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Home care can come with a lot of questions, especially when you’re trying to understand government funding, assessments, services and which provider is right for you.
We’ve answered some of the most common questions about Support at Home, Home Care Packages and HCA Home Care below. If you still aren’t sure what applies to your situation, our experienced team can help make things clearer.
Support at Home is the Australian Government’s in-home aged care program. It replaced the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme on 1 November 2025.
The program provides government funding for eligible older Australians to receive care and services that help them remain safe, healthy and independent at home.
Support can include nursing and allied health, personal care, transport, social support, cleaning, gardening, meals and other approved services.
Not exactly.
Home Care Packages were replaced by Support at Home on 1 November 2025. New participants are assessed under the Support at Home system, which has eight ongoing funding classifications rather than the previous four Home Care Package levels.
People who previously held a Home Care Package transitioned into Support at Home under arrangements designed to preserve their existing funding where applicable. Some older Home Care Package recipients also have additional grandfathered protections.
Support at Home has eight ongoing funding classifications. Your classification is determined through your aged care assessment and reflects your assessed care needs.
Funding is provided through a quarterly budget, with higher classifications receiving larger budgets for people with greater or more complex support needs.
There are also separate short-term pathways for restorative care, end-of-life care and eligible assistive technology and home modifications.
Eligibility depends on your age, circumstances and the amount of help you need to continue living safely and independently at home.
Generally, government-funded aged care is available to people aged 65 or older, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 or older, and some people aged 50 or older who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Your care needs are assessed through My Aged Care.
The first step is to contact My Aged Care and request an aged care assessment.
You can apply online or contact My Aged Care directly. An assessor will talk with you about your health, mobility, daily activities, current support and what you would like help with.
If you’re approved, you’ll receive information outlining the services and funding you have been approved to access.
Your aged care assessment is designed to understand what you can manage independently and where additional support could help.
The assessor may ask about your health, mobility, personal care, housework, meals, medication, memory, home safety, social connections and any support you already receive from family or others.
It can help to think about the tasks you find difficult on an average or difficult day, rather than only what you can manage when you’re feeling your best.
Once you’ve been approved, you may need to wait for your funding to be assigned depending on your priority category and the services you’ve been approved for.
When your funding becomes available, you can choose a Support at Home provider and begin organising your services.
If you already have funding assigned and are looking for a provider, HCA Home Care can help you understand what comes next and get your care underway.
You may need to contribute towards some Support at Home services.
Your contribution depends on the type of service you receive and, for many people, your income and assets. Clinical supports such as nursing and allied health do not require a participant contribution, while contribution arrangements apply differently across other service categories.
Special contribution protections also apply to some people who were approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024.
Participant contributions are the amount you may personally pay towards certain Support at Home services.
Rather than paying one general care fee, your contribution is linked to the services you actually receive. Services Australia determines the contribution rate that applies to you based on the government rules and your circumstances.
The government then funds the remaining eligible amount.
Everyone who was receiving a Home Care Package transitioned into Support at Home, but the arrangements that apply can differ depending on when you were approved.
If you were receiving a Home Care Package, on the National Priority System or assessed as eligible on or before 12 September 2024, you may have grandfathered contribution protections under the government’s no worse off principle.
HCA Home Care supports both new Support at Home participants and people who transitioned from Home Care Packages.
The services you can receive depend on what has been approved in your support plan.
Support at Home services broadly fall into three categories:
HCA Home Care offers a broad range of home care services and can help you build the right mix around your approved needs and funding.
Yes. HCA Home Care can provide nursing and clinical support depending on your assessed needs and the services available in your area.
Our broader healthcare experience also means our home care teams have access to clinical expertise when customers require more complex support.
Yes. Depending on your approved services or private care arrangement, our teams can assist with everyday tasks such as domestic assistance, shopping and meal preparation.
We can also provide support with transport, social activities and a range of other services that help make everyday life at home easier.
Yes. HCA Home Care supports people living with dementia and can tailor services around individual routines, preferences, safety and care needs.
Where additional clinical guidance is needed, our care teams can work with nursing and healthcare professionals to support safe and responsive care at home.
Look beyond whether a provider simply offers the services you need.
Consider how easy they are to contact, whether you’ll have a consistent person coordinating your care, the experience and training of their workers, their clinical capabilities, their prices and how well they can adapt if your needs change.
It’s also worth asking what happens when something doesn’t go to plan. Reliable communication and ongoing support can make a significant difference to your experience.
Yes. You have the right to choose your Support at Home provider and can change providers if your current arrangement is no longer right for you.
Changing providers does not mean you lose your Support at Home approval, and eligible funding can move with you.
If you have grandfathered protections from the previous Home Care Packages Program, simply changing providers does not automatically remove those protections.
Start by talking to us before making changes to your existing care.
We’ll take the time to understand your current services, funding and what you’d like to be different. If HCA is the right fit, we can explain the next steps and work with you to make the transition as smooth as possible.
With more than 50 years in healthcare, HCA Home Care combines the reach and experience of Healthcare Australia with dedicated local home care support.
Customers receive a dedicated Customer Care Manager to help coordinate their care, qualified and experienced care teams, access to clinical expertise and support designed to adapt as their needs change.
Yes. HCA Home Care customers have a dedicated Customer Care Manager who gets to know their needs, coordinates their services and provides a consistent point of contact.
That means you have someone who understands your care rather than having to explain your situation again each time you need help.
Our personal care Support Workers hold a Certificate III qualification and have at least six months’ relevant experience before providing personal care services.
Healthcare Australia also has its own training organisation, giving us the ability to continue training and upskilling our workforce as customer needs evolve.
Existing HCA Home Care customers have access to our 24/7 support line for assistance outside normal business hours.
Depending on your needs, funding and local service availability, we may also be able to arrange overnight or extended home care services.
HCA Home Care provides services across a range of metropolitan and regional locations in Australia.
Availability varies depending on the service and location, so the easiest way to find out what we can provide in your area is to speak with our team.
Yes. You don’t need government funding to arrange home care with HCA.
Private home care allows you to pay directly for the services you need and can be useful if you’re waiting for an aged care assessment or funding, want additional services alongside government-funded care, or simply prefer to arrange care privately.
Self-managed home care gives you greater involvement in organising your care while your registered provider continues to manage the responsibilities required under the program.
Through Homecare My Way, HCA’s self-managed option, customers can have greater choice over their services and scheduling while using our online portal to manage key parts of their care.
The Commonwealth Home Support Program, or CHSP, provides entry-level government-funded aged care support for eligible older Australians who need a smaller amount of help to remain independent at home.
It operates separately from Support at Home and may include services such as domestic assistance, meals, transport, personal care, nursing, allied health, social support and respite.
You don’t need to work everything out before speaking with us. Whether you’re exploring home care for the first time, waiting for funding, choosing a provider, considering a change or trying to understand the arrangements that apply to you, our experienced team can help make the next step clearer.
We’re here to assist you with any inquiries and provide personalised support for your needs.
Get in touch with us.
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