About the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme (ACVVS)

This scheme involves volunteers visiting older people. Find out who can be visited, why the scheme is important and how it’s evaluated.

What the scheme is

This scheme supports volunteer visits to provide friendship and companionship to older people. 

Visits are available to anyone who: 

  • receives government-subsidised residential aged care or Home Care Packages, including care recipients approved or on the National Priority System for residential or home care packages 
  • is socially isolated. 

We work with around 140 community organisations (auspices) to recruit and support volunteers to visit socially isolated older Australians.

The scheme has been running for over 30 years. It was previously known as the Community Visitors Scheme (CVS).

Why it is important

Some older people can feel alone for various reasons. This includes: 

  • feeling isolated from their culture and heritage 
  • little contact with friends or relatives 
  • mobility issues that prevent them from taking part in social or leisure activities 
  • being different in some way. 

Regular visits from volunteers can help to improve quality of life and help older people feel less isolated. 

Goals

Volunteer visiting is a free service that aims to: 

  • provide friendship and companionship to older people 
  • help develop social connections. 

It focuses on the needs of older people from particular linguistic, cultural and complex vulnerability backgrounds who may be at greater risk of social isolation. These include people:

  • from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities 
  • from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds 
  • who live in rural or remote areas 
  • who are financially or socially disadvantaged 
  • who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless 
  • who are veterans (note: Veterans Home Care (VHC) or Community Nursing (CN) recipients must also receive Commonwealth funded Home Care Package service)
  • who are care leavers 
  • who are parents separated from their children by forced adoption or removal 
  • who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex
  • living with a disability
  • who are deaf or hearing impaired/hard of hearing
  • living with cognitive impairment, including dementia
  • experiencing mental health conditions and/or who have been exposed to trauma.

How it works

We fund community organisations (auspices) to: 

  • recruit, train and support volunteer visitors 
  • conduct police checks for volunteers 
  • match volunteers to older people receiving aged care 
  • support the relationships that form between the volunteers and the people they visit. 

Volunteers visit at least 20 times per year. They can be: 

  • one-on-one or group visits to residential aged care homes 
  • one-on-one visits to people receiving Home Care Packages. 

Older people can refer themselves. The scheme also accepts referrals from: 

  • aged care service providers 
  • family members 
  • friends. 

Learn more about how to become a volunteer visitor

Request a volunteer visitor (for yourself or someone else).

Who we work with

Community organisations (auspices) are funded through grant rounds to provide services.

Network members represent each state and territory. Their role is to:

  • support community organisations (auspices) to deliver the scheme 
  • coordinate volunteers and services in each state and territory 
  • help communication between community organisations (auspices) and us. 

We manage and organise regular reviews of the scheme. 

    Community organisations we work with (full list)

    State or territory Organisation

    ACT

    Ageing With Grace

    ACT

    Australian Red Cross Society

    ACT

    Council on the Ageing (ACT)

    ACT

    Feros Care

    ACT

    HammondCare

    ACT

    Meridian

    ACT

    Ms Plus

    NSW

    Accessible Diversity Services Initiative

    NSW

    Acon Health

    NSW

    Ageing With Grace

    NSW

    Anglican Community Services (Anglicare Sydney)

    NSW

    Australian Nursing Home Foundation

    NSW

    Australian Red Cross Society

    NSW

    Belong Blue Mountains

    NSW

    Catholic Healthcare

    NSW

    CatholicCare Sydney

    NSW

    CCNB (Belong)

    NSW

    Chester Hill Neighbourhood Centre

    NSW

    Chinese Australian Services Society

    NSW

    Co As It Italian Association of Assistance

    NSW

    Digital Literacy Foundation

    NSW

    Feros Care

    NSW

    Foundation for Education and Training (Creston College)

    NSW

    Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia consolidated Trust Greek Welfare Centre

    NSW

    HammondCare

    NSW

    Hunter Volunteer Centre 

    NSW

    Hurstville Enterprise Association for People Services (St Georges Career Development Centre)

    NSW

    Intereach

    NSW

    Ku-Ring-Gai Neighbourhood Centre (KNC)

    NSW

    Lifeline Northern Beaches

    NSW

    Linked Community Services

    NSW

    Manning Support Services

    NSW

    Many Rooms

    NSW

    Meridian

    NSW

    Ms Plus

    NSW

    Multicultural Care

    NSW

    Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra

    NSW

    Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of New South Wales

    NSW

    Neighbourhood Central

    NSW

    Northern Rivers Community Gateway

    NSW

    Northern Settlement Services (Mosaic Multicultural Connections)

    NSW

    Orange City Council

    NSW

    Oxley Community Transport Service

    NSW

    Pathways Community Care

    NSW

    Riverina Community College

    NSW

    Spanish Community Care Association

    NSW

    St Vincent's Care Services

    NSW

    Sydney Local Health District

    NSW

    Sydwest Multicultural Services

    NSW

    The Salvation Army (New South Wales) Property Trust

    NSW

    The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW)

    NSW

    Toukley Neighbourhood Centre

    NSW

    Volunteering Central Coast

    NSW

    Volunteering Coffs Harbour

    NSW

    Wesley Community Services

    NSW

    Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre

    NT

    Ageing With Grace

    NT

    Anglicare NT

    NT

    MVP Wellbeing

    Qld

    All Aged Care

    Qld

    Burdekin Community Association

    Qld

    Co.As.It. Community Services

    Qld

    Comlink Australia

    Qld

    Community Gro

    Qld

    Eddison and Clare (Sunnycare Home Services)

    Qld

    Emerge Community Care

    Qld

    Feros Care

    Qld

    Footprints Community

    Qld

    Gladstone Community Linking Agency

    Qld

    Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre

    Qld

    IMPACT Community Services

    Qld

    Latin American Community of Australia (Qld)

    Qld

    Mackay Community Visitors Association

    Qld

    Many Rooms

    Qld

    MiCare

    Qld

    MultiLink Community Services

    Qld

    Queensland Community Care Network

    Qld

    Queensland Council for LGBTI Health

    Qld

    Seventh Day Adventist Church Community Visitation Program

    Qld

    Skill Centred Queensland

    Qld

    St John Ambulance Australia Queensland

    Qld

    St Vincent's Care Services

    Qld

    Star Community Services

    Qld

    Suncare Community Services

    Qld

    The Corporation of the Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane (Anglicare Southern Queensland)

    Qld

    The Roman Catholic Trust Corporation for the Diocese of Rockhampton

    Qld

    Volunteering Gold Coast

    Qld

    Warrina Innisfail Auxiliary

    Qld

    Wesley Mission Queensland

    Qld

    Wynnum Baptist Church Community Visitors Scheme

    SA 

    Australian Red Cross Society

    SA 

    Chinese Welfare Services of South Australia

    SA 

    Community Care and Transport (Care in Motion)

    SA 

    Council on the Ageing (South Australia)

    SA 

    Enfield Baptist Church

    SA 

    Golden Retriever Club of South Australia

    SA 

    HammondCare

    SA 

    Helping Hand Aged Care

    SA 

    Lutheran Church of Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory District

    SA 

    Mount Barker District Council

    SA 

    Multicultural Communities Council of SA

    SA 

    Southern Volunteering (SA)

    SA 

    St John Ambulance Australia South Australia

    SA 

    The City of Norwood Payneham and St Peters

    SA 

    Thorne Harbour Health

    Tas

    Australian Red Cross Society

    Tas

    Karingal St Laurence (GenU)

    Tas

    Lifeline Tasmania 

    Tas

    Working It Out

    Vic

    Ageing With Grace

    Vic

    Australian Greek Welfare Society (Pronia)

    Vic

    Australian Multicultural Community Services

    Vic

    Australian Red Cross Society

    Vic

    Australian-Filipino Community Services (CPCA Victoria)

    Vic

    Balwyn Evergreen Centre

    Vic

    C Care 

    Vic

    Central Bayside Community Health Services (Better Health Network)

    Vic

    Chabad Institutions of Victoria

    Vic

    Colac Area Health

    Vic

    DEG (Active Community Group)

    Vic

    Doncaster Community Care and Counselling Centre

    Vic

    Feros Care

    Vic

    Fronditha Care

    Vic

    HammondCare

    Vic

    Inclusion Melbourne

    Vic

    Intereach

    Vic

    Jocare - Caring for Neighbours

    Vic

    Karingal St Laurence

    Vic

    Latrobe Community Health Service

    Vic

    Macedon Ranges Shire Council

    Vic

    Many Rooms

    Vic

    MECWA

    Vic

    Melbourne City Mission

    Vic

    MiCare

    Vic

    Migrant Information Centre (Eastern Melbourne)

    Vic

    Ms Plus

    Vic

    MVP Wellbeing

    Vic

    Nexus Primary Health

    Vic

    Residential Care Rights (Elder Rights Advocacy)

    Vic

    Russian Ethnic Representative Council of Victoria

    Vic

    Sacred Heart Mission

    Vic

    Serbian Community Association of Australia

    Vic

    Smile on Seniors Oz

    Vic

    Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre

    Vic

    St Vincent's Care Services

    Vic

    Switchboard (Victoria)

    Vic

    Tabulam and Templer Homes for the Aged

    Vic

    The Centre for Continuing Education

    Vic

    Thorne Harbour Health

    Vic

    United- Spanish Latin American Welfare Centre

    WA

    Advocare Incorporated

    WA

    Association for Culturally Appropriate Services

    WA

    Australian Red Cross Society

    WA

    Baptistcare WA

    WA

    City of Stirling

    WA

    Dutch Aged Care, Western Australia (CURA)

    WA

    Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Intersex Rights in Ageing (GRAI)

    WA

    Home and Lifestyle Options

    WA

    Italo-Australian Welfare & Cultural Centre

    WA

    Living Stone Foundation (Lifeline WA)

    WA

    Melville Cares

    WA

    Multicultural Services Centre of Western Australia

    WA

    Nuhra Community

    WA

    People Who Care

    WA

    Riverview Community Services

    WA

    Shire of Esperance

    WA

    Umbrella - Multicultural Community Care Services

    There are network members representing each state and territory. Their role is to:

    • support community organisations (auspices) to deliver the scheme 
    • coordinate volunteers and services in each state and territory 
    • help communication between community organisations (auspices) and us. 

    Evaluation and review

    We appointed Monash University to evaluate the ACVVS from 2023–2026.

    The evaluation will test the:

    • effectiveness of the social support intervention in improving quality of life for participants (recipients and volunteers) through reduction of social isolation and loneliness
    • effectiveness of the social support intervention for diverse, complex vulnerability and cultural groups including funding models and delivery pathways
    • cost effectiveness of the intervention’s impact on health, mental health and aged care service usage for care recipients
    • extent to which the scheme has achieved its intended program outcomes.
    Date last updated:

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