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How Support at Home Affects Carers and Family Members

Elderly woman beside a younger woman smiling, navigating Support at Home paperwork.

Support at Home is the program the person you care for is on, but a lot of what changed lands on you too: how you get information, how you’re involved in decisions, and what support exists for you as a carer, not just for them. If your family member was already receiving a Home Care Package before 12 September 2024, most of what they had is protected.

If they came in after that date, or are new to aged care support at home, the rules are a little different. Either way, you do not have to navigate any of it alone, and there is real support built into the system for carers themselves.

What Actually Changed, and Who it Affects

On 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program. For the person you care for, this touched their funding classification, their budget, and how services are arranged. For you, the change is less about paperwork and more about a shift in rhythm: new terminology to learn, sometimes a new provider conversation, and often a period of reassurance that what has been working does not need to stop working.

Where someone sits depends largely on one date. People already receiving, or approved for, a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024 are generally treated as grandfathered participants, with protections designed to mean they are no worse off under the new system. 

People approved between that date and the 1 November 2025 transition, and everyone assessed since, generally move onto the new classifications and contribution rules directly. Our guide to the 2026 Support at Home changes covers this in more detail if you want the fuller picture.

If Your Family Member Had Care Before the Changes

If your family member is one of Kanda’s grandfathered Home Care Package clients , the intent behind the “no worse off” principle is straightforward: their existing fee arrangements should generally continue, meaning if they were paying no contributions, that generally does not change, and income-tested fees are not meant to increase as a result of the transition. Their previous package funding also converts to a matching Support at Home classification, so the level of funding they were used to should carry across.

What is worth watching, and worth asking your provider about directly, is anything outside those core protections: provider pricing can still change over time, and reassessments can still happen if care needs genuinely change. The safest approach is to ask your provider plainly what has changed and what has not for your specific situation, rather than assuming either way.

Getting Information as a Family Member or Carer

One of the most practical questions carers ask is simply: how do I find out what is going on? My Aged Care now uses a system called a registered supporter, which replaced the older “representative” arrangement in October 2025. Being registered as a supporter means you can communicate the person’s wishes to My Aged Care, assessors and providers, help with decisions about assessments, referrals and everyday aged care choices, and request and receive information on their behalf.

Registering is simple: call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, use the person’s My Aged Care Online Account, complete an online or printed form, or ask an assessor or Aged Care Specialist Officer to help set it up during an assessment.

If you were previously listed as a representative, that arrangement should have transitioned automatically, but it is worth confirming this yourself rather than assuming it carried over. Our My Aged Care assessment guide has more on preparing for and navigating assessments as a family.

how Support at Home affects carers and family members

Caring for Someone Often Means Caring for Yourself Too

It is easy for a carer's own wellbeing to become the last thing discussed, but the system does have support built in for you specifically, separate from anything funded through the person you care for. Carer Gateway is the Australian Government's dedicated service for unpaid carers, generally offering things like counselling, coaching, peer support and access to respite, so you can get a genuine break. It is free to access and separate from My Aged Care.

Respite itself can also come through the person's own care arrangements. In-home respite allows a support worker to step in for a period so you can rest, attend to your own appointments, or simply have a day that is not built entirely around caregiving. It is worth raising directly with your provider what respite options exist within the current care plan.

Learn about In-home Respite Care Go to Carer Gateway

What Support Looks Like Day to Day

Beyond the administrative changes, day-to-day life for many families involves the same practical services as before, just delivered under a new name. Community nursing can take pressure off carers managing wound care, medications or post-hospital recovery on top of everything else. If the person you care for is a veteran, it is also worth checking whether Veterans’ Home Care options apply, since DVA-funded support sits outside Support at Home and can sometimes offer a better fit.

Questions Worth Asking As Things Change

Support at Home has brought new terms and some new rules, so it is normal for carers and family members to feel a step behind. You do not need to learn every detail to stay in the loop. What helps most is knowing what to ask, and asking early, before a small uncertainty turns into a surprise on an invoice or a gap in support.

A few honest questions to your provider go a long way: 

  • Has anything about our fees or funding changed under Support at Home, and if so, why? 
  • What is our current classification and quarterly budget? What support exists for me as a carer, not just for the person I look after? 
  • Is there a registered supporter set up so I can get information without having to ask every time? 

A provider who answers these plainly, rather than defensively, is one worth staying with.

Frequently asked questions

Generally, if they were approved on or before 12 September 2024, the "no worse off" principle is intended to protect their existing fee arrangements and carry their funding across to a matching classification. Confirm the specifics with your provider, as individual circumstances can vary.

Register as a supporter on their My Aged Care account. This lets you communicate their wishes, help with decisions, and request information directly, rather than relying on them to pass everything along.

Carer Gateway is the Australian Government's free service for unpaid carers, generally offering counselling, coaching, peer support and access to respite. It operates separately from My Aged Care and Support at Home.

In-home respite lets a support worker step in for a period so you can rest or attend to your own needs. Ask your provider what respite options are included in the current care plan.

Your current provider should be able to walk you through your specific classification, budget and fees. You are also welcome to get in touch with Kanda for a plain-language conversation about your situation.

You Look After Them. Let Us Look After Some of the Details.

If you are supporting a family member through Support at Home and want a straightforward conversation about what it means for both of you, we are happy to help, with no pressure and no jargon. Enquire below.

Support Coordinators, allied health professionals and other family members can also send a referral below.
For official information, visit My Aged Care or Carer Gateway, or call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

Send a referral Enquire here