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 Continuity of Support Programme
- 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
This sub-program helps people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to access some support services, including
- housing services
- community care
- other support services specifically targeted at avoiding homelessness or reducing its impact
CHSP service providers link clients with support services. Service sub-types include:
- Assessment — referrals to agencies that offer care and support services
- Advocacy — assisting clients to connect with financial or legal services and supporting them to remain linked to those services
- Hoarding and squalor — developing plans, organising one-off clean ups and linking clients with specialist support services
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
Service System Development
This sub-program helps community aged care services meet CHSP aims, such as staff training on using a wellness approach to services.
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
Continuity of Support Programme (CoS)
In some cases, CHSP providers may provide services to clients already registered with the Continuity of Support Programme.
For more on the interaction of CoS and CHSP, see the Continuity of Support Programme Manual.
Home Care Package clients
There are 4 circumstances where HCP clients can get extra 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 respite services.
- They need extra services in an emergency, such as their carer being unable to provide care.
In all 4 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 you read the CHSP Manual.
HCP clients access to urgent Goods, Equipment and Assistive Technology (GEAT)
HCP clients can now receive access to urgent Goods, Equipment and Assistive Technology (GEAT) under CHSP.
The Australian Government has provided increased funding for GEAT under the CHSP, and expanded access to the program for HCP care recipients that have an immediate need for equipment.
Access has been expanded so that new and existing HCP care recipients and approved HCP recipients waiting for a package will be able to access GEAT if they have both:
- an Aged Care Assessment Team (assessor) has assessed the care recipient has urgent or immediate need for equipment
- insufficient funds in the HCP budget to fund the urgent equipment.
From mid-November 2022, CHSP national equipment provider GEAT2GO will commence providing equipment to eligible HCP care recipients with an urgent need. The government is providing increased funding to GEAT2GO for this purpose until 30 June 2023.
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