Who are CHSP services for?
The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) provides entry-level services. Depending on the person’s needs, these services can be:
- short term
- episodic, where services can be put in place to improve function or capacity
- ongoing
In general, CHSP services are not for:
- people with intensive, multiple or complex needs
- permanent residents of aged care residential facilities
- people whose needs are better met by other aged care programs
Under some circumstances, you can also provide CHSP services to people:
- already registered with the Disability Support for Older Australians Program
- receiving a Home Care Package
The most commonly used services under the CHSP are:
- domestic assistance
- allied health and therapy services
- transport
- home maintenance
- nursing
Services you can provide
There are 4 sub-programs of the CHSP. Each provides different service types. See the CHSP Service Catalogue for a printable version.
Check the CHSP Manual for details of each service type, including out-of-scope activities, service delivery settings, output measures, required staff qualifications and fees.
Community and Home Support
This sub-program has the widest range of service types:
- Allied health and therapy services — including podiatry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work, dietitians, speech pathology and more
- Domestic assistance — including general house cleaning, shopping (delivered to home) and linen services
- Goods, equipment and assistive technology — including self-care aids, support and mobility aids, medical care aids, communication aids, reading aids and car modifications
- Home maintenance — including home maintenance and repairs, and garden maintenance
- Home modifications
- Meals — either at home or at a centre
- Nursing
- Other food services — including food advice, lessons, training and food safety
- Personal care — including helping the client to care for themselves and manage their own medicine
- Social support (individual) — including visiting, telephone/web contact and accompanied activities like shopping
- Social support (group) — including help with going out to social events
- Specialised support services — including continence advisory services, dementia advisory services, vision services, hearing services and client advocacy
- Transport
Assistance with Care and Housing – Hoarding and Squalor
This sub-program helps people who are living with hoarding behaviour or in a squalid environment who are at risk of homelessness or unable to receive the aged care supports they need. Supports include care planning, links to specialist support services and one-off clean-ups.
Clients receiving assistance through the care finder program because they are homeless or at risk of homelessness, may also be eligible to access CHSP services targeted at avoiding homelessness or reducing the impact of homelessness.
Care Relationships and Carer Support
This sub-program provides short-term planned respite care services for frail older people. This allows carers to take a break from their usual caring responsibilities.
- Flexible respite — including in-home day respite, in-home overnight respite, host family day respite and more
- Cottage respite — overnight community respite
- Centre-based respite — including day respite in a residential facility
Sector Support and Development
This sub-program supports CHSP service providers with reforms to the CHSP, in preparation for the aged care reforms, and to align with the objectives of the CHSP.
Services you cannot provide
Check the CHSP Manual for detailed descriptions of what is out-of-scope for each CHSP service type.
See Funding for the CHSP for details of what CHSP funding cannot be used for.
Integration with other aged care programs
Disability Support for Older Australians and CHSP
The CHSP can fund services to people under the Disability Support for Older Australians Program. For further information see the Disability Support for Older Australians Program Manual.
Home Care Package clients
There are 6 circumstances where HCP clients can get extra short term help from the CHSP, if their package budget is used up.
Level 1 or 2 HCP package:
- They need more allied health or nursing services after a setback, such as a fall.
- They are waiting for a Level 3 or 4 package and need home modifications.
Any level HCP package:
- Their carer needs short-term panned respite services.
- They need extra CHSP services in an emergency, where they have an urgent and immediate health or safety need.
- They can continue to access Social Support Group where they transitioned from the CHSP and attended a pre-existing CHSP Social Support Group service.
- Where there is an urgent need and the HCP care recipients has insufficient funds in their package for Goods, Equipment and Assistive Technology (GEAT), they may access short term CHSP GEAT.
In all 6 circumstances, the extra CHSP support must be short term. The client’s assessment service (usually Aged Care Assessment Team) should monitor and review their needs.
Clients pay the usual CHSP client contribution rate for the CHSP services. You must not charge the client’s HCP budget for services in these cases.
For more information on providing CHSP services to Home Care Package clients can read the CHSP Manual.
HCP clients can access to urgent Goods, Equipment and Assistive Technology (GEAT)
New and existing HCP care recipients and approved HCP recipients waiting for a package will be able to access GEAT where:
- an Aged Care Assessment Team (assessor) has assessed the care recipient and they have urgent or immediate need for equipment
- they have insufficient funds in the HCP budget to fund the urgent equipment.
The CHSP national equipment provider GEAT2GO will provide equipment to eligible HCP care recipients with an urgent need.
Eligible HCP recipients will have access up to $2,500 per year in total for urgent GEAT.
Learn more in the CHSP GEAT for HCP clients fact sheet or in the CHSP Manual.