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Community Aged Care Packages
The Community Aged Care Package (CACP) program provides a planned and managed package of community care (more information) if you have complex care needs and would like to remain living in your own home.
- How can CACP help me?
- Who is eligible?
- How much does it cost?
- Rights and responsibilities
- Standards of care
- Quality Reporting
- Do you have a complaint?
How can CACP help me?
Your CACP care manager’s role is to plan and manage your care package, tailoring it to your individual needs. For example, a package may give you help with personal care such as bathing and dressing, domestic assistance such as housework and shopping, or possibly help participating in social activities.Other types of services that may be provided include:
- meal preparation
- laundry
- assistance with continence management (more information)
- transport
- personal care
- social support
- home help
- gardening, and
- temporary in-home respite care (more information).
Who is eligible?
To be eligible to receive a care package, you must be assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT or ACAS in Victoria) (more information) as requiring the level of assistance this package delivers.Read more: About being assessed for community care
Next step: Aged Care Assessment Team Finder
How much does it cost?
ACAT assessments are free of charge but in most cases, you will be charged a fee toward the cost of your package. You should agree on the fee to be charged for care services with your service provider. If you are on the basic pension, you cannot be asked to pay more than 17.5% of that pension. If you have higher income, you may be asked to pay more than that (but no more than 50% of that higher income). If you cannot pay the fee, you will not be denied a service that you need. The amount charged forms part of an agreement between you and the service provider.Updated rates are available at the Department of Health and Ageing.
Rights and responsibilities
Community care service providers are expected to comply with obligations under laws such as the Aged Care Act 1997. Under these laws you have the right to be treated respectfully and be informed and consulted about your care.Read more: About rights & responsibilities
Read more: The Aged Care Act 1997
Standards of care
The Australian Government sets standards to ensure you receive quality care. For example, community care standards make sure that you receive a service that meets your individual needs and you have access to complaints procedures if you need them.Read more: About standards of care
Quality Reporting
Services that provide CACPs are required to take part in Quality Reporting. It checks that services have systems and processes in place to meet the care standards that are put in place by government legislation.Read more: About Quality Reporting
Do you have a complaint?
If you have any concerns about the care being provided, it’s often best to raise your concerns, in the first instance, with the service provider. However, if you’re unable to resolve the issue or prefer not to complain directly to the service provider, the Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme is a free service that seeks to resolve your complaints about your health, safety and/or welfare – and it’s available to your relatives, guardians or representatives as well.Read more: About how to make a complaint
