How Home Care Packages work
The Home Care Package (HCP) program provides four levels of support at home (Level 1, 2, 3 and 4) and is the fastest growing component of the aged care system.
Learn more about Home Care Packages in Australia.
Why self-manage
Greater choice and control, more hours and better value
Just because you need some assistance with day-to-day things, doesn’t mean you have to give up your independence or control over your life decisions. When you choose to self-manage your Home Care Package, you choose to stay in charge.
Choose the support services you want
You are in the best position to know what kind of services and assistance you need. Self-management lets you prioritise what’s important for you to continue to live independently at home and in your community.
Choose who supports you and when
You want to feel comfortable with the people who come to your home. Perhaps you need them to speak your language or understand your interests. Self-management lets you choose the people who will work best for you. You arrange with them directly the times and days that work best.
Agree how much you pay for support
With a traditional provider-managed Home Care Package, the provider determines the hourly rate you are charged for support. Self-management lets you agree on a rate of pay directly with the people who support you.
Admin fees and overheads charged by traditional providers can eat up a huge proportion of the overall package. By self-managing your Home Care Package, you could get more hours of support.
Build long-term support relationships
Build good personal connections with your support team. When you self-manage and choose the people in your support team, you get support that’s consistent and reliable.
Click here to watch out how others are self-managing their Home Care Package with Mable
Learn how others are self-managing their Home Care Package with Mable
Learn how others are self-managing their Home Care Package with Mable
What is self-management
Everyone who receives a government funded Home Care Package has the option to ‘self-manage’ it.
Self-managing your Home Care Package means you make most of your own choices about how your money is used to best meet your needs. That includes choosing the people who support you, what they do and when.
The story of self-management
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The story of self-management
Changes from February 2017 saw HCP funding allocated to the individual, rather than to the aged care provider; and HCPs becoming fully portable. It meant that, armed with their funding allocation, people could really ‘shop around’ and, for the first time, they had the option to exercise ‘self-management’ of their package if they desired.
How is self-management different?
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How is self-management different?
Self-management gives you the power to make your own decisions around the services you need. For a start, you can choose and engage your own service providers and health professionals directly to suit your particular needs. You might want someone who:
- lives nearby and knows your neighbourhood
- who speaks your language;
- shares your interests
- can meet your scheduling requirements, or
- any other preferences you might have.
What support and assistance do I need?
How much does it cost?
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How much does it cost?
A big positive for those who choose to self-manage their HCP is potentially substantial savings on administration fees. The high cost of fees charged by package providers – on average 35 per cent, but in some cases over 50 per cent for administration and case management - has been another consistent theme for complaints about HCPs and one of the focuses of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
There are various approved Home Care Package providers who offer genuine self-management such as HomeMade Support , Trilogy Care and Just Home Care Packages . Their administration fees are typically around 15 per cent, which is substantially lower than most traditional package providers
The cost of care is generally another positive when choosing self-management. Rather than pay a marked-up hourly rate to the provider - with only a fraction going to the actual person providing the care - you can negotiate rates of pay directly, knowing the full amount will go to the worker themselves and their associated costs.
How do I find the right people to support me?
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How do I find the right people to support me?
When you self-manage, you get to choose who comes to your home to assist you with your needs. Perhaps you need them to speak your language or understand your interests. Self-management lets you choose the people who will work best for you.
On the Mable platform, you can search for independent support workers by location, services provided, qualifications, languages spoken, culture and more. You speak with support workers directly to arrange services on the days and times that work best for you.
Is self-management a good choice for me?
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Is self-management a good choice for me?
With self-management, you need to consider the time and work involved for you or your family member to be in full control - finding, interviewing, engaging and managing people in your support team, including discussing and agreeing on pay rates and other arrangements.
It also helps to have some understanding of the healthcare system, to be comfortable with understanding financial statements and managing budgets. For many older Australians and their representatives, none of these things are barriers – it’s what they might have done all their lives - but they are important factors to bear in mind when considering the self-management option.
How self-management works
Get your government-approved Home Care Package
First, you need to be assessed by the Aged Care Assessment Team from My Aged Care and be approved for a government-subsidised Home Care Package .
Choose your self-managed Home Care Package provider
Your Home Care Package provider receives your Home Care Package funding and is responsible for the overall management of the package. They pay for the services you consume (such as independent support workers via Mable), on your behalf. Choose one that offers true self-management, like HomeMade .
Use Mable to book independent support workers of your choice, in line with your approved Care Plan. Your Home Care Package provider is invoiced for the services you engage on Mable, and paid for with your Home Care Package funding.
What services are available
Find independent support workers in your local area who share your interests and can best meet your needs.
Maybe you need someone to speak your language or understand your interests. Mable gives you the freedom to engage your support team directly and choose services that will work for you and your goals.
Every independent support worker on Mable undergoes strict verification processes before being approved to work through Mable.
A wide range of support services are available including:
Nursing services
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Nursing services
Mable offers Independent Support Workers who have verified nursing qualifications.
It’s important to your ongoing health and wellbeing that you receive quality care and management, as required or on a continuous basis.
Whatever your medical and health needs, having a professional attend to you at home is a great source of comfort and peace of mind.
Domestic support
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Domestic support
A clean and tidy home is a place where you can feel safe, comfortable and happy.
You know just how you like things done and your Mable Independent Support Person will be glad to help.
From ironing, changing the sheets and doing laundry to defrosting the fridge and doing some gardening, there’s always something to be done and you can relax, knowing it’s taken care of.
Personal Care
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Personal Care
Includes assistance with personal hygiene, manual handling and mobility and assistance with medication.
Find out more about offering personal care to our community.
Therapy assistance
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Therapy assistance
Using Mable, you can find and book independent therapists to visit and treat you in your own home. In-home therapy can help save travel time and expenses while receiving therapy in a familiar environment.
Allied health
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Allied health
You can find a range of therapists including Allied Health professionals on the Mable platform. Discuss directly with the therapist on whether they visit your home or provide therapy via video if appropriate.
How to get started
Ready to self-manage your Home Care Package?
Whether or not you have already been approved for a Home Care Package, or if you’re wanting to switch to self-management, here’s what you need to do, depending on where you are on the Home Care Package journey:
I do not have an approved HCP yet
Step 1: Get Assessed
To be approved for a government-subsidised Home Care Package, you first need to have an assessment by the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) from My Aged Care. For more information, visit the My Aged Care hub.
Read about the assessment process
There are two steps involved in the assessment with My Aged Care:
- Firstly, you need to provide some basic information about the reasons you (or the person you are representing) are applying and the kinds of needs you have. You can do it online or call 1800 200 422 and speak to someone directly.
- The second step in the process is a face-to-face assessment that happens in your home. The face-to-face assessment is undertaken by an Aged Care Assessment Team and is known as an ‘ACAT assessment’.
Step 2: Get your approval
Within a week or two of having your ACAT assessment you will receive a letter telling you if you have been approved to receive a Home Care Package.
Home Care Package approval information
If you have been approved for a home care package, the letter will tell you, ‘you are approved as eligible’ to receive a Home Care Package, and it will say what level of package funding you are eligible for (Level 1, 2, 3 or 4).
Being ‘approved’ for a Home Care Package doesn’t mean you can start getting services yet. It means you have been placed in the queue to be ‘assigned’ your package when one becomes available. While you are waiting, get started with Step 3: Find your Home Care Package provider that offers self-management.
Need assistance now?
If you have not been approved for a Home Care Package but you need support, you can still join Mable and book the support you need by paying privately.
Step 3: Find a provider that offers self-management
Your package must be ‘hosted’ by a government approved Home Care Package provider. You need to find one that offers you genuine self-management, like HomeMade. While you’re waiting for your package to be assigned, research and compare options so you have everything ready to go when your Home Care Package is assigned.
Read about Home Care Package Providers
About Home Care Package Providers
The provider you choose to ‘host’ or ‘hold’ your funding on your behalf, will pay the invoices for services arranged through your Home Care Package, on your behalf, and provide you with a monthly statement, based on the services you receive.
When you want to self-manage, you need to find a HCP provider that offers genuine self-management. Not all HCP providers offer self-management and others offer their own version of self-management that still comes with limitations. It is important to check what they mean by self-management and ask about what you can and can’t do.
Fortunately there are also some HCP providers that specialise in genuine self-management, like HomeMade .
Do some research: look at the options available, compare the costs involved, and speak with providers. You might want to involve family members or friends as you decide which one works best for you.
You can use the My Aged Care website to search and compare HCP providers or use a search engine if you have an idea about what you are looking for. You can also call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask them to give you a list of HCP providers that offer self-management in your local area.
Need assistance now?
While you are doing your research and waiting to be assigned your HCP, you can still join Mable and find the support you need by paying privately. When the funding becomes available, you can then transition your payments over to your HCP. A big benefit is that you can keep the same support people who you’ve already built relationships with.
Step 4: Activate your HCP provider choice
Once you receive a letter from My Aged Care advising that you have been assigned a HCP at a particular level, you have 56 days to sign an agreement with your preferred HCP Provider. Give your new provider the unique Referral Code also contained within your letter so they can activate your package and trigger the funding.
Read more about activating your HCP
Activating your Home Care Package
The letter you receive from My Aged Care will contain confirmation of your funding, as well as a unique HCP Referral Code. Give this code to your chosen HCP provider so they can activate your package and trigger the funding.
You will then work with your HCP provider to negotiate the details of your Care Plan, how your self-management will work, and sign a Home Care Agreement.
Once you have entered into the agreement, you can start searching for the services you need. You can use your package funding for the services you require so long as they are within government guidelines and in line with your Care Plan.
Step 5: Get started
After signing the agreement, you can start booking support workers on Mable. First, sign up on Mable. Then, you can either post a job ad or search for support workers in your local area. You’re in control now.
Booking support on Mable
You can connect directly with support workers on Mable. You can use Team Chat or a video chat to speak with them, or organise a meet up in person. If the meeting is successful, you can agree on rates, hours and services that work for both of you. Mable will liaise with your HCP provider to coordinate the payments from your Home Care Package.
I have been approved for a HCP
Step 1: Find your HCP provider that offers self-management
Your HCP must be ‘hosted’ by a government approved HCP provider. You need to find one that offers you genuine self-management, like HomeMade. While you’re waiting for you HCP to be assigned, research and compare options so you have everything ready to go when your HCP is assigned.
Read about Home Care Package Providers
About Home Care Package Providers
The HCP provider you choose to ‘host’ or ‘hold’ your HCP funding on your behalf, will pay the invoices for services arranged through your HCP, on your behalf, and provide you with a monthly statement, based on the services you receive.
When you want to self-manage, you need to find a HCP provider that offers genuine self-management. Not all HCP providers offer self-management and others offer their own version of self-management that still comes with limitations. It is important to check what they mean by self-management and ask about what you can and can’t do.
Fortunately there are also some HCP providers that specialise in genuine self-management, like HomeMade .
Do some research: look at the options available, compare the costs involved, and speak with providers. You might want to involve family members or friends as you decide which one works best for you.
You can use the My Aged Care website to search and compare HCP providers or use a search engine if you have an idea about what you are looking for. You can also call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask them to give you a list of HCP providers that offer self-management in your local area.
Need assistance now?
While you are doing your research and waiting to be assigned your HCP, you can still join Mable and find the support you need by paying privately. When the funding becomes available, you can then transition your payments over to your HCP. A big benefit is that you can keep the same support people who you’ve already built relationships with.
Step 2: Activate your HCP provider choice
Once you receive a letter from My Aged Care advising that you have been assigned a HCP at a particular level, you have 56 days to sign an agreement with your preferred HCP Provider. This letter contains a unique HCP Referral Code. Give this code to your chosen HCP provider so they can activate your package and trigger the funding.
Read more about activating your HCP
Activating your Home Care Package
You will work with your HCP provider to negotiate the details of your Care Plan, how how your self-management will work, and sign a Home Care Agreement.
Once you have entered into the agreement, you can start searching for the services you need. You can use your package funding for whatever services you require so long as they are within government guidelines and in line with your Care Plan.
Step 3: Get started
As soon as you have a signed agreement, you can start using Mable to get the services and supports you need. Sign up to Mable or call 1300 736 573 and use your postcode to search for independent care and support workers in your local area who share your interests and can best meet your needs. You’re in control now.
Booking support on Mable
You can connect directly with support workers on Mable. You can use Team Chat or a video chat to speak with them, or organise a meet up in person. If the meeting is successful, you can agree on rates, hours and services that work for both of you. Mable will liaise with your HCP provider to coordinate the payments from your Home Care Package.
I have a HCP and I want to switch to self-management
Step 1: Tell your existing HCP provider you want to try self-management
If you already have a Home Care Package that is managed by the package provider, you should first ask them if they will let you self-manage it, and choose service providers that aren’t directly employed by them.
If you already have a Home Care Package that is managed by the package provider, you should first ask them if they will let you self-manage it, and choose service providers that aren’t directly employed by them.
Step 2: If not, find a new HCP provider
You need to find one that offers you genuine self-management. Fortunately there are some HCP providers that specialise in genuine self-management, like HomeMade. Look at the options available, compare the costs involved, and have some conversations with the providers. You might want to involve family members or friends as you decide which one works best for you.
You need to find one that offers you genuine self-management. Fortunately there are some HCP providers that specialise in genuine self-management, like HomeMade. Look at the options available, compare the costs involved, and have some conversations with the providers. You might want to involve family members or friends as you decide which one works best for you.
Step 3: Get started
As soon as your existing provider says you can self-manage, or you’ve moved your Home Care Package across to a new provider, you can start booking support on Mable. Sign up to Mable or call 1300 736 573 and use your postcode to search for independent care and support workers in your local area who share your interests and can best meet your needs. You’re in control now.
As soon as your existing provider says you can self-manage, or you’ve moved your Home Care Package across to a new provider, you can start booking support on Mable. Sign up to Mable or call 1300 736 573 and use your postcode to search for independent care and support workers in your local area who share your interests and can best meet your needs. You’re in control now.
Booking support on Mable
You can connect directly with support workers on Mable. You can use Team Chat or a video chat to speak with them, or organise a meet up in person. If the meeting is successful, you can agree on rates, hours and services that work for both of you. Mable will liaise with your HCP provider to coordinate the payments from your Home Care Package.
Real stories of self-management
People have a wide range of experiences with self-management.
Meet Doug.
Doug and his independent support worker Pam connected over an interest in history. They worked together to compile Doug’s family archives and create a history book about the Battle of the SMS Emden.
“I think Mable is a wonderful thing. I certainly am enjoying life with having found Mable. I find it really easy to use. With Mable, you have the opportunity to choose who comes into your life and what you do and how you do it which has made a big difference to my quality of life.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is self management in home care?
Changes from February 2017 saw Home Care Package (HCP) funding allocated to the individual rather than the aged care provider and HCPs becoming fully portable. It meant people could shop around their funding allocation and, for the first time, had the option to exercise ‘self-management’ of their package if they desired.
What are self-managed Home Care Packages?
Self-managed Home Care Packages give the recipient the power to make their own decisions about the services they need. You can choose and book your own service providers and health professionals directly to suit your particular needs.
Should you self-manage your Home Care Package?
Self-management is designed for older Australians wishing to maintain their independence and quality of life by staying in control of their care and support needs as they age.
What are the benefits of self managing your home care?
Self-managing your Home Care Package means paying lower administration fees, resulting in more of your funding available to spend on you. Self-management also gives you total control over how your home care funding is spent, meaning you have the final say, rather than a provider or agency.
Who should use self-managed home care packages?
Self-management is ideal if you seek control over how your Home Care Package funding is spent. Self-management gives funding allocation responsibility to the client rather than an aged care provider.