Home Care Packages (HCP)
Available from 2+ hours to 24 hours 7 days a week live-in care
Serving Sydney & NSW Areas
Care From 1 to 24 Hours Per Day
Live-in Care Available
Can Start On The Same Day
No Set-up Or Exit Fees
Free Personalised Care Plans
About Our Home Care Packages (HCP) Services
For many elderly Australians, moving into a nursing home or aged care facility is not an option; whether it means selling the family home and saying goodbye to a lifetime of memories, or perhaps a loss of independence and a change to a life they love.
That’s why, at Care For Family, we provide expert live-in home care for seniors who wish to maintain their independence, remain at home, and continue enjoying the life they’ve built while using Government funded Home Care Packages.
If you are wondering what Home Care Packages are, what they offer and how you could access one, we’ve put together a guide below that covers everything you need to know about them. If you have any questions, we’d love to hear from you. Scroll down to read more.
Booking our Home Care Package services
Booking our Home Care Package services couldn’t be simpler. All you need to do is:
- Call us on 02 9343 0880 or click here to request a callback
- We’ll then provide a FREE telephone or in-home consultation to help you to decide on the support you need
- If you’d like to proceed, simply book our services and we can start on the same day
“I was so impressed that within 8 hours of requesting care for my Mum we had a care team in place offering the most incredible caring support.”
Wilma & family
“It was a huge relief knowing the care team was always practicing the highest level of professionalism and to know that the same familiar team members arrived every day and night.”
Emmy
“The care team’s support and dedication was truly amazing. Each of the carers enriched Mr Smith’s life in some way and I know that he enjoyed their company. They were always on time for their shifts and so pleasant to be with and I formed a lovely bond with each of them.”
Michelle Johnson
All Care Teams Are…
Expertly trained
Extensively referenced
Police checked
Fully Insured By…
Our Team Values…
Personalised care
Compassion
Reliability
What is a Home Care Package (HCP)?
Home Care Packages allow you to access care while staying in your own home with funding from the Australian Government.
From Feb 2017, more consumer choice has been introduced into the Home Care Package program (HCP). You are now able to direct your Home Care Package to the provider of your choice, spending as you choose, on the support and services you want. This could mean being eligible for up to $51,000 each year.
We are confident that you will be more than satisfied with our services and that we do not charge any exit fees if you wish to terminate your services for any reason.
Why choose Care For Family as a provider?
- We work hard to offer you more care for your package. So much so, we encourage you to compare us to other providers.
- Our team are compassionate and professional.
- We offer personalised, flexible care that works best for you.
- Our team stay for the long-term, which means that you’ll get the chance to build great relationships with our staff.
- We are a family run business with over 30 years’ experience in the care industry.
- 80% of your Home Care Package will be used on your support rather than on administration costs.
- There are no extra fees for our team to travel to your home.
- We can offer help with any extra support or assistive technologies you may need.
What support can I have with a Home Care Package?
There’s a wide range of services you or your loved one can access from transport, health or care support depending on what and how much help you’re looking for. Below we’ve put together some of the types of support you can access within your Home Care Package.
Help at home
Having some help at home can allow independent living. We can provide support with cleaning, tidying or home and garden maintenance. That could be some help with changing a lightbulb or having someone to help tidy and organise cupboards.
In-home respite care
A Home Care Package can be used for respite care, which means care provided by a friend or relative is covered if they need a breather or are ill.
This can give a carer a rest and help to prioritise safety and independence in order to maintain a high quality of life at home. This can be for a few hours or for a longer overnight break and will give a carer the chance to take a rest.
Food
Preparing shopping lists, transport to a supermarket and making delicious home-cooked meals are all aspects of care our team can support you with. And we can help with as much or as little help that you need. For example, you might just want help with picking up some groceries but enjoy cooking the meal.
Changes to your home
If there are any issues with mobility, we can help make a home feel safer. This could be adding in ramps, rails or aids such as showering aids, bed rails or pressure-relieving mattresses to you or your loved one’s home.
Personal care
We can help with any personal care needed, such as showering, personal or dental hygiene, incontinence management, dressing or assistance with transfers. We are able to support requests for gender-specific care.
Fitness
We can support you or your loved one in keeping fit with the help of a physiotherapist or personal trainer (PT). We can also provide transport to activity classes such as yoga or meditation. Your care professional can help support and maintain an exercise programme as set out by the physio, PT or occupational therapist.
Transport
We can arrange transport for trips planned from visits to friends to shopping trips.
Social support
It’s important to keep an active social life. And we can provide care companionship and help support and join in the activities that the recipient of the HCP is passionate about and loves.
How can I apply for a Home Care Package?
Australian residents aged over 65, Torres Strait Islanders or Aboriginal people over 50, looking for some support at home can apply for a Home Care Package.
While it’s easy and quick to apply, it can take over a year before the funds are ready so our advice is to apply as soon as you can. And if you can’t wait that long, you could explore privately funded support with us in the meantime.
1. Apply early
Apply as soon as you can by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or by registering online by visiting: www.myagedcare.gov.au/assessment
You’ll be asked some questions about you or your loved one’s care needs and you will need the Medicare card of the HCP recipient to hand. If you’re calling on behalf of someone else, they’ll need to be with you on the call to give their consent.
And if you need any support while you’re waiting, you can talk to us about arranging privately funded care in the meantime. Simply call 02 9343 0880 or request a callback.
2. Assessment
A professional clinician will come and meet you to carry out an assessment to help you find out what support you’ll need. They’ll ask you questions about your health, what support you may get from friends and family, your hobbies and how mobile you are at home.
3. Approval letter
My Aged Care will send an approval letter after the assessment to let you know what subsidies you are able to have. It will contain a referral code to access your Home Care Package, so keep it safe!
4. Allocation letter
Around one year later you’ll get a letter to say your funds are ready for you to choose your provider and start using the Home Care Package. You have up to 56 days to do this otherwise the funds are given to someone else!
What do Home Care Packages cost?
It can be difficult to understand all of the different fees and how much the Government funding covers for each type of support. So, we’ve put together some information about what fees there are and how they work to help make Home Care Packages a little easier to understand!
Care For Family will help you manage your Home Care Packages for pensioners, part-pensioners and self-funded retirees. And the total management fees are only 20% of each package.
Unlike many providers, we don’t charge any basic daily care fees or exit fees. What is even more reassuring is that our services fees are low, which means that you get more care for your package than you would do with most other providers.
This means that you’ll always get the best value for your Home Care Packages and your private care too if you need any because we still offer exceptionally high levels of quality, professional and compassionate care even at comparatively low prices.
We can do this because we believe that the highest quality care should be available to everyone that needs it.
What fees are chargeable for Home Care Package provision?
Income-tested fee
The Government fee is known as the income-tested fee. There will be an income test so that the Government can work out if you can afford to contribute to the care.
This will be done through Centrelink and they will write a letter explaining whether additional contributions are needed for the care. If the HCP recipient earns over $53,731.60, they’ll pay an income-tested care fee on a sliding scale of up to $11,234.96 per year.
There’s a lifetime cap of around $67,400. If the HCP applicant is a full pensioner, they won’t need to pay for this. And if they’re a part-pensioner, they’ll never pay more than $5,617.47 per annum.
Basic daily care fee
Many providers charge a basic daily fee, but we don’t charge this. The basic fee is set by the Government and is a maximum of $10.75 per day, or 17.5% of the pension rate.
Administration fees
Administration fees cover the day to day running of the business, such as paying our staff wages, travel and insurance. We try to keep these costs down to no more than 20 per cent of your overall package funds, so that more money can be spent on exceptional care.
Establishment or set-up fees
Unlike other companies We do not charge any set-up fees for your Home Care Package service, which some providers do.
Exit fees
Some providers charge exit fees, but we are confident you’ll be happy with our services so we don’t charge you an exit fee.
Care management fees
Care management fees cover the costs to manage and organise the HCP care for you or your loved one, which we’ve detailed below in this handy table along with information about some of the other remaining costs of a Home Care Package depending on what support you need.
What does Care For Family charge for managing Home Care Packages?
We charge a total of 25% of our Level 1&2 clients’ HCPs as management fees, and 21.5% of our Level 3&4 clients’ HCPs as management fees, which is low by industry standards.
Level 1&2 Fees Breakdown
%
INVOICING
%
BASIC DAILY CARE FEE
%
EXIT FEES
%
PLAN MANAGEMENT
%
CARE MANAGEMENT
Level 3&4 Fees Breakdown
%
INVOICING
%
BASIC DAILY CARE FEE
%
EXIT FEES
%
PLAN MANAGEMENT
%
CARE MANAGEMENT
Plan Management
We partner with a Home Care Package management company to ensure correct Government reporting and transparency. You can track all spending and have control over your funds through their website.
Care Management
Your care manager will meet you to understand your lifestyle, your goals, your care requirements, and to set your budget. When your needs change, your care manager will ensure your continued care.
Invoicing
This covers the administration costs of invoicing and bank charges.
Basic Daily Care Fee
This is the government set contribution, Care For Family does not collect this fee. Many providers do, which means that you get less care for your money with them.
Exit Fees
This is a fee to end the agreement before the end of the year. Many providers charge exit fees and in our opinion, this causes undue stress for clients and can restrict their ability to get the right care for them. Care For Family doesn’t ever charge these fees so that our clients have the total freedom to end their services or move to another provider whenever they choose.
Our fee structure for all HCP levels
Type of Fee |
Description |
Package Level |
Amount |
| Plan Management | We partner with Local Guardians to ensure correct government reporting and transparency. You are able to track all spending and have control over your funds through the Local Guardian website. | All Levels | 8% |
| Care Management | Your care manager will meet you to understand your lifestyle, your goals, your care requirements, and to set your budget. When your needs change, your care manager will ensure your continued care. | Level 1 & 2 Level 3 & 4 |
17.0% 13.5% |
| Invoicing | The care management fee covers all invoicing fees | All Levels | $0 |
| Basic Daily Care Fee | This is the government set contribution, CFF does not collect this fee. | All Levels | $0 |
| Exit Fees | A fee to end the agreement before the end of the year | All Levels | $0 |
How many hours of care will I get from Care For Family with my HCP?
If you’d like to compare the number of hours of care that you’d receive from Care For Family to other providers, you can quickly see in the table below how many hours of care you’d receive from us in relation to each Home Care Package level.
Package Level |
Care hours per week* |
Care hours per Fortnight** |
| Level 1 | 2 hrs 30 mins | 5 hrs 15 mins |
| Level 2 | 4 hrs | 8 hrs |
| Level 3 | 10 hrs | 20 hrs |
| Level 4 | 15 hrs | 30 hrs |
*Where all remaining funds in package are used to purchase CFF care at Monday to Friday rates 2020-2021 rates. Figures do not include cognition or veterans supplement.
**Where all remaining funds in package are used to purchase CFF care at Monday to Friday rates 2020-2021 rates. Figures do not include cognition or veterans supplement nor temporary COVID subsidy.
Please know that if you require night or weekend care, Registered Nurse or Allied Health services, mileage, equipment hire and nursing resources paid by your Home Care Package, it will use some of your budget reducing the hours of care your Government Funded Home Care Package can pay for.
What if I need more care than is covered by my Home Care Package?
If you need more care than your Home Care Package covers then we can help you to top-up your care needs with our private care services.
In the table below you can see our great value private care rates:
Day |
Time |
AIN/Carer |
RN/High Care |
| Monday – Friday | (8:00 am – 8:00 pm) | $52.00/hr | $70/hr |
| Monday – Friday | (8:00 pm – 8:00 am) | $52.00/hr | $70/hr |
| Weekend | (8:00 am – 8:00 pm) | $61.50/hr | $90.00/hr |
| Weekend | (8:00 pm – 8:00 am) | $61.50/hr | $90.00/hr |
| Public Holiday | (8:00 am – 8:00 pm) | $79.50/hr | $135.00/hr |
| Public Holiday | (8:00 pm – 8:00 am) | $79.50/hr | $135.00/hr |
| Weekday Sleepover (8 hours sleep) Semi-active | (8:00 pm – 6:00 am) | $385.00 | N/A |
| Weekend Sleepover (8 hours sleep) Semi-active | (8:00 pm – 6:00 am) | $450.00 | N/A |
What else do I need to know about my Government funded or subsidised Health Care Package?
For part pensioners and fully self-funded retirees, there are some costs involved. A part pensioner will be asked by the Government to pay part of the Income Tested Care Fee. While a fully funded retiree will be asked by the Government to pay the maximum income-tested care fee.
Unsure about where to start?
With years of experience in in-home care, we’re available to help you work out what support you need. Whether you are planning for the future or would like to start care immediately, we can help. Give us a call, we’d love to hear form you.
CALL: 02 9343 0880
Our Private In-Home Care Services
Available from 1+ hours to 24 hours 7 days a week live-in care
Aged Care
Alzheimer's Disease Care
Dementia Care
Disability Care
Domestic Assistance
Home Care Packages
Live-in Home Care for Seniors
NDIS Service
Home Nursing Care
Palliative Care
Parkinson's Disease Care
Personal Care
Overnight Home Care
Respite Care
24-Hour Aged Care
We’re Trusted Experts
As long-term experts in aged care, we’ve been featured by many online and offline publications providing helpful advice, recommendations and commentary.
