The Home Care Workforce Support Program is supporting the aged care sector to grow the home care workforce by 13,000 workers over the next 2 years.
COTA Queensland has been contracted by the Australian Government Department of Health to lead the Guaranteeing Consumer Centred Care Home Care Workforce Support Program Consortium to attract, train and support the retention of personal care workers (PCWs) across Queensland.
What are we doing through the Program?
We are working in collaboration with Skills Hubs and Skills Generation to:
- Attract and recruit new personal care workers to the sector,
- Support new personal care workers to complete high-quality training, and
- Upskill the existing workforce.
What is COTA Queensland’s role in this program?
As well as leading the consortium, our focus is working alongside those in the sector to ensure this new home care workforce has the right skills and knowledge to deliver high quality, person-centred care, and that they are supported to deliver that care.
Our activities through the Home Care Workforce Support Program enhance the development of a consumer-centred workforce by focusing on two key points:
- staff knowledge, skills, and confidence, addressing skills and knowledge gaps and practice supports that are needed; and
- what organisations need to do to support those staff, because consumer-centred care must be supported by the service provider organisation.
To address these, we are working from multiple angles. Of course, we are keeping the consumer perspective at the centre, and we are also working with potential and current aged care staff, providers, RTOs, and recruitment providers, as well as feeding up into policy discussions about the system and structures that need to be in place.
An important part of this program is bringing together stakeholders to understand what is needed to support change, and to create practical, impactful strategies. We have a strong focus on the lived experiences of those providing and receiving care and support.
How will we know if we’ve been successful?
The Project will be evaluated by Professor Julie Byles AO, a clinical epidemiologist, with research interests in ageing including the role of health services, preventive activities, and treatments in maintaining quality of life for older people, and in determining physical, psychological and social factors associated with optimal physical and mental health of men and women as they age.