Associated providers

An associated provider is an organisation that delivers services on behalf of a registered provider, like a subcontractor.

An associated provider may:

be a registered provider who provides specific services on behalf of another registered provider
operate in the aged care system solely as a subcontractor and remain unregistered.

Subcontractors of registered providers are only considered to be associated providers if they deliver government-funded aged care services. Services are outlined in the Aged Care Service List.

For example, an organisation providing gardening services for older people living at home and funded for Support at Home services, on behalf of a registered Support at Home provider, is considered an associated provider. Gardening tasks such as mowing lawns and pruning shrubs are included on the service list for home support services and so are considered aged care services.

Registered provider responsibilities

Registered providers can subcontract out service delivery, but they cannot contract out their legal responsibilities.

A registered provider is responsible for ensuring their associated providers comply with relevant requirements, regardless of whether the associated provider delivering those services is registered or not.

Registered providers are also responsible for ensuring relevant workforce screening and associated record keeping for aged care workers who are delivering funded aged care services on their behalf.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) is responsible for managing non-compliance for all registered providers. The Act seeks to create greater transparency around these arrangements. Providers are responsible for providing the ACQSC with a full list of associated providers delivering aged care services on their behalf at registration and renewal.

If an associated provider wants to become a registered provider, the associated provider will need to apply to the ACQSC to become registered under the correct registration category.

Watch a video about associated providers.

View the webinar on associated providers under the Aged Care Act 2024.

Read guidance for associated providers.

Read the associated provider frequently asked questions.

Read the ACQSC regulatory bulletin about associated providers.

Organisations that are not associated providers

Organisations that supply corporate services such as training, accounting, labour hire or those delivering services to older people that are not funded aged care services are not associated providers.

Aged care workers

An aged care worker is an individual employed or otherwise engaged by a registered or associated provider to deliver funded aged care services. An individual who is a registered provider is also considered to be an aged care worker under the Act.

Workers of an associated provider delivering funded aged care services are considered aged care workers and will be screened to make sure they are suitable to work in an aged care setting.

Volunteers can also be considered aged care workers under the Act and must meet aged care worker screening requirements.

An individual who is a registered provider is also considered to be an aged care worker under the Act.

Sole traders and allied health professionals

The Act enables sole traders to apply to become registered providers. This opens the aged care market to more organisations and offers more choice to older people receiving aged care. Many allied health businesses operate under this model.

If the sole trader, as the business owner, directly delivers aged care services on behalf of the registered provider or an associated provider, they are considered an aged care worker.

A sole trader, as a business owner, is considered an associated provider if they employ workers to provide aged care services on behalf of the registered provider and do not personally deliver care themselves. In this case, the sole trader’s employees are considered aged care workers.

Like sole traders, allied health professionals could also be considered an associated provider or an aged care worker depending on the context.

Read our guidance for allied health professionals about providing services to older people under the new Act and regulatory model.

Explore example profiles

Whether a business, individual, sole trader or allied health professional is considered an aged care worker or an associated provider depends on the service context and arrangements.

Explore the different profiles in the aged care sector to understand how the regulatory model shapes your responsibilities. Click on a person* to find out more about them.

*These are hypothetical profiles not real people.