Frequently asked questions about working in home care

A career in home care offers many benefits for flexible work, a range of work options, and the potential to build a meaningful career.

We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions and answers to help clarify what home care work can look like for you.

Home care is in-home professional daily living support for seniors.

Home care workers support seniors with simple tasks inside and outside the home. These include shopping, social outings, light household work, cleaning, helping with medications, cooking and food preparation, and ultimately, helping seniors to live at home for longer.

Working in home care is perfect for people looking for a fulfilling long-term career. You won’t need any prior qualifications and our free workforce support program will guide you through every step of the way.
If you have soft skills like empathy and patience, enjoy the company of seniors, and you live or can work in NSW or the ACT, a career in home care could be for you.
We also help you with gain requirements including;
● Driver’s licence
● First Aid training
● Connect you with a registered training organisation for additional training options such as Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing and Disability).

Home care roles can be full-time, part-time or casual. You can take on a workload best suited to your lifestyle and work fewer hours if needed. There are also roles available in a wide range of locations including regional suburbs, giving you the freedom to work where and when you want to work.

You don’t need any to begin, but SSI can support you with gaining new ones, including:
● Professional mentoring and career coaching
● Free accredited and non-accredited training
● Access to specified Home Care Traineeship, including a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) or Health Services Assistance.

Home care offers many different opportunities to progress in your career. We can help you upskill and move forward in:
● personal care work
● administration
● home care management
● nursing
● counselling
● care coordination
● allied health – health practitioners who are not doctors, dentists, nurses or midwives. e.g. psychologists, podiatrists, physiotherapists, pharmacists
● speech pathology, and many other career paths.
You can download our Home Care Career Roadmap to view an outline of the different development pathways and find the right one for you.

Following a decision by the Fair Work Commission, as of 30 June 2023, direct carers and certain senior food services employees nationwide have received a 15 per cent wage increase.
This means that working in home care is recognised for the value and quality of the work, while also matching the growing cost of living.

Home care offers the chance to do meaningful work that has a positive impact.
You can expect flexible working hours and the option to either work full-time or part-time. There are also positions available in many different locations, including regional areas, meaning you can work near where you live, work on a schedule that suits you and be able to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Through SSI’s Home Care Workforce Support Program, you can also receive a complimentary 12-month My NRMA membership that allows you to access discounts on fuel, electricity, dining, insurance and much more.

Yes, but SSI supports you with this process. Our team will walk you through the entire process and even reimburse the cost of Working With Children Checks and National Police checks.

Our Participant Service Delivery team supports you in the registration process and covers NDIS costs and background check costs. Where needed, we will also refer you to our training team for any further accreditation you may need.
We also assist with obtaining a driver’s license and car insurance, making sure you’re ready for the job.
We create a Care Profile for every participant that gathers information on your lived experience related to care and helps generate a one-page snapshot of who you are and what your skills are.

Within 24 hours of your initial query, our team will respond via phone, email or text to begin the eligibility screening process.
Depending on the provider, the placement process can take approximately six to eight weeks, however, we work tirelessly behind the scenes to expedite it as much as possible.
We also provide post-placement follow-up calls at one, three, six and twelve-month intervals that track your progress once you are paired with a provider.

Start your journey in home care by registering for the Home Care Workforce Support Program here.