Carers Victoria Sector Impact, Learning and Development

Working in partnership, we build the capacity of any organisation to improve outcomes for carers by becoming more carer aware and to embed carer-friendly practices.

Our goal is to:

• increase awareness of the carer experience
• increase knowledge of services that improve outcomes for carers, their families and networks
• support connection to carers, including ‘hidden’ carers, people that don’t identify as a carer
• strengthen the ability of service providers to engage and support carers accessing their services.

We do this by providing learning and development opportunities and individualised sector consultation services.

Professional Learning and Development

Carers Victoria offers professional learning and development that supports your service delivery to better understand the needs of carers by providing information, resources and learning opportunities.

Sector Consultation Services

Carers Victoria provides direct advice and support to your organisation around:

• how to increase knowledge about carers in the workforce
• carer strategies
• additional sector support
• how to be designated a ‘Carer Friendly Place.’

Carers in the Workplace

It is estimated that one in nine employees are carers to a family member or friend. This responsibility may mean carers need some modification or flexibility in their roles. The Federal Government, through Carers Australia, has released an excellent initiative that provides some highly useful resources for employers.

Please consider the e-learning and the self-assessment process for your organisation. https://carerinclusive.com.au/

Becoming Carer Aware

Carers Victoria provides regular professional development for organisations and staff to understand the needs of carers, both as staff and clients. To register for one of our free sessions, please follow the link to our calendar and select ‘Becoming Carer Aware’.

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Connecting professionals and organisations working with, and providing support to unpaid carers with information, tools and research.

Past Issues

Aged Care | Commonwealth Home Support Programme Provider

As part of your job role, do you engage with unpaid carers that support a family member or friend?

Carers Victoria provides support to organisations and staff working under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). With significant aged care reform, it is important to understand the role of people who provide informal support to clients in your program. The focus is on understanding unpaid carers in our community, exploring their issues and experience and avenues for support services.

For direct support please email us at sectorengagement@carersvictoria.org.au

Carers Victoria also offer workshops to better understand carers, and can provide a tailored workshop to your organisation. Please see our training schedule here.

For information about the aged care reforms please see the following key links:

• Support at Home: overview and links for additional information
• Support at Home: Webinars, Slides, Factsheets, Reports
• Get involved – Aged Care Engagement Hub
• Subscribe to aged care newsletters and alerts

This service is supported by the Australian Government.

Aged Care Hub

Carers Victoria has worked with Carers NSW to develop a range of resources for CHSP Providers.

These can be found on the Aged Care Hub on the Carers NSW website.
www.carersnsw.org.au/aged-care-hub

Engaging Your Workforce – Attracting and Retaining Carers

Below is a nine minute presentation developed for providers of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) but is also relevant to any aged care services provider who is interested in making their workplace ‘carer friendly.’ The content covers a definition of carers, understanding the value carers bring to the workforce, and practical ideas for becoming a ‘carer friendly’ organisation.

To learn more about being a carer inclusive workplace, we recommend the federal Carer-Inclusive Workplace Initiative.

Carer Friendly Workplaces Video

• To turn on captions, please select the CC button on the bottom right hand corner of your screen.
• To support the video, please find a relevant FAQ resource.
• To support the carers in your service, please find this handout of useful supports and benefits to refer to.

These resources have been developed with the support of the Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care.