Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) for aged care service providers and older people in aged care

Interpreting services available for approved providers

The Australian Government’s fully funded TIS National provides:

• immediate phone interpreting – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• pre-booked phone interpreting
• on-site interpreting
• Automated Telephone Interpreting Service (ATIS)
• video remote interpreting.

Approved providers can use TIS National's interpreting services to support discussions with older people about aged care services.

View the languages available through TIS National or download the TIS National for aged care flyer. 

For Auslan and other sign language interpreting, go to sign language interpreting for aged care services.

Eligibility

You can access TIS National for free if you’re an approved provider of:

• residential aged care
• psychological treatment services for people with mental illness in residential aged care facilities
• Home Care Packages
• Disability Support for Older Australians (DSOA) Program – formerly known as the Commonwealth Continuity of Support (CoS) Programme
• Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) 
• Multi-Purpose Services Program 
• Short-term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme
• Transition Care Programme 
• National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP)
• Care finder program.

When you can use TIS National

You can use TIS National to meet your responsibilities as an approved provider, such as to:

• discuss care needs, services and preferences with your client
• discuss fees and charges
• develop or review care documents, such as agreements, care plans and budgets
• support clients to exercise independence in their care and participate in social and cultural activities such as weddings, funerals, family reunions, seniors’ activities, clubs or social groups.

If you use TIS National for other reasons, you must pay for the service through your funding or the client’s budget.

You should use phone interpreting services unless there’s a genuine need for an on-site interpreter.

Registering for TIS National

To access TIS National for free, you must get a TIS National client code. If you provide aged care services through different government programs, you need a separate code for each one.

TIS National will email you the client code after you register for TIS online.

For the first 4 questions of the registration form, answer as follows:

• Category – select ‘Commonwealth Government Agency’
• Sub-category – select ‘Other Commonwealth Government agency’
• Name of organisation or agency – enter the name of your organisation
• Section name – enter the relevant program name:
  • Residential Aged Care
  • Home Care Packages Program
  • Commonwealth Home Support Programme
  • Disability Support for Older Australians Program
  • Continuity of Support Programme
  • Short-Term Restorative Care Programme
  • Transition Care Programme
  • EnCOMPASS: Multicultural Aged Care Connector
  • National Aged Care Advocacy Program
  • Psychologists in Residential Aged Care
  • Multipurpose Services Program.

Accessing TIS National

You need to provide your TIS National client code when you use TIS National.

If you need to use TIS National urgently and you do not have a client code, contact the TIS Client Liaison Team.

For more information on TIS National, and to order TIS National promotional materials, go to the Department of Home Affairs TIS National website.

Who we work with

The Australian Government funds TIS National services for approved providers. 

The Department of Home Affairs provides TIS National services.

We develop policy for these services, monitor their use by approved providers, and update policy as needed.