What is Care management?
Also known as: Support at Home care management, care partner
Care management is the Support at Home service in which a care partner helps a participant plan, coordinate and review their care. It is funded by setting aside 10% of each participant's quarterly budget into a pooled care management account held by the provider, and must be delivered to every participant, including those who self-manage.
Because the funding is pooled across participants, the provider claims care management from its care management account as activities are delivered, rather than from each participant's own budget.
A monthly care management minimum applies, so providers need to record care management activity for each participant every month.
What counts as care management
- Care planning: developing or reviewing the care plan and individualised budget
- Service planning and management: working with workers, the participant and their registered supporters to keep care continuous across settings
- Monitoring, reviewing and evaluating: identifying and managing the participant's risks and goals
- Support and education: helping participants and supporters make informed decisions and access other ageing-related programs
Care discussions should cover the service agreement, care plan and budget, and embed wellness and reablement.
How it is funded
For ongoing services, Services Australia deducts 10% from each participant's quarterly budget, pools the amounts at the service delivery branch level, and credits the pooled funding, plus any care management supplement participants are eligible for, to the provider's care management account on the first day of each quarter. When the provider claims care management, Services Australia deducts it from that account.
For the Restorative Care Pathway and End-of-Life Pathway, care management is claimed against the participant's pathway funding account instead.
Care partners
Care management is delivered by a staff member called a care partner. There are no mandatory qualifications for the role, but care partners should be appropriately trained aged care workers with relevant experience, and providers can use clinically qualified care partners for participants with complex needs. In the Restorative Care Pathway the role is filled by a restorative care partner.
Because the account is pooled, providers can direct more care partner time to participants who need it, but every participant must still receive care management each month.
Care partners should review the care plan with the participant at least once every 12 months, and sooner if the participant asks, their needs or goals change, or they receive a higher classification. When the care plan changes, review the individualised budget at the same time.
How Rostery helps
Rostery records care management minutes against each participant, tracks the pooled care management account each quarter, and flags participants who have not yet reached the monthly minimum.
Questions people ask
How much of a Support at Home budget goes to care management?
10% of each participant's quarterly budget for ongoing services is set aside for care management and pooled in the provider's care management account.
Do self-managing participants get care management?
Yes. A care partner must provide care management activities even if the participant chooses to self-manage.
What qualifications does a care partner need?
There are no mandatory qualifications. Care partners should be trained aged care workers with relevant experience, and some providers use clinically qualified care partners for complex needs.
Checked against the official sources on 2 October 2026. Rules change: confirm the current position with the agency before you rely on it.
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Rostery handles this in practice
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