Are Your Associate Providers Ready for SaH?
What Every Registered Provider Must Know
The move to the Support at Home program marks a significant shift in how aged care services are delivered, managed, and monitored across Australia. While many registered providers have spent the past year preparing for these changes, an often-overlooked area is the readiness and compliance of the associate providers previously known as brokerage services who deliver services on their behalf.
Under Support at Home, accountability doesn't stop at your front door. Registered providers remain responsible for the quality, safety, and compliance of every service delivered under their name — including those delivered by third-party associate providers. This elevates the importance of partnership, transparency, and oversight in every associate relationship.
In this article, we explore how the Support at Home reform affects these relationships, what compliance now requires, and how to build person-centred, mutually beneficial partnerships that meet the expectations of older Australians.
Support at Home: A New Era for Provider Partnerships
Support at Home consolidates current programs like CHSP and Home Care Packages into a single funding stream. But more than just structural reform, it introduces stronger compliance expectations, particularly around governance, quality, and accountability.
For registered providers, this means the relationships with associate providers need to evolve. The model demands not only a signed agreement but active oversight, capacity development, and assurance that every subcontracted service aligns with the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.
Put simply: if your associate provider fails the client, you’re accountable.
5 Key Areas of review for Associate Providers
To ensure readiness, registered providers should work with their associate providers to assess and support them across the following areas:
1. Governance and Documentation
2. Workforce Capability and Training
3. Service Delivery and Client Experience
4. Reporting and Records
5. Partnerships
6. Compliance
Shifting from Transactional to Transformational Partnerships
Support at Home is not just about compliance — it's a chance to redefine partnerships. Moving forward, registered providers should seek collaborative, transparent, and values-aligned relationships with their associate providers. That means:
- Shared goals: Align around client outcomes, not just service delivery.
- Open communication: Regular check-ins, feedback loops, and service reviews.
- Capacity building: Support your associates with training, resources, and guidance — their success is your compliance.
- Continuous improvement: Use audits and data not just to tick boxes but to drive quality.
Time to Act: Reach Out and Reassure
If you haven’t already, now is the time to:
- Contact your associate providers and request a compliance check-in meeting.
- Conduct a gap analysis by citing evidence to identify any shortfalls in readiness.
- Revisit your service agreements to ensure roles, responsibilities, and oversight mechanisms are clearly defined.
At the heart of it all is the older person — their experience, safety, and well-being. Ensuring your associate providers are aligned to that vision isn’t just a compliance requirement — it’s a commitment to the values of person-centred care.
Need Help?
At Aegis Care Partners, we specialise in helping registered and associate providers build strong, compliant partnerships under the Support at Home program.
Download our Associate Provider Compliance Checklist – a practical, expert-developed tool outlining exactly what you need to review, assess, and monitor to meet the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. Whether you're preparing for a quality review or onboarding new partners, this checklist saves you time, reduces risk, and gives you confidence in your compliance.
Ready to protect your organisation and strengthen your partnerships?
Purchase the checklist today for only $49 and take the first step toward peace of mind.
Need tailored advice or a guided review?
📞Contact Aegis to schedule your Associate Provider Compliance Check-In.
📧Email: kthryn@aegiscarepartners.com.au
🌐Visit: www.aegiscarepartners.com.au
Because when it comes to compliance, the details matter— and we’re here to help you get them right.
Associate Provider Checklist
A practical, expert-developed tool outlining exactly what you need to review, assess, and monitor to meet the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards