQP Members get complimentary access to regular LIVE training and education sessions. These are aimed at the coordination and management level and address trending issues and topics. Recordings are available in the TQP to revisit whenever you need – just like having your very own ‘Aged Care Netflix!’

We hope you have found this edition helpful; feel free to share it with others who may be interested. If you have any feedback or questions, please let us know by emailing us at info@cdcs.com.au.

Please get in contact with us if you need support and we’ll catch up with you again next month.

Donna, Carrie & the CDCS Team