As part of aged care reforms, the Australian government is taking a more coordinated approach in providing access to in-home care by replacing existing programmes with a more flexible and streamlined system.
The Support at Home programme, coming this November, promises to provide older Australians with more options and tailored home support. However, the need of the hour is additional manpower, according to an online disability support provider, Hireup.
"From November 2025, major government reforms and the introduction of 300,000 additional home care places over the next ten years will place even greater pressure on a workforce already stretched thin. With A$4.3 billion ($2.8 billion) committed to the new Support at Home program in FY26, access to aged-care workers is one of the sector’s most pressing challenges," claimed chief product officer David Collins.
Hireup, one of Australia's largest National Disability Insurance Scheme-registered support platforms, has stepped up to the task by expanding into aged care along with their trained and vetted support workers.
In an interview with Mobihealth News, Collins explained how their digital platform works: "Clients can browse worker profiles, connect via chat, agree on shift details like location, duration and activities, and schedule bookings. After shifts, we collect feedback to ensure quality and continuity of care, and all payments and invoicing take place securely through the platform."
How they set themselves apart from other support platforms, he noted, is by taking full accountability for support. "This means that all support on Hireup is 100% backed by us, with employed workers, comprehensive insurance, rigorous screening and checks, and ongoing monitoring to ensure safety, trust and high-quality support every time."
Aged care-specific tweaks
To prepare for their expansion into aged care, Hireup introduced sector-specific training for its existing national workforce.
"Our employment model also enables us to have quality oversight, whilst giving workers access to consistent training and up-to-date resources through our bespoke training platform, Hireup Academy. This training covers sector-specific standards, safe manual handling, dementia support, and privacy compliance," Collins shared.
The platform matches clients with support workers who meet compliance requirements, are nearby and available, and align with their support needs and preferences. "We know navigating aged care can be overwhelming, so we’ve kept our tech simple: fewer clicks, clear navigation, and mobile-friendly booking. All this is backed by a phone support team for those who prefer a personal touch," Hireup's product chief said.
Central to Hireup's move to aged care is a dashboard functionality for care coordinators.
"We know that up to 90% of older Australians' care is managed by care coordinators. To make their lives easier using Hireup, we’ve developed a dedicated dashboard that lets care coordinators manage onboarding, job ads, bookings, worker teams, and compliance for large client portfolios (in some cases over 100 people) all in one place," Collins said.
"Workers love our mobile app for managing shifts, accepting bookings, communicating with clients, and tracking their progress towards pay increases," he also mentioned.
AI and data security
Collins also sees potential for AI to enhance user experience. "It could anticipate what an older Australian, worker, or coordinator needs, generate tasks like jobs or compliance actions, and adapt the platform to each user. For matching, AI could streamline the early 'fit' conversations – vetting skills, availability, and preferences – making it faster and easier to connect the right people."
Meanwhile, Hireup also ensured that their online platform is prepared to handle, manage, and protect sensitive aged care data.
"We use encrypted data storage, secure authentication protocols, and regular penetration testing to protect user information. In addition to our gold standard cyber security, we use multiple other layers of protection to keep our platform, data, and users safe," shared Collins.
"Our dedicated Trust and Safety team also actively monitors for potential threats, ensures compliance with security protocols, and uses keyword detection to identify and address risks before they escalate."
Hireup launched in 2015. Since then, it has supported 11,000 people with disability each year. It has facilitated over 152,000 support connections between clients and over 14,000 support workers.
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Collins' responses have been edited for clarity's sake.
