Aged Care, Disability Care, Home & Community Carers Insurance Policies

Lower needs:

This support provides supervision of living arrangements including occasional to intermittent prompting to undertake household tasks and/or self- care activities:

• Supervision is not usually provided 24/7, supervision may be provided via off-site monitoring if appropriate
• If the participant has had incidents of challenging behaviour, a behaviour support plan is in place, and it is demonstrated that the participant can be supported effectively within the available support

Where a participant has additional support needs, they may be supported in this living arrangement through a mix of additional paid and informal supports

Standard needs:

This support provides 24/7 support which includes:

• Active assistance or supervision of most daily tasks
• Regular inactive overnight (sleepover)
• Participants may be able to spend some time with their family or a friend without paid support and may call on them for incidental assistance or companionship

If the participant has episodic or occasional challenging behaviours there is a behaviour support plan in place which has been demonstrated to effectively support the person within the available support

Higher needs:

This support provides highly frequent (at least 1 instance per shift) assistance to the individual where features such as:

• Managing challenging behaviours that require intensive positive behaviour support
• Continual, active assistance with all daily tasks
• Active management of complex medical needs such as ventilation
• Active support is provided 24/7 usually with an active overnight shift
• Inactive overnight sleepover may be included as an exception, for example when family or friends sleepover

May include higher staffing ratios at peak periods, for episodic or incidental behaviour supports, or emergency medical needs (e.g., seizure management or discharge from hospital)

When it is reasonable and necessary for a participant to be supported in a shared living arrangement, a quote is requested from a registered provider for delivery of the support.  This would be an extreme high-care-needs policy.

At minimum, Public Liability Insurance and Workers Compensation Insurance (if a sole trader, you will require a Personal Accident or Income Protection Insurance). You may also require Professional Indemnity Insurance, if you are providing a professional service that includes the supervision and monitoring of medication.

Anyone who gives to another person advice and/or services of a skillful character according to an established discipline might be regarded as a ‘Professional’. This means that a person who provides care for the aged and disabled, whether paid or unpaid, is no exception. A care provider will be held to a higher standard than someone who does not have the same qualifications or expertise.

A Professional will hold himself or herself out as having a special skill, which can be relied upon by another. Consequently, the law requires that the Professional exercise the required skill to an appropriate level expected by that profession.

Professionals are only human, and mistakes do happen. Any financial loss, injury or damage arising from a mistake or failure by the Professional to exercise the required level of skill may mean that an award is made in favour of a person who suffers a loss, damage, or injury. A Professional may also be held to be liable for a mistake even though there was no negligence.

If a financial loss, injury, or damage arises from a failure to provide that appropriate level of skill may result in an award for damages being provided to the third party that suffers the financial loss, injury or damage. The Professional Indemnity insurance provides cover for damages awarded against the Insured Person and/or Company including costs or expenses incurred in defending the claim.