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Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some of our most frequently asked questions with their answers. If your question is not here or if you need more information please call us on 1800 225 474. 

Is there a contract/service agreement?

We have a Service Agreement which explains everything about the service we provide to you or your family/friend.  The Service Agreement outlines what you can expect of us and of the service as well as the summary of your specific service.  
It is detailed, there is quite a bit of information but it is very important you take the time to read it.  Our Coordinators will explain and answer any questions you have about the agreement.  If you need the Service Agreement in an alternative format please do let us know.

Can you help me pack up my things when I’m moving house?

Our private service arm - Lifestyle Home Services can help you pack up your belongings when moving.  Lifestyle Home Services can be a tailored short or long term service which has an hourly fee structure. See the Lifestyle Home Services website for more information or call  our customer service centre.  This type of service is outside of tasks which are part of government sponsored programmes we provide.  We cannot offer a pack up moving service as a part of government programmes such as the HACC (Home and Community Services) or Packaged Care; CACP (Community Age Care Programme) or EACH Programmes (Extended Age Care At Home).  If you are unsure of your type of programme with us call us on 1800 225 474. ·        

When will my service start?
The service start date will be discussed with the client or carer at the time of the assessment, you can contact the assessment and advisory team for more information on
1800 225 474.
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How do I pay?  
There are a few options of how you can pay for your service and this will be discussed at the time of your assessment. 

1)Pay by Visa or MasterCard. Yo do this you can speak to our friendly customer service staff on 1800 225 474 they will able to take the payment over the phone. 
2)Send in a cheque or money order to Catholic Community Services Po box 1011 Meadowbank NSW   2114 
3) Set up a direct debit with your account the assessing coordinator will have the paper work for you to fill out if you would like to pay via direct debit.

4) Have your pension direct debited through Centrepay

We will in the future be offering online payment options, however at this point it is not available

Catholic Community Services invoices are mailed out every two weeks and also have directions of how clients or carers can pay their account.
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Who do I contact after hours?
In all cases of emergency please call 000 as we are not an emergency service. In instances where you are enquiring about your service that maybe out of normal working hours please call 1800 225 474 and you will be put through to our after hours coordinator

Can I order a one-off service? 

Unfortunately Catholic Community services is unable to provide a “one-off service” however  our private arm Lifestyle Home Services will be able to assist you with private one-off services. Please call 1800 225 474 for all enquiries as to how Lifestyle Home Services can help you

Do I need to be home for the service?

Yes. Clients need to be home during the service. Please provide at least 48 hours notice of cancellation of a Community Service. We ask that you contact the Customer Service Centre on 1800 225 474 or your local service centre to cancel the Community Service.

Do I have to be Catholic?  

No, you do not have to be Catholic. Anyone that meets the program eligibility criteria can potentially receive our services.

Is there a squalor service in my area? 

Catholic Community Services was the first service provider to offer a squalor service to the community.
To find out if our service is available in your area you can contact our Customer Service Centre on 1800 225 474 from 7am to 5.30pm. For information & advice view our  Squalor Toolkit 

          
Can I choose my care worker? 

We do not advise clients to chose their care worker as they may become too dependent on that one person and this can then be difficult when the community worker goes on holiday, is sick or moves away. The client then has to get used to somebody else. However, if the client requests a change of care worker because they are unhappy with them in some way then, of course, we will send another care worker. Our aim is that our clients have happy relationships with their care workers. 
Clients from non-english speaking backgrounds can chose to have a care worker who speaks their language, if we have one available.

Will I be charged if I go on holidays or miss my service? 

 Regarding HACC services
Providing that you have given us adequate notice we will not charge you for a cancelled service. We ask that you provide at least 48 hours notice of cancellation of the Service. Rescheduling services can often be challenging as it involves reallocating another worker often at short notice. We request that other commitments and appointments be made so that they do not interfere with a scheduled service but we do appreciate that sometimes this is not possible.A missed service that we are not aware of will be charged to the client. Regarding holidays we also ask that you give us adequate notice and we will cancel and no charge will be incurred.

Please contact the Customer Service Centre on 1800 225 474 
 

Regarding Packaged Care Services
Please contact your packaged care coordinator on 1800 225 474 for details. 

How safe are the community workers? 

Please be assured that your safety is very important to us.
Our community workers are safe and have all undergone a police check.

Can I only have one community worker support me? 

We always strive for consistency with Community Workers and assign a regular community worker to your regular services.  Each of the programmes we provide are different as are the needs of the care recipient.  This means that the number of Community Workers needed to cover your mix of services will depend on the number of services you receive.  We understand familiarity is important and assign the least number of Community Workers who are available at your service time to be able meet your needs.  There will of course be times when the regular Community Worker are sick, on leave or in training, we will arrange a replacement at these times.

What Skills do Community Workers have?

Our Community workers are employed with a Certificate III in Aged Care. They are trained by our Senior Community Workers on how to support clients in their homes and will be trained specifically if the need is there for tasks required by clients in special need.