2. Prepare your participants

Identifying and segmenting your participants early will determine the volume and sequencing of work across:

• participant communications
• care planning
• budget updates
• service agreements 
• service demand planning. 

There are 7 actions you should take to prepare your participants for the change:

1. Prioritise participant outreach
2. Communicate the change to all participants
3. Provide tailored support for participants who need additional support
4. Engage with participants to discuss their care plans
5. Update individual participant budgets
6. Engage with participants to review and update service agreements
7. Plan for changes in participant demand.

2.1 Prioritise participant outreach (Now)

• Plan how you will communicate the changes to participants who may be affected.
• Use the department’s provider communication materials and the  My Aged Care guidance for older people to support clear and consistent messaging.
• Consider whether any participants may require additional support or explanation, including those with language, accessibility or communication support needs. 

2.2 Communicate the change to all participants (Now–October)

• Inform participants about the personal care contribution changes and what they mean for them.
• Explain that personal care services will no longer attract participant contributions from 1 October 2026.
• Ensure participants know how to contact your organisation if they have questions about the changes.

2.3 Provide tailored support for participants who need additional support (Now–September)

• Discuss the personal care contribution changes with participants who may wish to review their current services or care arrangements. 
• Where needed, review and update care plans to reflect any agreed changes to personal care services from 1 October 2026.
• Document agreed changes in line with existing care planning processes.
• Refer to Support at Home care planning guidance for information on care planning requirements and participant rights. 

2.4 Update individual participant budgets (Now–September)

• Update indvidualised participant budgets to reflect:
  • the personal care contribution rate and amount from 1 October 2026
  • any changes to care plans or service levels from 1 October 2026.
• Reissue updated budgets to participants in line with changes as soon as practicable once all necessary information is known.
• Validate that updated budgets:
  • align with care plans, service agreements and billing systems 
  • accurately reflect the participant’s agreed arrangements.
• Inform participants that updated budgets will apply in care management and billing systems from 1 October 2026.

2.5 Engage with participants to review and update service agreements (Now–September)

• Identify service agreements that explicitly reference set personal care contribution rates or reference to personal care being in the independence category. 
• Update these agreements to remove or amend personal care contribution clauses with an effective date of 1 October 2026.
• Explain the changes to participants and ensure they understand how their agreement is affected.
• Keep records of updated agreements and participant communications.
• Not all providers will need to update service agreements. This will depend on how contribution rates and amounts are currently represented. 
• If your agreements reference specific contribution rates and categories, consider updating relevant clauses to be more flexible going forward, with contribution rates being set by Services Australia or the Department.
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2.6 Plan for workforce impacts and changes in participant demand (Now–September)

• Identify participants who are likely to increase their use of personal care services once contributions are removed. 
• Assess and plan for the impact on rostering, workforce capacity, scheduling and care partner workloads.
• Monitor for emerging unmet demand previously impacted by contributions.
• Escalate significant demand risks to your operations and workforce planning teams.