You have a variety of duties as an aged care support worker. From meal prep to transportation to companionship and medication administration, you cover a lot in just a day’s work. You also genuinely care for your clients and want to help make their days easier. To do so, however, you need to have clear duties and job expectations, as well as a plan of action in case something goes wrong.
That’s where an aged care contract comes in.
Why you need an aged care contract
A contract, sometimes called an agreement, is the best way to ensure that both you and the family you work for are happy. It also serves as a reference for what to expect when working with each other, so that the family and the caregiver are on the same page.
Stating your certifications and training, as well as their parameters, in a contract is also the best way to ensure the older person is cared for in the proper capacity, especially considering the fact that aged care support workers may or may not have training in medicine, nursing or allied health.
This is an important distinction to make to avoid confusion and to set expectations of your scope of practice. For example, some families might expect you to do tasks normally carried out by a nurse, such as administering certain medications or providing wound care, so it’s vital to underline what you can and cannot do from a legal standpoint, as well as in terms of your ability.
In many cases, an older person may need a caregiver who has additional medical training, such as Certificate IV in Ageing Support or registered nursing qualifications, to provide well-rounded care.
Using a contract gives you and the family paperwork to refer to should a dispute crop up over duties, pay or anything else. Hopefully you won’t need it, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
What to include in an aged care contract
An aged care contract is much like any other work contract. It states what the family or individual needs from a caregiver, as well as what services the caregiver can realistically provide. These contracts should include “traditional” components, such as:
- Schedules, including days and hours the caregiver will be working.
- Compensation, including salaried or hourly rates.
- Reimbursements for shopping, travel, purchase of medication, etc.
- Pay schedules and type, whether direct deposit or other.
- Taxes, including employer responsibility.
- Overtime and annual leave pay.
- Benefits, such as private health care, car, etc.
- Annual leave and time off requests.
- Superannuation entitlement
- Termination clauses, including how far in advance a caregiver or employer needs to provide notice.
However, a clear explanation of duties is arguably the most important part of an aged care contract, so make sure to include your duties (and their definitions) in your contract.
Potential duties to include in an aged care contract
When creating your contract, make sure to provide definitions for duties. Positions can vary widely from family to family, and there may be some expectations that are unrealistic for families new to aged care. For some families, “meal prep” includes food shopping for the meal’s ingredients, while other families only expect the caregiver to provide meals using what’s already in the house.
An example of duties to define includes:
- Meal prep, including the types of meals to be cooked and how the food will be chosen or provided.
- Personal hygiene, including helping an older person get dressed, with bathroom visits, bathing, grooming, etc.
- Physical therapy or exercise, such as how often to encourage activity, which activities are safe, etc.
- Travel to doctors’ appointments, chemists, social activities, etc.
- Housekeeping, including laundry, cleaning, dishes, taking out the bins, etc.
- Companionship and socialising. Some families want a caregiver who serves as a companion for their loved one, while some want a caregiver to focus mostly on health care and daily needs.
Legal clauses to add to your aged care contract
Because age and health are often a concern for families hiring a caregiver, it’s also important that privacy, access to health care and liability are included in your contract.
As a rule of thumb, aged care-specific contracts should also include:
- Privacy agreements, such as a non-disclosure agreement. Social media use clauses are also common to protect the privacy of care recipients.
- Health care permissions, including contractual permissions to make appointments, pick up prescriptions, etc.
- Provision of supplies and adaptive equipment, stating that the individual or family will provide their own medical supplies (as is generally the case), such as needles for insulin, and adaptive equipment like wheelchairs.
- Liability insurance to ensure that both the caregiver and older person are covered in the event that something happens. As a self-employed aged care support worker, you will need public liability insurance and your employer should have employer’s liability insurance. In addition, it’s a good idea to take out your own specialist carer insurance policy to make sure everyone involved is fully protected.
- Dispute resolution and legal processes, in the event that the family and caregiver have a disagreement or seek legal counsel. This often includes a process for discussing problems with the family (in person, via email, etc.), as well as how to escalate disputes if they can’t be resolved.
Contracts are a good place to include emergency contacts and protocols. Emergency protocols (such as what to do if your client falls ill), who to call in the event of an emergency and “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) agreements are an important part of a caregiver contract or agreement. Because aged care often comes with medical emergencies, this is an important element that can protect the caregiver if their client’s health suddenly takes a turn for the worse. This can also be included in a care plan.
How to create a contract for your aged care position
For some aged care positions, the family will provide a contract when they make you a job offer. However, for less formal job postings, you may need to initiate a conversation about contracts. This can feel uncomfortable to some, especially if you’re new to aged care. But to ensure everyone is equally protected and your duties are clearly outlined, it’s very important to have everything in writing.
Simply ask the family or older person you’re caring for to help you create a contract that serves as a reference for your duties and schedule. If a family refuses to create a contract, that may be a sign the job is not for you. These contracts provide a framework for your working relationship, as well as protecting both parties.
To create your own contract, you can check what needs to go in a contract or use our aged care contract template and add addendums for any components that are specific to your new position. From there, you can work with the family or older person to fill out the contract. Once it’s signed, you’re ready to start work.
