Current location
You are here: help staying at home > financial and legal help > legal issues > rights and responsibilities > community care rights and responsibilitiesHelp staying at home
Community care rights and responsibilities
All service providers have to meet standards when providing care and services.
The standards help ensure that:
- care recipients and service providers work together to decide what care and services are needed
- care recipients and service providers work together to develop care and service plans
- service provider provides information so care recipients can make choices about the services they need
- service providers respects a care recipients privacy and dignity
- care recipients concerns and/or complaints are handled fairly and confidentially
- care recipients have a choice of advocate (someone to speak for them).
Aged Care Act
Community care service providers must comply with responsibilities under laws such as the Aged Care Act 1997. For example, if you receive a Community Aged Care Package (CACP) (more information), Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) (more information) and Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACH D) (more information) you have certain rights and responsibilities.Charter of rights and responsibilities
The Charter of Rights and Responsibilities for Community Care (the Charter) became law on 1 October 2009.The Charter applies to people in receipt of Australian Government funded community care packages legislated under the Aged Care Act 1997:
- Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs) - which provide services such as personal care, social support, home help, meal preparation and transport.
- Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) - which provide clinical support such as registered nurses, and allied health professionals; and
- Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACHD) – which provide the full range of services that EACH packages provide, plus services to meet the specific needs of care recipients with dementia.
- be treated with respect
- be involved in identifying the type of community care they will receive to meet their needs
- choose the care and services that best meet their assessed needs, from the community care available and within the limits of the resources available
- be given a copy of the Charter of Rights and Responsibilities for Community Care
- be offered a written agreement covering everything they and the service provider have agreed to
- be given information on how to make comments and/or complaints about the care and services they are receiving.
- respect the rights of care workers
- provide enough information to help the service provider develop, deliver and review their care plan
- follow the terms and conditions of their written agreement
- pay the fees outlined in their written agreement.
Common questions on this topic:
See all common questions