Why choose Local Guardians?

Care management funding supports activities such as:

• developing and reviewing your care plan
• planning and coordinating your services
• managing changes in your care needs
• monitoring your care and safety
• helping you understand your budget and available services
• providing support and education.

Support at Home providers must provide every participant with at least one direct care management activity each month.

Care management funding cannot be used for general business costs such as staff rostering, human resources, provider governance, compliance administration or record keeping.

How much is allocated to care management?

For participants receiving ongoing Support at Home services, the Australian Government deducts 10% of each quarterly budget to fund care management.

The remaining 90% is available for approved care and services included in your care plan and budget.

Care management is fully government funded. You are not required to make a personal contribution towards the care management allocation.

A full-service provider generally employs or contracts its own workforce and sets the prices for the services it delivers.

Local Guardians separates care management from direct service delivery. We do not employ the support workers who visit your home. This allows you to compare providers, negotiate service prices and choose the people who are the best fit for you.

You still receive the oversight and support required under Support at Home, including care planning, budgeting, compliance checks and ongoing care management. The difference is that you retain more control over your services and providers.

Do I have to manage everything myself?

No. Choosing Local Guardians does not mean you are left to manage your care alone.

You decide how involved you want to be. You may choose to:

• organise most services yourself
• share the work with your Care Advisor
• ask for more guidance when your needs or services change.

Local Guardians provides the care management and program oversight required to help keep your arrangement safe, appropriate and compliant.

Local Guardians is an independent Support at Home care management provider. We help you organise and manage your government-funded care while giving you choice over who provides your services, when they are delivered and how much you are willing to pay.

Unlike a traditional full-service provider, Local Guardians does not employ its own workforce or require you to use a set group of support workers. You can choose your own providers and services, while we manage the care planning, budgeting, provider checks and program requirements behind the scenes.

What can Local Guardians do for me?

You are assigned a dedicated Care Advisor who becomes your main point of contact. Your Care Advisor works with you and, where appropriate, your family or representative to understand your needs, goals and preferences.

Local Guardians helps you:

• develop and maintain your care plan
• manage your Support at Home budget
• understand what your funding can be used for
• find suitable local service providers
• check that providers meet relevant compliance requirements
• organise provider agreements
• review proposed services and purchases
• monitor risks and changes in your care needs
• review your care plan and budget when your circumstances change
• process approved invoices and arrange regular provider payments.

What happens day to day?

Once your care plan and services are established, you can communicate directly with your chosen workers and providers to arrange appointments and service times.

Local Guardians remain responsible for overseeing your Support at Home arrangement. This includes checking that services are consistent with your assessed needs, care plan, available budget and government program requirements.

Your Care Advisor is available when you need help with matters such as:

• adding or changing a service
• finding a new provider
• understanding your budget
• requesting approval for an item or service
• updating your care plan
• responding to a change in your health or circumstances
• resolving an issue with a provider
• planning how to use your funding effectively.

The amount of support you receive can be adjusted to suit you. Some clients prefer to organise most of their services independently, while others want more assistance from their Care Advisor.

Yes. You can continue using suitable existing workers, find your own providers or ask Local Guardians to help you identify services in your area.

Your chosen provider must meet the relevant registration, insurance, police-check and compliance requirements before Support at Home funding can be used to pay them. Services must also be included in your care plan and budget.

Under Support at Home, your funding is divided between:

• care management, which supports the planning and oversight of your care
• direct services, such as personal care, cleaning, nursing and allied health
• service delivery costs, including any administration or provider overhead included in the agreed service price.

How does Local Guardians charge for services?

Local Guardians does not employ its own support worker workforce or require you to use workers at a fixed hourly rate.

Instead, you can choose an appropriate third-party worker or service provider. Local Guardians oversees the arrangement and remains responsible for ensuring the service meets Support at Home quality, safety and compliance requirements.

Under the government’s self-management rules, a provider may include an overhead of up to 10% of the actual cost of a third-party service. This overhead must be included in the final agreed service price. It cannot be charged as a separate administration fee.

Local Guardians applies a 10% overhead to third-party service costs to cover responsibilities such as:

• provider compliance and oversight
• quality and governance requirements
• invoice and payment processing
• claims administration
• ongoing support for the service arrangement.

Are fees charged when I do not receive a service?

The 10% care management allocation is deducted from the quarterly budget under the government funding model.

Local Guardians third-party service overhead is only included when a service is delivered. If you do not use a third-party service during a particular period, there is no service invoice and therefore no associated overhead charged for that service.

Does my personal contribution change these amounts?

Your personal contribution is separate from the care management allocation and depends on:

• the category of service you receive
• your income and assets assessment
• the final agreed service price

Clinical support and care management do not attract a participant contribution. Contributions may apply to independence and everyday living services.

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Yes. You can change your Support at Home provider at any time and for any reason.

Local Guardians will first speak with you about your care needs, current services and preferences so you can decide whether our approach is right for you.

How do I switch?

The main steps are:

1. Speak with Local Guardians. We will discuss your current care arrangement, the services you need and how you would like your care to be managed.
2. Check your current service agreement. Review any notice requirements in your agreement with your existing provider.
3. Agree on an exit date. Tell your current provider that you are changing providers and agree on the date their services will end. You should also tell them that Local Guardians will be your new provider.
4. Complete your Local Guardians agreement. We will send you a service agreement to review and sign. We will then begin setting up your Local Guardians account, care plan, budget and services and introduce you to your dedicated Care Advisor.
5. Coordinate the changeover. Local Guardians will confirm your exit date with your previous provider. Your Local Guardians start date must be on or after your agreed exit date.

How much notice do I need to give?

Your required notice period may be set out in your existing service agreement, so you should check this before choosing an exit date.

There is not one standard notice period that applies to every participant who chooses to change providers. The exit date should take account of your circumstances, your current agreement and the need to avoid unnecessary disruption to your care.

Your existing provider cannot charge you an exit fee for leaving its Support at Home service.

Can I keep my existing workers and providers?

In most cases, yes. Local Guardians supports participant choice and can discuss whether your existing workers and providers can continue after you transfer.

Before they can be paid through your Support at Home funding, the arrangements must meet the relevant program, registration, compliance, care-plan and budget requirements.

Where possible, talk to Local Guardians about your existing providers before your exit date so their arrangements can be reviewed and set up in advance.

What happens to my funding when I switch?

Your Support at Home funding moves with you to Local Guardians. This includes your available funding for ongoing services and any retained unspent Home Care Package funds.

The government-held portion of any retained Home Care Package funds is available to your new provider through your home care account.

What should I request from my previous provider?

Ask your previous provider for:

• confirmation of your agreed exit date
• your latest monthly statement
• your final statement when available
• your estimated unspent fund balance
• details of outstanding invoices or adjustments
• confirmation that Local Guardians is recorded as your new provider.

Your previous provider may also need to provide relevant care records and budget information to Local Guardians.

The timing depends on where the funds are held.

Government-held funds. The government-held portion of retained Home Care Package funds is available to the new provider immediately through your home care account.

Funds held by your previous provider. Your previous provider may need to complete a final reconciliation before the exact balance is confirmed. This can include:

• outstanding service invoices
• participant contributions
• service adjustments
• final claims
• the final monthly statement

The previous provider must transfer any participant-held portion of retained Home Care Package funds to the new provider within 60 calendar days of the exit date. Any Commonwealth portion must be returned to Services Australia.

Your previous provider must also provide remaining budget information to Local Guardians within 28 days.

Because of these finalisation steps, the complete balance may not be visible immediately.

Can my services start while the final balance is being confirmed?

Yes. Services can usually begin once:

• you have formally transferred to Local Guardians
• your service agreement is in place
• your care plan and budget have been established
• sufficient confirmed funding is available.

If some funds are still being reconciled by your previous provider, Local Guardians will plan your services around the funding currently available and prioritise your essential care needs.

What happens to retained Home Care Package funds?

Retained Home Care Package funds remain available to support your assessed care needs under Support at Home. They may be used for approved:

• ongoing services
• additional services after your quarterly budget has been used
• assistive technology
• home modifications

The services or items must still meet Support at Home rules and relate to your assessed needs, safety, wellbeing or independence. Some purchases may require an assessment, recommendation, quote or approval before proceeding.

The usual quarterly carryover limit does not apply to retained unspent Home Care Package funds.

Your current provider is required to continue delivering services under your existing service agreement and care plan until the agreed exit date. Your Local Guardians service agreement will then begin on or after that date.

To reduce the risk of a gap, speak with Local Guardians before giving final notice to your existing provider. This gives us time to understand your essential services, prepare your care plan and budget, and organise the arrangements needed for your start date.

Tell us about any services that cannot be interrupted, such as personal care, nursing, medication support or essential transport, as early as possible.