Navigating the Support at Home Program Reform: A Transition Guide for Providers

Australian home care providers are operating under the most significant structural reform of in-home aged care in decades. The Support at Home program has replaced the Home Care Packages (HCP) Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme, and sits within the framework established by the Aged Care Act 2024 and the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.

This guide is designed as a pillar resource for providers seeking expert support across governance, risk and compliance, operational and clinical management, and support services. It explains the Support at Home reforms, details key changes from the legacy HCP and CHSP models, analyses the reclassification of clinical care versus personal support, and sets out why home care policies and procedures must be updated as a matter of priority.

Overview of the Support at Home program

Support at Home is the new national program for government‑funded in‑home aged care, intended to help older people remain at home for longer. On 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short‑Term Restorative Care Programme. The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) has been extended and will transition no earlier than 1 July 2027.

Key features of Support at Home include:

• Replacement of four Home Care Package levels with ten Support at Home classifications, comprising eight ongoing classifications and two short‑term pathways (Restorative Care Pathway and End‑of‑Life Pathway).
• A defined services list structured into three categories: Clinical care, Independence, and Everyday living.
• Higher funding for people with complex needs, with the top ongoing classification providing a substantially larger annual budget than the former Level 4 Home Care Package.
• Dedicated short‑term supports, including the Restorative Care Pathway and End‑of‑Life Care Pathway, with specific funding allocations and timeframes.

For providers, these changes have direct implications for service design, pricing, documentation, workforce roles and governance.

Transition timelines and staged reform

Providers must understand the staged nature of the reforms to manage risk and avoid premature or delayed changes to business models and documentation.

• From 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced HCP and STRC, and home care recipients and people on the National Priority System waiting list automatically transitioned to Support at Home.
• CHSP continues to operate with grant agreements funded through to 30 June 2027, and will move into Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.
• Government modelling indicates that Support at Home is funded to reduce wait times to an average of three months by late 2027 and to support an additional 300,000 people by 2035.

This staged approach creates a complex transition environment in which providers may be delivering services under multiple funding models simultaneously. Governance frameworks, risk registers and policy suites must reflect this complexity while anticipating the future consolidated model.

Structural changes: from HCP and CHSP to Support at Home

Under the legacy arrangements, HCP provided four levels of package funding for people with ongoing care needs, while CHSP delivered lower‑intensity supports through grants for services such as domestic assistance, transport and social support. STRC provided short‑term, intensive allied health interventions to improve function and independence.

Support at Home consolidates and re‑structures these arrangements:

• Classifications and funding levels – Ten classifications replace the four HCP levels, providing more granular differentiation of need and funding. This includes eight ongoing classifications and two short‑term classifications for Restorative Care and End‑of‑Life Care.
• Short‑term pathways – The Restorative Care Pathway and End‑of‑Life Care Pathway provide defined, time‑limited funding and service frameworks for people requiring intensive short‑term support.
• Assistive technology and home modifications – Support at Home provides dedicated funding for assistive technology and home modifications, with caps such as $15,000 for home modifications in some models, reducing the need for recipients to accumulate package budgets.
• Service categorisation – A defined service list reorganises services into three categories (Clinical care, Independence, Everyday living), replacing many previous service labels and requiring providers to re‑categorise existing offerings.

These changes alter not only funding mechanisms but also how providers must describe, contract, deliver and document services.

Reclassification of clinical care versus personal support

One of the most significant changes for providers is the formal reclassification of services into Clinical care, Independence and Everyday living categories. This categorisation has direct implications for workforce roles, scope of practice, pricing, reporting and quality oversight.

• Clinical care – Includes nursing, allied health and other health professional services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, chronic disease management, medication management and wound care. These services require clear clinical governance frameworks, professional registration, evidence‑based protocols and defined escalation pathways.
• Independence – Encompasses personal care services, respite, transport, social support and reablement‑focused supports. These services may be delivered by care workers, but must be linked to assessed goals, care plans and quality indicators related to function and participation.
• Everyday living – Covers services such as cleaning, meals, gardening and home maintenance. While these services are non‑clinical, they are essential to safety and wellbeing and must be integrated into risk management and consumer outcomes, particularly in relation to falls prevention, nutrition and environmental safety.

Providers must reassess their service portfolios, workforce structures and contracts to ensure that each service is aligned with the appropriate category and that staffing, training and supervision models support safe delivery within that category. For example, previous “case management” and “care assessment” labels cannot be used under Support at Home and must be replaced by defined service types consistent with the new service list.

Immediate pain points for home care providers

We recognise several pressing issues affecting home care providers during the transition to Support at Home:

• Legislative and policy uncertainty – Frequent updates to timelines, rules and guidance documents have created uncertainty about exact requirements and timeframes. Providers require clear, current interpretation to avoid misalignment with funding rules and compliance expectations.
• Complex funding and budgeting changes – Movement from package levels to classifications, introduction of short‑term pathways, and separate funding for technology and modifications require recalibration of pricing models and budgeting processes.
• Service list re‑mapping – Providers must audit, re‑label and re‑contract services in accordance with the new defined service list categories, including the removal of some legacy categories such as case management and care assessment.
• Workforce capability and role clarity – Clear differentiation between clinical and non‑clinical services demands robust scope of practice definitions, supervision frameworks and training plans.
• Documentation and compliance – Existing policies, procedures, care plans and service agreements are often framed around HCP and CHSP concepts and must be updated to reflect Support at Home structures and terminology.

Without a structured transition plan, these pain points can translate into compliance risk, financial instability and compromised consumer experience.

Necessity of updating home care policies and procedures

Home care providers cannot rely on legacy policy frameworks to support compliance under Support at Home. The new program fundamentally changes:

• Service categorisation and definitions.
• Funding structures and eligibility pathways.
• Expectations for reablement, independence and short‑term interventions.
• Clinical governance expectations for in‑home care.

Policies and procedures must therefore be reviewed and updated across governance, clinical care, assessment, care planning, service delivery, incident management, quality improvement and consumer engagement.

Critical areas for policy review include:

• Governance and risk management – Board charters, risk registers, clinical governance frameworks and delegation schedules must be updated to reflect Support at Home responsibilities, funding risk and quality obligations.
• Service design and descriptions – Service definitions, inclusion/exclusion criteria and referral processes must align with the defined service list categories and Support at Home classifications.
• Assessment and care planning – Policies must embed reablement principles, integration of independent living and everyday living supports, and clear pathways into short‑term classifications such as Restorative Care and End‑of‑Life Care.
• Clinical care protocols – Documentation must ensure that clinical services delivered under Support at Home meet relevant practice standards, with clear escalation processes and coordination with general practitioners and acute care services.
• Contracts and consumer information – Service agreements, fee schedules and consumer information documents must reflect Support at Home rules, funding contributions and rights under the new Aged Care Act.

We strongly recommend that providers complete a structured policy audit and redevelopment process before or during transition, rather than relying on incremental edits that may leave critical gaps.

How Critical Success Solutions supports Support at Home transition

We specialise in aged care governance, risk and compliance, operational and clinical management, and support services. In relation to Support at Home, we provide targeted consulting and policy review services designed to manage risks and strengthen compliance frameworks.

Our support for providers includes:

• Regulatory interpretation and strategic advice – We analyse current Department of Health and Aged Care guidance, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission information and parliamentary reports to provide clear, practical interpretation tailored to each provider’s context.
• Policy and procedure review and redevelopment – We conduct comprehensive audits of existing home care documentation, map it against Support at Home requirements and re‑design policy suites so that governance, clinical care, independence and everyday living services are documented in a manner consistent with the new program.
• Service portfolio and workforce alignment – We work with providers to re‑categorise services into Clinical care, Independence and Everyday living, define scope of practice and supervision arrangements, and adjust workforce models accordingly.
• Risk and compliance frameworks – We update risk registers, compliance plans and audit schedules to reflect Support at Home funding structures, short‑term pathways and CHSP transition timelines.
• Audit preparation and continuous improvement – We support providers to prepare for registration and quality audits that will progressively incorporate Support at Home requirements, including evidence mapping and mock audits.

By combining detailed knowledge of Support at Home reforms with practical expertise in policy design and governance, we assist home care providers to transition with confidence, protect financial sustainability and maintain high‑quality, person‑centred care.