The Department of Health is reminding providers that changes to the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2020 (SCHADS Award) begin from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July – a step that is set to majorly impact on home care providers.
‘This is a big deal for us’: Stuart Miller, myHomeCare CEO
The changes are a result of the Fair Work Commission’s four-yearly review of the SCHADS Award and are aimed at trying to provide a fair and minimum safety net of terms and conditions.
What will change?
According to the Department’s advice:
- Casual home care employees must be paid for a minimum of two hours for each shift (increased from one hour),
- Part-time home care employees must be paid for a minimum of two hours for each shift,
- There are two new broken shift allowances payable when employees work a broken shift, with a higher payment if there are two breaks,
- When an employee is required to work a broken shift, the minimum payment requirement above applies to each period of work in that broken shift,
- The introduction of a damaged clothing allowance,
- The introduction of minimum payment and other requirements for employees who perform remote work as defined under the SCHADS Award, and
- New rules around pay and make-up time that apply where a care recipient cancels a service.
“These changes do not require employees to spend the entire minimum shift of two hours with one care recipient. All employees can continue to see more than one care recipient, at more than one location, within their minimum two-hour payment time,” the Department said.
