Understanding the disability support and aged care sectors

Upcoming award changes: Aged Care Work Value Case

The Aged Care Work Value Case is a series of decisions of the Fair Work Commission that change minimum wages and conditions for employees in the aged care industry.

The changes take effect from 1 January 2025.

For more information, go to Aged Care – Work Value Case: Changes to awards.

Find out about the disability support and aged care sectors and what awards and entitlements apply.

On this page:

Awards that can apply

Employers and employees in the disability support and aged care sectors provide residential care and social assistance services, generally to older people and people with disability.

There is some overlap between the 2 sectors, with both delivering services in:

  • aged care facilities
  • private residences
  • the community.

Employers and employees in these sectors are generally covered by either the:

Nurses working in these sectors may be covered by the Nurses Award.

The award that applies will depend on the:

  • work setting
  • the nature of the work being performed.

In most cases, an award will apply to employers and employees when the definitions in the award appropriately describe the work being performed. Find out more about understanding award classifications at Award classifications.

Tip: Use our award tools

You can work out your award coverage by using our 3-step Find my award tool.

Awards are also available in one A-Z list from our List of awards page.

If you’re an employer, you can follow the steps to find the right award on I’m not sure which award covers my business.

Social and Community Services, Home Care and Disability Services Award

The Social and Community Services, Home Care and Disability Services Award, commonly called the Social and Community Services Award or SCHADS Award, covers several different care ‘streams’ that have different pay and conditions.

Social and community services

The social and community services sector covers a wide variety of social assistance work, including:

  • social work
  • recreation and respite care
  • welfare support
  • youth work
  • community development.

This sector also covers work supporting people with disability in a community or residential setting. It may also include providing assistance in a private residence. Different pay and conditions can apply to disability services work.

Home care

The home care sector covers care and domestic assistance provided to older people or people with disability in a private residence.

Care provided to older people outside a private residence, such as in an aged care facility or hostel, is covered by the Aged Care Award.

More information can be found in our Home care section.

Other sectors in the SCHADS Award

Sectors that involve providing support and assistance, but that don’t provide direct care services, can also be covered by the SCHADS Award.

These include:

  • crisis assistance and supported housing
  • family day care.

More information on these sectors can be found at Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award summary.

Aged Care Award

The Aged Care Award covers employers and employees providing accommodation and care services for older people in residential accommodation facilities.

This award can cover a broad range of employees. These employees are broken into 2 categories within the award:

  • direct care
  • non-direct care.

Direct care

Direct care employees include personal care workers.

Non-direct care

All other employee types are classified as non-direct care employees. These include:

  • cleaners
  • administrative workers
  • maintenance workers
  • food services workers.

More information on both categories can be found on our Working in the aged care industry pages.

Agreements

Many businesses in the disability support and aged care sectors have enterprise agreements, which can provide different pay and conditions to an award. Agreements may also classify employees or groups of employees differently.

Agreements are generally based on an award that would otherwise apply in the industry.

An agreement must still provide for at least the minimum pay and conditions in the relevant award. For more information, go to Agreements.

The Fair Work Commission (the Commission) keeps a database of registered agreements. The Commission is the national workplace relations tribunal and registered organisation regulator. You can search for a registered agreement from the Find an agreement database.

Occupational coverage

Awards can apply to employees because of their specific job or occupation. This means they can work for different businesses across different industries and generally stay covered by the same award.

This also means that employees of the same employer can be covered by different awards.

The following awards are examples of occupation awards that could cover employees working in the care sector:

Clerical workers

Clerical workers can be covered by different awards, depending on the part of the care sector they work in.

Clerical workers in the care sector can be covered by the SCHADS Award if they’re working in the:

  • social and community services sector
  • family day care scheme sector.

Clerical workers working in aged care can be covered by the Aged Care Award.

More information can be found in our Library article Clerical employees and the Social Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award.

Tip: Use our industry filters

If you are covered by either the SCHADS Award, look out for these boxes on our website, which provide award specific information. Select the industry that applies for you to get tailored information on the page.

Our filters give award-specific advice on issues like:

Select the industry that applies and get tailored information on the page. For example, ‘social, community, disability and home care services’.

Independent contractors

Some individuals in the care industry may be working as an independent contractor.

Independent contractors operate as their own business, working direct with clients or with funding agencies to find work.

Although they may be operating within the care sector, independent contractors aren’t covered by the Fair Work Act or an award.

Independent contractors don’t get employee entitlements such as annual leave, sick leave and minimum rates of pay. Independent contractors are also responsible for paying their tax and GST (if applicable) to the Australia Taxation Office. They also generally pay their own superannuation.

Learn more at Independent contractors.

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