About Attendant Care

Attendant care refers to any paid care or support services delivered at a person’s home or in their community to assist them to remain living in the community. It targets people of all ages, with ill health or a disability. Attendant care aims to maintain or improve a person’s independence and reduce his/her risk of admission to a facility or hospital. This is achieved by providing assistance based on each person’s individual needs. It may include nursing care and assistance with all activities of daily living including personal assistance, domestic services, community access, vocational support, educational support, child care services, gardening/home maintenance, respite care, palliative care, social support, therapy program support.

Attendant care therefore supports the Commonwealth and State policies of allowing people to actively participate in society, remain in their own homes and avoid unnecessary residential care. 

The Attendant Care Environment

The Attendant Care sector is fast-growing and its services are in demand. Due to the nature and complexity of funding models and the lack of research in the sector, it is difficult to accurately describe the sector. However, community care funding continues to grow more rapidly than health. ACiA member providers alone employ more than 15,000 workers (and to put this into perspective, this is more workers than the Victorian Department of Human Services)

• There is increased competition for attendant care provider services and yet there has been limited attention paid to building the capacity of this sector so it can remain a sustainable industry
• The sector is still largely unregulated, resulting in a lack of consistency in service delivery
• Services being provided are increasingly complex and diverse
• There are critical workforce issues to be addressed including: isolation; increasing complexity of client care needs requiring higher level training imposing pressure on low-paid workers; an aging workforce; difficulties with recruitment, and retention and high turnover of staff

Attendant Care Industry Association (ACiA)

 The Attendant Care Industry Association (ACiA) was established in 2005 as a peak industry body to address key issues facing this expanding industry. It represents the non-government sector including charitable and private organisations. While ACiA had been focused on NSW services, it is now progressing toward its establishment as a National organisation with a National agenda.

ACiA’s vision is that the Attendant Care industry is known and respected as a provider of quality services within a sustainable environment.

ACiA’s Objectives Are To

• raise the profile of Attendant Care
• represent Attendant Care Service Providers
• advocate for the delivery of quality care services in the community
• identify, support, promote and advise best practice in Attendant Care
• advance competencies and skills of service providers
• enhance the professionalism of the industry
• advocate for appropriate legislation and policies at a national, state and local level
• encourage intersectoral collaboration between service providers, policy makers, researchers and funders
• remain apolitical.

ACiA Activities

To achieve our vision and objectives, ACiA

• responds to government policy initiatives/proposals
• convenes industry forums
• conducts education
• publishes monthly bulletins and email alerts for members
• publishes quarterly newsletters for stakeholders
• maintains a website for members
• provides industry representation on government advisory committees
• develops ACiA Policies/Position Papers on relevant topics such as administration of medication in the community
• has developed a quality management system standard and certification program, specifically for the Attendant Care Industry.

Attendant Care Quality System

With considerable industry stakeholder support, ACiA has now developed a nationally recognised management systems standard that addresses specific attendant care quality requirements. This was in response to ACiA’s analysis of currently available Certification systems. The analysis highlighted that other systems/standards did not address areas of significant concern to community care provision.

Support for the development of the standards and the certification process was received from NSW Lifetime Care and Support Authority, NSW Motor Accident Authority, VIC Transport Accident Commission and WorkCover NSW. These funding bodies, along with other funding bodies have agreed to use the ACiA Endorsed Certification to the Attendant Care Industry Management System Standard 2008 as the industry endorsed quality benchmark for provision of their attendant care services.

What the Attendant Care Industry Management System Standard 2008

(ACIMSS) Provides

The Standard and related Certification is:

• relevant specifically to Attendant Care
• rigorous and focused on outcomes of care
• nationally recognised as endorsed by JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System for Australia and New Zealand)
• supported by government departments and funding bodies
• industry endorsed
• promotes efficiency by
• providing a single quality certification system to meet funders and client needs
• reducing the need for funders to implement their own quality systems
• reducing funder costs through the utilisation of a formal, external, recognised system
• reducing the need for follow-up on extensive quality requirements

The first organisation achieved ACiA Endorsed Certification to ACIMSS: 2008 in October 2009. Currently 20 organisations are enrolled in the program.

Further Information

More information about ACiA and its activities can be found by contacting ACiA on 02 9264 7197 or by email contact@aciansw.org.au