Agreeing to Support at Home services

You will be provided with a list of the services that will be provided to you through the Support at Home program to meet your assessed needs, and a pricing schedule.

Find out more about Support at Home. 

Your quarterly budget sets out your total funding based on your Support at Home classification. It breaks down how the funds will be spent. For ongoing Support at Home services, the funding is split into 4 quarterly budgets that each cover 3 months of the year.  

Your quarterly budget is made up of:

• funding from the Australian Government  
• your contributions (where applicable).

If you receive ongoing services, 10% of your quarterly budget will go towards care management.

The service agreement will set out information about the contributions framework and how contributions are paid.

Find out more about Support at Home costs and contributions and managing your budget.

You and your provider enter into a service agreement as equal partners. You have rights and responsibilities to help you manage this partnership.

Your provider must give you a copy of the Code of Conduct for Aged Care and the Statement of Rights, which sets out the expectations for you and your provider.

Find out more about your rights and responsibilities and what to do if you have concerns about your care. 

Your provider is responsible for establishing and managing how your contributions are collected. It can be flexible and may occur weekly, fortnightly or monthly, or at any other time as agreed with you. Unless you have a full fee reduction supplement, your provider will be the one who collects them.

How your contributions are collected and paid for will be outlined in your service agreement. 

While your service agreement focusses on prices, terms and conditions of service, your care plan centres around your needs and choices. It formalises your choice and control over your services.

You and your provider must develop your care plan before or on the day you start care from your provider. It includes:

• the goals of your care and how these goals will be met
• how you would prefer your services to be delivered, such as:  
  • the gender of care workers
  • preferred days and times
  • cultural preferences.
• the type of services that will be delivered
• when services are delivered and how often
• a summary of any assistive technology and home modifications you may receive (or are already receiving) and their costs (if applicable)
• any extra information or considerations about your care, such as being culturally safe or trauma-informed.

If you have a carer or registered supporter, they can be involved in the development of your care plan. If your needs, goals, preferences, or situation change at a later point, your care plan will be updated. You can request changes at any time. 

You can get help from an aged care advocate to develop your agreement with your provider. Through the National Aged Care Advocacy Program, the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) provides free, confidential and independent information and support to older people seeking or receiving government-funded aged care as well as their families of choice or other supporters.

OPAN’s aged care advocates can help you to understand and exercise your aged care rights, find aged care services that meet your needs, and resolve issues with your government-funded aged care provider.

If you have questions or concerns, you can speak to an aged care advocate by calling the Aged Care Advocacy Line on 1800 700 600 to be connected with the aged care advocacy organisation in your state or territory. You can find out more by visiting the Older Persons Advocacy Network website.

It’s important that you understand what you are signing. If you need a translator or interpreter, you can call TIS National on 131 450. Tell the operator the language you speak and ask the interpreter to call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.  

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interpreting services, call my Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask for an interpreter.

For a sign language interpreter, contact us through the National Relay Service (NRS) by selecting your preferred channel on the NRS website and then ask the operator to call us on 1800 200 422.