The future of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) was in focus this week, with Ageing Australia hosting a national CHSP Summit in Melbourne on Tuesday (22 September).
The aim: to build a collective vision for entry-level in-home care as the program prepares to transition into the Government’s new Support at Home scheme.
The aged care peak body has hosted a Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) Summit in Melbourne on Tuesday (22 September), with the aim of building a collective vision for in-home care following the introduction of Support at Home.
Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson (pictured above) opened the event, reflecting on CHSP’s critical role in providing older Australians with accessible, entry-level support.
The Federal Government has extended CHSP until 30 June 2027, with the intention that from 1 July 2027, CHSP clients will enter new service agreements under Support at Home, which begins rolling out from 1 November 2025.
“This Summit was a landmark moment for our sector,” Tom told The Weekly SOURCE. “It brought together over 100 people with deep knowledge of CHSP and passion for ensuring older people can access high quality, entry-level aged care services.
“It allowed for an honest reflection on what works in CHSP, what doesn’t, and how we can build a stronger foundation as we transition to Support at Home.”
Key themes
Discussions generated valuable insights into the future of entry-level aged care, with consensus around:
- putting older people and their families at the centre of design;
- ensuring wellbeing and reablement-focused supports to maintain independence;
- embedding flexible and responsive funding as a core feature; and
- continuing block funding to guarantee access and affordability in thin markets.
Tom said the summit is the first step in what will be a longer-term dialogue. Insights will be captured in a forthcoming Principles and Recommendations Paper, to be prepared by Ageing Australia for Government consideration.
With CHSP serving more than 800,000 older Australians each year, the question is whether the spirit of CHSP – flexible, low-barrier supports that keep people living independently – can be carried into Support at Home without being lost in translation.
