Settlement Services International (SSI) has launched a new learning program to train aged care workers on culturally safe service for seniors from diverse backgrounds as a proven way to boost health outcomes and quality of life.

The offering is a response to feedback from aged care providers that there is a need for practical training directly addressing the real-world challenges faced by workers. It also offers solutions to the recommendations in the government’s Aged Care Diversity Framework, which has called for better training to support providers in accommodating the diverse characteristics and life experiences of seniors, such as arriving in Australia as a migrant or refugee.

With a target of training 14,600 people within 18 months, SSI aims to help unlock the proven benefits of this person-centred approach for Australia’s ageing population by significantly raising the skill level of direct care workers in interacting with culturally diverse seniors. In doing so, it will reduce barriers for seniors accessing healthcare, increase customer satisfaction and business performance for aged care providers, and improve retention of direct care workers within the short-staffed industry.

About the diversity e-learning modules

The online program is delivered in seven accessible e-learning lessons, which can be completed on any laptop or mobile device in approximately 90 minutes. The content is aimed at supporting direct care workers and covers the following topics: ‘what is culture’, ‘caring for people from culturally diverse backgrounds’, ‘culturally responsive support’, ‘communication’, ‘getting to know your client’, ‘understanding trauma’, and ‘self-care’.

Iggy Pintado, Head of SSI’s Home Care Workforce Support Program, says the learning program will support new and existing workers in providing the highest level of support.

“The feedback from seniors is that they want access to support from carers who understand and have respect for their culture, and we know that culturally responsive care leads to better health outcomes. The sector has been crying out for a practical training program like this,” Mr Pintado said.

The program is available free of charge to participants in the government-funded Home Care Workforce Support Program, with a flexible paid option for aged care providers. A variety of customisable plans are available for small and large teams, organisations, or providers seeking ‘blended’ learning with in-person workshops to further extend learning outcomes.

Inclusive support approach for Australia’s ageing population

Working Future, a 2023 Australian government white paper, identified that migrant workers will be key to filling worker shortages in the aged care sector in the coming decade, with a total of 110,000 additional home care support workers needed by 2030 to meet the unprecedented demand from Australia’s ageing population. Approximately 37 per cent of Australians aged 65 and over were born overseas, further emphasising the need for all workers to learn about navigating cultural contexts and nuances to avoid cultural misunderstandings in a care setting, which is viewed as a key challenge for the aged care sector in the coming years.

Janet Irvine, SSI Diversity Training Manager, says equipping our workforce with the confidence and capability to understand and work inclusively with different cultural perspectives is central to any worker in Australia. “Aged care workers are working in culturally diverse teams and with clients from a range of backgrounds. This e-learning will take people beyond the compliance level training to something more practical and relevant to their everyday work.  They will increase their awareness of how culture influences them and their work with clients and equip them with information, tools and resources to tailor the care they provide to all their clients.”

SSI’s new learning program has been informed by their more than 20 years of experience, reaching approximately 60,000 people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds each year. Their workforce of industry-leading experts in multicultural engagement collectively speak more than 100 languages. Preview the program for the aged care sector here.

SSI’s learning management system also includes tailored e-learning solutions for local government, with NGO and corporate diversity training solutions added in early 2024.

Over 175 workers have been placed into the skills short aged care industry through an innovative partnership between Settlement Services International (SSI) and Hireup, a national support worker platform.

Tasked with delivering the government-funded Home Care Workforce Support Program (HCWSP), SSI partnered with Hireup, Australia’s largest NDIS registered platform of support workers, to set up the Home Care Staffing Support initiative (HCSS) aimed at breaking barriers across segments of the care sector to bring new opportunities for both staff and industry.

So far, the partnership has been a success, in part due to the alignment in values between SSI and Hireup and their focus on supporting workers through a commitment to upskilling with paid training opportunities, and the benefits of direct employment.

Sonia Vignjevic, General Manager of Client Partnerships and Business Growth at SSI, celebrated the initiative’s results to date, and the opportunities the partnership is offering to individuals and the industry alike.

“The aim of the HCWSP Program first and foremost is to find new solutions that help deliver Australian seniors the care they deserve”, said Mrs Vignjevic.

“At SSI, we work closely with people seeking employment and training pathways and understand the complexities faced in regional and remote areas regarding career opportunities”.

SSI’s background as a settlement services provider has also provided Hireup with a deep understanding of the challenges that Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) individuals and newcomers face when seeking long-term, sustainable employment.

“It is important to provide fair and fruitful opportunities for individuals and we can’t do that without partners like Hireup, who stand for the same values. Hireup’s support workers are employed directly and are supported through employment, training, good and fair pay, and ongoing support”, said Mrs Vignjevic.

The partnership also responds to findings in SSI’s recently launched Billion Dollar Benefit report, which outlined key barriers that limit the workforce potential of migrants and refugees and recommended five solutions to unleash their talent by 2025. The proposed solutions include fixing the skills and qualifications recognition system and strengthening the protections of migrant workers.

The HCSS has also helped aged care and home care providers to boost their workforce, and benefit from a 50 per cent subsidy on workers’ wages to support aged care providers with the costs associated with attracting new workers. This week, the initiative hit its halfway mark with a total of ​50 home care accessing the services thus far, including Focus Care Australia who signed up to the initiative in July 2023.

“The HCSS has given us optimism that we can overcome the sector’s workforce shortages, successfully connecting us to skilled workers who are values-aligned with our organisation, enabling us to continue providing the highest level of support to seniors who trust us and depend on us”, said Service Operations Manager at Focus Care, Maria Paul.

“Our hope is that over the next six months, the partnership will support a greater number of aged care providers with their workforce challenges, while also introducing and upskilling more workers to pursue careers in aged care,” said Stephanie Moran, General Manager, Hireup Providers.

“Almost 400 Hireup workers have already registered with the program – and are actively seeking and engaging with aged care shifts on Hireup. This number has exceeded our expectations, and over the next six months our goal is to have more than 150 providers engaging with these workers”, Mrs Moran added.

This program is available in NSW and the ACT until June 2024. For more information on how to apply to the program, visit the Hireup website.

Visit SSI Home Care Workforce Support Program.