What does self-managed home care mean under Support at Home?

What does self-managed home care mean under Support at Home?

Self-management allows you to take responsibility for selected parts of your Support at Home arrangement.

Depending on your preferences and abilities, you may choose to:

• find and select your own workers

• arrange visit times directly

• choose third-party service providers

• monitor parts of your quarterly budget

• approve invoices

• manage communication with workers

• decide how much of the day-to-day administration you want to handle.

You do not have to self-manage everything. You can self-manage only the parts you feel comfortable handling. The agreed arrangement should be documented in your care plan.

Do I still need a registered provider?

Yes.

Support at Home uses a single provider model. You must still have one registered provider responsible for coordinating your funded services and claiming government payments.

Self-management does not mean the government pays the funding directly into your bank account.

Your registered provider remains responsible for:

• care management

• service quality and safety

• checking that workers are suitable

• ensuring services are approved and lawful

• managing government claims

• providing monthly statements

• monitoring risks and incidents

• meeting aged care regulatory requirements.

The provider remains responsible even where you have selected the worker yourself.

Can I choose my own workers?

Yes, where your provider agrees that the arrangement is suitable.

You may be able to select:

• an independent support worker

• a cleaner

• a gardener

• an allied health professional

• another third-party organisation.

The registered provider must approve and engage the worker under the Support at Home arrangement before government funding can be used.

The provider may need to check:

• identity and worker screening

• qualifications and registrations

• insurance

• experience and competence

• pricing

• compliance with the Aged Care Code of Conduct

• incident and complaint procedures.

A participant can ask to use a third-party worker on a one-off or ongoing basis through self-management.

Can I directly employ the worker?

The exact arrangement depends on the provider.

In many self-managed models, the participant finds and chooses the worker, but the registered provider formally engages or contracts with them and processes the invoice.

Ask whether the provider allows:

• independent contractors

• sole traders

• workers from online platforms

• participant-employed workers

• family members in exceptional circumstances.

Do not assume that any worker you select can automatically be paid from Support at Home funding.

Can the provider charge an overhead?

Yes.

Where you directly source a third-party worker under an agreed self-management arrangement, the provider may include an overhead of up to 10% of the third-party service cost.

The overhead covers work such as:

• checking and onboarding the worker

• verifying invoices

• processing claims and payments

• monitoring quality and safety

• maintaining regulatory oversight.

The overhead should be proportionate to the work performed, agreed in advance and included in the final service price.

For example, if your chosen cleaner charges $70 an hour, the provider may apply an overhead of up to $7. The final service price would be up to $77 an hour.

This is different from a provider choosing its own subcontractor as part of its normal service model. In that situation, ordinary administration and subcontracting costs should already be included in the provider’s standard unit price.

Does self-management remove the 10% care-management allocation?

No.

For ongoing Support at Home participants, 10% of the quarterly classification budget is still allocated to pooled care management.

This applies even if you self-manage most of your direct services.

Your care partner must continue to:

• maintain and review your care plan

• monitor risks

• help manage your budget

• respond when your needs change

• provide direct care-management contact each month

• help arrange a Support Plan Review where necessary.

Official guidance confirms that care management remains mandatory regardless of how much the participant self-manages.

What remains your responsibility?

Your responsibilities depend on the agreed model, but may include:

• finding suitable workers

• interviewing and selecting them

• arranging shifts

• confirming that services occurred

• checking invoices

• monitoring spending

• advising the provider about problems

• arranging replacements when your preferred worker is unavailable.

The provider should clearly explain which tasks belong to you and which remain its responsibility.

What are the possible benefits?

Self-management may provide:

• greater choice of workers

• better continuity

• more control over schedules

• access to local or specialised workers

• lower service prices in some cases

• greater flexibility in how approved services are delivered.

It can be particularly useful where you already know a suitable worker or want services from a small local business.

What are the possible disadvantages?

Self-management may involve more work and responsibility.

Possible difficulties include:

• finding and checking workers

• managing schedules and cancellations

• reviewing invoices

• arranging replacements

• resolving worker disputes

• understanding funding and service rules

• ensuring the budget remains sustainable.

It may not be suitable where the participant has complex clinical needs, limited informal support or does not want the administrative burden.

Can I stop self-managing?

Yes.

Self-management is a choice, not a permanent commitment.

You can ask the provider to:

• reduce the parts you manage

• take over scheduling or worker sourcing

• move back to fully provider-managed services.

The care plan and service agreement should be updated to reflect the new arrangement.

Questions to ask a provider

Ask:

• Which parts of my care can I self-manage?

• Can I choose my own workers?

• What checks must workers complete?

• Who formally contracts with the worker?

• What overhead do you charge?

• How is the overhead calculated?

• How are invoices submitted and paid?

• Who arranges replacement workers?

• What happens if a worker causes harm or fails to attend?

• Which responsibilities remain with the provider?

• Can I return to provider-managed care later?

What should I do next?

1. Ask the provider for its self-management policy and full price list.

2. Clarify which tasks you will perform and which remain the provider's responsibility.

3. Confirm backup arrangements before bringing in a preferred worker.

Helpful Local Home Help resources

• Compare self-managed and provider-managed care

• Find your home care style

• Browse self-managed care articles

Check the official guidance

Check the current Support at Home management guidance. Aged care rules, funding amounts and program guidance can change, so check the current official information before making an important care or financial decision.